What do you think?
Rate this book
High Line: The Inside Story of New York City's Park in the Sky
How two New Yorkers led the transformation of a derelict elevated railway into a grand―and beloved―open space The High Line, a new park atop an ele-vated rail structure on Manhattan's West Side, is among the most innovative urban reclamation projects in memory. The story of how it came to be is a remarkable two young citizens with no prior experience in planning and development collaborated with their neighbors, elected officials, artists, local business owners, and leaders of burgeoning movements in horticulture and landscape architecture to create a park celebrated worldwide as a model for creatively designed, socially vibrant, ecologically sound public space. Joshua David and Robert Hammond met in 1999 at a community board meeting to consider the fate of the High Line. Built in the 1930s, it carried freight trains to the West Side when the area was defined by factories and warehouses. But when trains were replaced by truck transport, the High Line became obsolete. By century's end it was a rusty, forbidding ruin. Plants grew between the tracks, giving it a wild and striking beauty. David and Hammond loved the ruin and saw in it an opportunity to create a new way to experience their city. Over ten years, they did so. In this candid and inspiring book― lavishly illustrated―they tell how they relied on skill, luck, and good a crucial court ruling, an inspiring design contest, the enthusiasm of Mayor Bloomberg, the concern for urban planning issues following 9/11. Now the High Line―a half-mile expanse of plants, paths, staircases, and framed vistas―runs through a transformed West Side and reminds us that extraordinary things are possible when creative people work together for the common good.
339 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
10 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 29, 2011
I love the story of The High Line – its Death Alley origins, the decades of decay where it stood there as a sole Manhattan reminder of the once-modern ways to deal with traffic congestion, the fight of its preservation, the wondrous metamorphosis into a beautiful park, and the string of grassroots miracles that made the dream real.
This book chronicles the history of The High Line and it does so with the level of care equal to the park itself. With its first-person account followed by spreads and spreads of beautiful photographs (disclaimer: I took one of them) it’s a feast for the eyes, the mind and the heart alike. I found it inspiring, humbling, and just the right mixture of down-to-Earth and pie-in-the-sky.
Especially if you’re interested in urban design, or design in general, you owe it to yourself to read this. But even if not, I bet you’ll find more here than you’d think.
This book chronicles the history of The High Line and it does so with the level of care equal to the park itself. With its first-person account followed by spreads and spreads of beautiful photographs (disclaimer: I took one of them) it’s a feast for the eyes, the mind and the heart alike. I found it inspiring, humbling, and just the right mixture of down-to-Earth and pie-in-the-sky.
Especially if you’re interested in urban design, or design in general, you owe it to yourself to read this. But even if not, I bet you’ll find more here than you’d think.
October 31, 2021
Stunning images and interesting oral history of how The High Line became a reality.
February 26, 2017
Het boek over de High Line is met recht 'fascinating'. Het is het verhaal van twee mensen, Joshua David en Robert Hammond, die samen besluiten 'Friends of the High Line' te starten. Hun doel: de High Line, een ruim 2 kilometer lange, in onbruik geraakte spoorlijn voor goederentreinen die op ca 9 meter boven de begane grond loopt tussen Gansevoort Street en West 34th Street in Manhattan (Meatpacking district), te behoeden voor afbraak.
January 19, 2012
I can't wait to visit High Line this weekend. The text reads like an interview of the two founders and was a fascinating account of their journey to save High Line.
November 20, 2018
For many years Bryant Park was my favorite park in NYC. I love Central Park, but Bryant was closer to GCT and I enjoyed lounging in the grass.
Then the Highline opened and I was immediately entranced by its unique nature; a beautiful modern park built in the ruins of one of the structures of old NY. Since the first deferment opened I have walked the park hundreds of times, bringing friends and family to share in the many different aspects.
The story of the two men who started the push to save the elevated train line that would become the park is unexpected, yet humble. So many people stepped in and stepped up to help in the development of the project, and the two central figures make a point to note as many of those people as they can remember.
