Over 100 urban enthusiasts filled in Cooper Union's Rose auditorium to hash out what on earth we can do about the millions of square feet of undervalued usable space beneath New York City’s 700 miles of elevated bridges, highways, subway tracks and rail lines. A.k.a. el-space.

Who really notices those left-over sites? Despite deafening decibels, air pollution, darkness, isolation and unsightliness, New Yorkers tend to trudge right past these barriers that too often serve to diminish street life and divide neighborhoods.

But not that night. Our panelists DOT's Neil Gagliardi, Under the Elevated Fellows Susannah Drake and Chat Travieso, and Design Trust program director Rosamond Fletcher were fired with questions from left and right.

How do we create new 'High Lines' in other NYC boroughs without disrupting the urban fabric? Does every borough even need a 'High Line' to begin with? Maybe we need to talk about the concept of an 'under-line.' In other words, spaces under elevated lines must be given great attention because of their importance in shaping the urban context at the ground level, as we asserted in our pivotal study of 2001 to reclaim the High Line. It should not be only about what's happening at the upper deck.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s focus on underserved neighborhoods makes it an especially opportune moment to look intently at New York City’s under the elevated space. This is a great opportunity to capitalize on the goals set forth in the City’s OneNYC plan. Open space for festivals and markets, signs for safer streets, devices to capture stormwater and ameliorate noise, and upgrades to sites beneath the rail lines such as in East New York, can enhance the success of the affordable, mixed-use housing slated for development in the next ten years.

A huge thank you to Ilene Shaw for organizing this inaugural panel series as part of NYCxDESIGN, veteran architecture critic James S. Russell for moderating the potent conversation and our panelists for making it happen, and our board member Ann Harakawa for introducing the night's program. And thank you all for coming!

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On June 18, 2015 we will officially release our publication, Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities. Resulting from a two-year study in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, this comprehensive research spells out environmentally and financially sustainable, versatile ways to redesign and maintain the city's massive inventory of under the elevated spaces. Order a copy of the book.