The United States has more than 100 infrastructure-reuse projects, which generally require a “tremendous amount of tenacity and time” to complete, said Asima Jansveld, vice president of the High Line Network.ĭespite the extra complications, adding green space to functioning infrastructure has gained traction. The High Line is considered a design and tourism triumph, but it has also drawn criticism for accelerating gentrification along its route and not better serving residents of nearby public housing.

Conceived, funded and built by the nonprofit Friends of the High Line, the park has inspired so many infrastructure-reuse projects that its founders formed the High Line Network to help others learn the ropes - and avoid pitfalls. The wildly popular High Line in Manhattan, which opened in 2009, gave impetus to the idea of adding greenery to infrastructure that is raised off the ground. These projects are “complicated from a design point of view and a maintenance point of view,” said Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of national programs for the Trust for Public Land and a former New York City parks commissioner. Such projects require coordination among many consultants and, often, multiple levels of government, with possible construction delays, cost overruns and pushback from residents.

After 10 months of inspection, analysis and repair, it finally reopened in July.īuilding a park 70 feet in the air atop a transit center showed how complex it can be to piggyback green space on active infrastructure. Officials hoped for a quick turnaround, but the project became mired in delays. The transit center abruptly shut down shortly after opening in August last year when cracks were discovered in two steel beams. With lawns, hillocks, lavender beds, leafy trees and a walking path, it gives commuters a relaxing place to wait for their bus and attracts people who live and work nearby looking for respite in the middle of a busy city.ĭespite its presence as a calming oasis, Salesforce Park faced stressful start-up challenges. Salesforce Park is a lush landscape that stretches four city blocks atop a transit center in San Francisco.

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