While not an intriguing read, the book is certainly and interesting look behind the scenes at the years of work out in. Fully half the book takes the form of pictures of the Highline, from long before it became a project, through to its opening of the first section.
Worth a read for those interested in the Highline itself, as well as the story of what it takes to bring people together for a project such as this.
Then the Highline opened and I was immediately entranced by its unique nature; a beautiful modern park built in the ruins of one of the structures of old NY. Since the first deferment opened I have walked the park hundreds of times, bringing friends and family to share in the many different aspects.
The story of the two men who started the push to save the elevated train line that would become the park is unexpected, yet humble. So many people stepped in and stepped up to help in the development of the project, and the two central figures make a point to note as many of those people as they can remember.
While not an intriguing read, the book is certainly and interesting look behind the scenes at the years of work out in. Fully half the book takes the form of pictures of the Highline, from long before it became a project, through to its opening of the first section.
Worth a read for those interested in the Highline itself, as well as the story of what it takes to bring people together for a project such as this.
May 24, 2020
A detailed and engaging story of the numerous obstacles and achievements of a major urban planning challenge: the making of a park unlike any other. Having walked the High Line in 2012, this book was our souvenir of a very unusual tourist experience. The book has both a readable story of development and pictures of the development as it progressed, and should be required reading for every urban planning student.
August 4, 2019
Quirky, entertaining and overwhelming account of the "birth" of the High Line along with many many photos, including alternate design concepts. So glad to read this after walking the High Line this summer.
June 4, 2017
This book made me appreciate and love the High Line even more. Kudos to Josh and Robert for their passion and persistence.
May 4, 2020
Urban Development. Great park, brilliant. Great book, nicely designed, well written. A watermark.
December 28, 2023
This was a wonderful way to experience the High Line for someone who does not have the ability to go see it in person. Gorgeous photographs, block by block maps, a wonderful experience
November 8, 2011
While in NYC I purchased this book to learn about the development and history of the High Line project. The book is great and a worthy document of the quirky aspects of the park. I say quirky because the park has a lot of variety to it and is just that side of the traditional rail to trail park development model.
The book is the same way. It could just follow the traditional linear path of concept, inception, construction, grand opening, and future plans. It could just document the obstacles, the NIMBY pressure, the costs, the opportunities etc. It includes this information, but it also goes to the quirky side. You have a first person narrative for maybe 100+ pages, alternating between the two co-founders of the Friends of the High Line.
This section is awkward because of the competing voices. I think it could work in a documentary format where voices have sound and you can visually separate the two speakers, but in the written form it is hard to follow. So much so that I decided early on that I didn't care who was "speaking," I just read it as if there was one voice, one narrator. It worked, but I am not sure that I got the affect the authors were hoping for. The information is good and interesting. The political process is explained; the meetings the advocacy etc is similar and different at the same time.
What didn't work, other than the voice, was that this section was hardly broken up at all. It consisted of basically 100 pages of text. A picture thrown in here and there, but overall it was a struggle to pay attention with all the text. Another aspect that detracted was that the authors presume you are from New York City when you read the narrative. I have no idea where Gansevoort Street is. A map would have been nice. What amazed me is that the web site has an incredibly well done interactive map of the park.
Two things pushed the book back up and then over the top. The topic is great and you are interested and want to read about it. It is compelling and human. The second thing are the pictures that finish the book. They are beautiful and dynamic. They tell the story in a much more interesting and absorbing manner
The book is the same way. It could just follow the traditional linear path of concept, inception, construction, grand opening, and future plans. It could just document the obstacles, the NIMBY pressure, the costs, the opportunities etc. It includes this information, but it also goes to the quirky side. You have a first person narrative for maybe 100+ pages, alternating between the two co-founders of the Friends of the High Line.
