Cargo Spaces Become People Places

Christopher Miles

10 years ago

Abandoned Industrial Sites become parks:

What was once a cargo pier, then a municipal lot, is now home to an imaginative re-use – a public park project which cost very little, but returns quite a bit. “The Race Street Pier” park graces the banks of the historic Delaware River.

Also, Philadelphia is also soon to be home to a unique “Rails-to-trails” type project. Abandoned trackage will soon play host to host birds, indigenous wild plants, and people.

The plans are in place for the conversion of an unused elevated line where once storied Reading Railroad trains used to travel. What once was train tracks, then blight- will now be parkland and open space- with landscaped greenery and scenic vistas of the skyline. If it’s half as successful as it’s counterparts- The High Line in New York and The Promenade in Paris – Philadelphia will truly have something special.

Additional information about this unique project is available here.

In the meantime, here are some illustrations of how a New York Style “High Line” in Philadelphia might look: