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Community Projects
Friends of the High Line non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line - a 1.5 mile, elevated railway that runs along the West Side of Manhattan currently turning into an elevated park.
Promenade Plantée, Paris
The city of Paris successfully converted the 19th-century elevated Viaduc Daumesnil into a pedestrian walkway called the Promenade Plantée. Rail traffic stopped on the viaduct in 1969. The 3-mile linear park, designed by Philippe Mathieu and Jacques Vergely, is lavishly planted and offers stairs and elevators for access. Retail spaces, designed by Patrick Berger, were created in the spaces under the masonry arches supporting the structure. The project as a whole helped revitalize the surrounding neighborhood, inspiring new residents and businesses to come to the area.
Reading Viaduct, Philadelphia, PA
Reading Railroad commuter trains used this 4.7-acre, mile-long viaduct, near the center of downtown Philadelphia, to enter Reading Terminal, at 12th and Market St. Built in 1890, the viaduct is a combination of embankment sections bridged by steel structures and arched masonry bridges. Service stopped on the viaduct in 1984. In 2003, residents of the surrounding neighborhood formed the Reading Viaduct Project, with the goal of transforming the viaduct to an elevated walkway in conjunction with the redevelopment of their neighborhood.
Bloomingdale Trail, Chicago, IL
The Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail (FBT), formed in 2003, is a grassroots, community organization working to convert the underutilized Bloomingdale freight railroad embankment into an elevated, mixed-use greenway. The park proposed for Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail would stretch three miles across the city’s Northwest Side, linking the Chicago River with the city’s boulevard and transit systems, parks, and several vibrant commercial districts. In 2004, the City developed concept plans for the trail. In addition, the City has funded and is currently executing environmental assessments. FBT is currently working with the Chicago Architecture Foundation and several other partners to mount an open design competition.
Stone Arch Bridge and "Bridge 9",
Minneapolis, MN
This 2,100-foot-long granite and limestone bridge was built in 1883 in downtown Minneapolis to move freight and passengers across the Mississippi river. It is the only stone arch bridge to cross the Mississippi and it was a working rail bridge until 1978. Rehabilitation of this National Historic Engineering Landmark began in 1993, and it now accommodates pedestrians and cyclists. Nearby, a former Northern Pacific rail bridge (known locally as "Bridge 9") was reopened as the Dinkytown Bikeway Connection in 2000. The 1400-foot-long bridge was purchased by the city of Minneapolis for $1 in 1986 after years of disuse. The rail-to-trail conversion is part of the city's extensive bikeway network connecting the East and West Bank campuses of the University of Minnesota.
Walkway Over the Hudson Highland Railroad Bridge, Poughkeepsie, NY
The Poughkeepsie Highland Railroad Bridge, opened in 1889, was the first bridge to be built over the Hudson River, and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Walkway Over the Hudson is a not for profit corporation dedicated to preserving the bridge and turning it into a park. As owners of the bridge as well as the land under it, Walkway is working with federal, state and local officials to secure funding and to connect to existing trails on both sides of the Hudson. When restoration is complete, the bridge will connect more than 30 miles of trails in the adjoining counties.
Transportation/Planning
Resources
The
City Repair Project
is group of citizen activists creating public gathering places
and helping others to creatively transform the places where
they live.
TrafficCalming.Org:
A Practical Guide to traffic calming and neighborhood traffic
management
The
Institute of Transportation Engineers: Traffic Calming for
Communities
City
Comforts- How to Build an Urban Village: This book shows
examples of small things that make urban life pleasant: places
where people can meet, methods to tame cars and to make
buildings good neighbors, art that infuses personality into
locations and makes them into places.
PreservNet:
The Preservation Institute located in Berkeley, CA
Planetizen:
The Planning Development Network
Local
Resources
City
of Rochester (NBN) Neighbors Building Neighborhoods
RRCDC
- Rochester Regional Community Design Center
ArtWalk
SEAC
- South East Area Coalition
NorthEast
Neighborhood Alliance (NENA)
North
East Area Development (NEAD)
Genesee
Transportation Council
Miscellaneous
Rochester
Public Market Essay
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