This section is awkward because of the competing voices. I think it could work in a documentary format where voices have sound and you can visually separate the two speakers, but in the written form it is hard to follow. So much so that I decided early on that I didn't care who was "speaking," I just read it as if there was one voice, one narrator. It worked, but I am not sure that I got the affect the authors were hoping for. The information is good and interesting. The political process is explained; the meetings the advocacy etc is similar and different at the same time.
What didn't work, other than the voice, was that this section was hardly broken up at all. It consisted of basically 100 pages of text. A picture thrown in here and there, but overall it was a struggle to pay attention with all the text. Another aspect that detracted was that the authors presume you are from New York City when you read the narrative. I have no idea where Gansevoort Street is. A map would have been nice. What amazed me is that the web site has an incredibly well done interactive map of the park.
Two things pushed the book back up and then over the top. The topic is great and you are interested and want to read about it. It is compelling and human. The second thing are the pictures that finish the book. They are beautiful and dynamic. They tell the story in a much more interesting and absorbing manner
February 10, 2012
High Line is the story of how my favorite park in New York overcame daunting challenges to become a reality, written by the guys who made it happen. The book flips back and forth between Josh David and Robert Hammond's perspective, starting when they banded together in the late 1990s to try to save The High Line, an old elevated railroad spur stretching through a chunk the west side of Manhattan, widely considered an eyesore at the time.
They had a different vision: preserve and renovate the High Line, transforming it into something great. What started as a camaraderie shared as the sole High Line advocates in a community meeting quickly became the central mission of their lives, and over the next 15 years they managed to overcome hurdle after hurdle to see their vision through.
The book is surprisingly candid in moments and feels like a list of obligatory thank-yous in others. Still, the story was compelling, punctuated at the end by a few hundred photos and renderings, visually documenting the High Line from its heyday to decay, uncertain future to wonderful present.
They had a different vision: preserve and renovate the High Line, transforming it into something great. What started as a camaraderie shared as the sole High Line advocates in a community meeting quickly became the central mission of their lives, and over the next 15 years they managed to overcome hurdle after hurdle to see their vision through.
The book is surprisingly candid in moments and feels like a list of obligatory thank-yous in others. Still, the story was compelling, punctuated at the end by a few hundred photos and renderings, visually documenting the High Line from its heyday to decay, uncertain future to wonderful present.
June 19, 2014
Having recently visited The High Line, I decided to try out this book and see if it deepened my appreciation of the park. It definitely did that and I found the story about how two men were able to save the old rail line from destruction and turn it into a park to be inspiring. Their account is about 130 pages long and is pretty honest about the mistakes, disappointments, and many small triumphs they experienced leading up to the creation of the new park. You get some sense of how and why the park is designed the way that it is too which is something I was hoping for. The rest of the book is a picture gallery of people in the park, design features, a few old historical photos, and construction photos. These are well-done but do make this a very fast read considering they take up nearly 200 of the 300 pages. High Line is a book worth picking up at the library because it is an enjoyable read but not something you would need to own since it is pretty light and would not be rewarding enough to read multiple times.
December 18, 2011
This is one of the greatest urban reuse/repurposing stories in the U.S. I enjoyed this firsthand account of what it took to assess the situation, build public support, and jump through governmental hoops to create Manhattan's High Line - an elevated park built on the bones of an old freight line. The blow-by-blow did get a little tedious at times - it is completely chronological and documents every meeting, every donation, every blip in the process. A bit too detailed in places. I did love the second half of the book, which is devoted to both historical, in-transition, and current views of the High Line.
January 4, 2012
This is a first person account of the genesis and development of the High Line park in NYC. As a reader from England, some of the detail around political/government agencies was tricky to absorb, but this didn't detract from the main thrust of the story of the High Line... making a dream a reality. It needed two people - the authors - to have an interest in this 'ancient' structure and the get-up-and-go to mobilise an army of volunteers and sponsors to work to build the park. Architects, graphic designers, planners, party organisers, etc. Quite a feat and very inspirational. The book has many wonderful photos and the finished park looks amazing. I will visit one day.
