Customer Reviews

Designing the High Line: Gansevoort Street to 30th Street

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This visually-rich book about reclaiming and designing the new Highline "slow" park in New York City is as fascinating in its conception and design as it is as a source of information about this project. The project documents the Friends of the Highline's efforts to turn an historic abandoned (and reclaimed by nature over the years) elevated railway slated for demolition into a beautiful slow park that at times meanders through buildings and comprises areas to stroll leisurely and relax. My favorite chart from the book is one showing the gradual increase of flora and fauna over time with images of birds and plants. This book is an inspiring reference for visual and information designers as much as it is an overview of this urban landscape architecture project. I highly recommend it for both purposes. It was also inspiring to read about the determination of a community group (Friends of the Highline) to make this project a reality. More about the Highline park in New York City: http://www.thehighline.org

As an instructor in a college of architecture, who teaches site design, I found this book to be a wealth of information and inspiration. I will use it in my teaching to illustrate what can be done to integrate site and structure. In a world gone mad, or so it seems at times, it is refreshing to see really great design. I only wish this kind of information made it to the news. It is a celebration of great ideals and design. I must applaud those, the Friends of the High Line, for a truly remarkable achievement. I didn't just read the book, I devoured it.
I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to inspire young people with excellent design that transcends fads and "isms".

Both the design and content of Designing the Highline are aesthetically pleasing.

It starts off with the route of the Highline in white on a black cover. The inside fold out cover is an aerial view of the site with the proposed Highline route colored in. The historical photos, the seasonal photos of the abandoned rail bed, and the high quality architectural renderings of the proposed design proceed seemlessly. I love the design idea of weeds growing up through sidewalk cracks.

Finding a place for a park in this part of Manhattan was no small feat. The community effort of Freinds of the Highline is an inspiration of what can be done by grass roots organizations.

Walking the completed section (from Gansevoort to 20th Street) of the Highline is fun. The views of the Hudson River to the east, seen between buildings and the street views to the west are a pleasure. There is just something different about experiencing Manhattan from an elevated park. The variety of colors of wildflowers and the way the benches emerge from the path's concrete planks are superb.

This project is an example of adaptation of the built environment at its best.

Wonderful companion to a walk on the High Line or just a good read about what it takes to innovatively use derelict urban spaces.

Very interesting way to describe a poject of landscaping from the very beginning to the detailed plans. Nice design and short precise texts.