January 2, 2015
If you've visited the High Line and loved it (and how could you not), you will find this story inspiring. It uses first-person accounts from the co-founders of how the project originated and the decade of work that went into getting the park approved and built. An amazing story of tenacity, perseverance, and people acting on good impulses.
I do have one quibble-- they should have put the map of the High Line and surrounding streets at the front of the book for easy reference instead of burying it in the back with all of the other photos.
I do have one quibble-- they should have put the map of the High Line and surrounding streets at the front of the book for easy reference instead of burying it in the back with all of the other photos.
March 5, 2012
An exciting, fast paced story of how the High Line was saved and converted from a derelict, abandoned rail line into a beautiful and modern public park. Written through the eyes of the two founders of the Friends of the High Line. It's not a dry read as the book is sprinkled with lots of quirky tidbits and stories, including one about a meat dress drag ball. Lots of great photos in the second half of the book too.
May 14, 2014
Living in New York and working in the planning world when the High Line opened, I found this book fascinating. While some people may grow tired of what may sometimes come across as name dropping, I loved hearing how so many people played a part in making the park a realty. I enjoyed the style; I felt like I was listening to Josh and Robert simply tell their story. And a truly inspiring story it is.
August 10, 2015
Beautiful pictures and an interesting story about the creation of the High Line. I was more interested in the political process and the community organizing aspect. There was a lot of stuff about design and architecture as well, and I don't know enough about those topics to fully appreciate those portions of the book. But I am glad that the book covered multiple aspects of the park - a multidisciplinary approach.
January 31, 2016
Some of the previous reviewers have talked about how there were too many details, but I actually found those parts to be really interesting from a community activism standpoint, which, from Robert's comments at the end, was part of the goal of writing the book: To show how two ordinary guys became community leaders and took an a project that no one thought could happen. Very inspiring and I'm glad to have it on my shelf to pull out in case I need some tips on how to move a city.
February 10, 2012
When I first got the book and saw all the glossy photos, I figured it wouldn't have much substance and would just praise the High Line. But the two founders tell a fascinating, easy-to-follow story about all the struggles they experienced to bring the park to life. It helps that one of the co-founders is a writer.
October 31, 2012
Okay, so I liked this and thought it was really interesting. Especially all of the different obstacles that had to be overcome and the resistance that Joshua David and Robert Hammond got when they started out. It's hard to imagine that now because I love the High Line and I think most people (or at least a significant amount of people) feel the same. Some really great pictures in this, too.
January 28, 2016
Heartwarming to read how the persistence and determination of two individuals infected a city to create history. Also sad to know so many got in their way. I'm inspired by their efforts when the odds were against them.
If there is a revised addition I think adding maps and photos when referenced in the text would bring the reader closer to "being there". Ideally directly in the text.
If there is a revised addition I think adding maps and photos when referenced in the text would bring the reader closer to "being there". Ideally directly in the text.
February 13, 2012
Interesting story of the restoration of New York City's High Line, a former elevated freight line in Chelsea, now an urban park. Way more detail than I need, but a good skim through to get the idea. If you're into preservation, read the whole thing to see how the two guys did it.
January 13, 2013
I came upon this book in the library. I hadn't heard anything about the High Line before. I was so intriqued by the idea of creating something out of nothing and getting so many people involved. I just devoured it! I would love to visit the High Line someday......
July 22, 2016
This book inspired me to visit this unique park, and I was able to have a deeper sense of appreciation for the landscaping and design that went into this repurposed area of the city. Loved this book.
Want to read
August 2, 2011Pre-ordered for 10/11/11
April 3, 2012
Inspiring story of urban re-use. I want to go to there.
February 1, 2012
Amazing and inspirational in all levels! So happy to have it accessible. One of my top favorite places in NYC. <3
July 11, 2012
After reading this I can't wait to walk the High Line
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews