Under the Elevated 2013–2020
The first phase developed design and policy recommendations, in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, to transform the neglected public space under the city's elevated bridges, highways, subway and rail lines, into valuable community assets. The partnership continues in a second phase to launch several pilots. The first pilot in Sunset Park will be a collaboration with Industry City.
Under the Elevated: Phase I 2013–2015
Reclaiming public space below transit infrastructure
In partnership with
New York City Department of Transportation
Community Collaborators
Chinatown Partnership, City Life Is Moving Bodies [CLIMB], Bronx Music Heritage Center, Southern Boulevard Merchant Association, WHEDco, and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
Project Area: Five Boroughs
New York City has nearly 700 miles of elevated infrastructure towering above its streets and weaving throughout its five boroughs. Together with the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) we have developed a plan to reclaim and transform the public space under New York City's elevated transit infrastructure.
background
A massive transportation system was built in New York City in the early and mid-20th century, creating a multi-layered city with elevated highways, subway tracks and rail lines. While this major investment contributed positively to the physical and economic growth of New York City, it also divided and isolated communities. Often, the spaces beneath this elevated infrastructure became neglected and dispirited.
In a dense city like New York, these residual spaces can no longer be an afterthought. The millions of square feet of these sites (nearly four times the size of Central Park) arguably encompass one of the most blighting influences on the city’s neighborhoods, yet also constitute one of the last development frontiers. This substantial inventory represents an untapped public asset that has the potential to radically transform New York’s urban fabric.
process
Working in partnership with the agency responsible for managing and maintaining New York City’s streets and the majority of space under elevated transportation infrastructure and our interdisciplinary team of Fellows, we:
- Surveyed the inventory of land under NYC’s bridges, and elevated subway, highway, and rail lines to study the diverse development potential each holds;
- Identified physical conditions to categorize parcels into seven distinct types, and then studied each in-depth;
- Conducted participatory workshops at different sites throughout the city to solicit input and feedback from community members;
- Designed and produced temporary site-specific installations in Chinatown and in the Bronx;
- Explored ways that DOT could influence the development of sites citywide; and
- Developed realistic, context-specific design and programming recommendations.
In June of 2015 we released our study, Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities. Synthesizing more than two years of research, design and policy work, this publication includes design recommendations as well as programming and policy proposals to inform the transformation of spaces citywide and around the world. Check out the publication.
Under the Elevated puts New York City at the forefront of the growing national and international trend of addressing and reclaiming aging elevated transportation infrastructure and the spaces associated with it. It is the first major urban initiative to propose a comprehensive approach in dealing with these spaces citywide.
Key Milestones
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Conduct preliminary research
September 2012
Design Trust works with a graduate studio at Cornell University to research and analyze elevated transit infrastructure in NYC.
Define scope
May 2013
Design Trust partners with the NYC Department of Transportation and defines the scope of the project.
Assemble team
June 2013
We assemble an interdisciplinary team of Fellows, including a graphic designer, landscape architect, urban planner, artist, and photographer.
Form Advisory Committee
June 2013
We form an Advisory Committee of engineers, architects, transportation experts, and community stakeholders to guide the project.
Conduct research
July 2013
The Fellows research the different types of elevated infrastructure in NYC, the spaces underneath, and the communities surrounding them.
Gather community input
August 2013
The team conducts a series of on-site workshops in Chinatown, Crotona Park East and Washington Heights to gather ideas and feedback from the community.
Testing
January 2014
Working with our community collaborator, Chinatown Partnership, the Fellows designed an interactive community calendar and bulletin board for the space below the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. Developed out of several listening sessions with local residents, the team designed this prototype to test ways that this underused space could become a central hub for Chinatown events, news, and opportunities. Read more...
Testing
July 2014
Working with our community collaborator, Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation, Design Trust Fellows Chat Travieso and Neil Donnelly created "The Boogie Down Booth," a temporary resting spot underneath the 2, 5 subway tracks that provides solar-powered lighting at night and plays Bronx-born music from directional speakers. Read more about The Boogie Down Booth...
Synthesize research
October 2014
The project team and Design Trust staff work to synthesize the project's research, findings and feedback from the site-specific installations in order to create the final project publication.
Release findings
June 2015
The project publication, Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities, will be released on Thursday, June 18th! Read more about the launch event.
Underwriter
Lead Sponsor
Additional Support
Recent Output
Recent Activity
The Latest News
NYC DOT and Design Trust Presented Discover El-Space 2.0 at Long Island City
June 24, 2019
Public Presentations
Under the Elevated Book Launch
Thursday, June 18, 2015 @ 1:30 PM
The Latest Press
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Engaging Readers; Preserving StorefrontsThe New York Times
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Oculus Quick Take With Susan Chin and Neil GagliardiOculus Quick Take
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The plan to tuck a park under Toronto's ugly elevated expresswayMother Nature Network
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Susan Chin on the Spaces Under the ElevatedUrbanophile
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What To Do with Lost Spaces Under NYC’s Elevated Bridges, Highways, Subway Tracks, and Rail Lines?Metropolis
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Under the Elevated: A new report argues for development of New York’s forgotten public spaces.City Journal
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Under-Development: Reclaiming 700 Miles of Public SpaceUrban Omnibus
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How would you reclaim the 700 miles of unused 'el-spaces' in NYC?Mother Nature Network
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Seven Ways to Revamp Deserted Spaces Under New York City's Highways and Elevated TrainsSmithsonian Magazine
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Under the OverLandscape Architecture Magazine
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Reviving Dead Spaces Under Elevated StructuresCity Lab
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Flower Beds, Lighting Upgrades Among Design Trust for Public Space Ideas for Areas Under the Elevated TracksAM New York
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DOT Aims to Reimagine Elevated SpacesNY1
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What Could We Do with the Space Below New York's 700 Miles of Elevated Roads and Trains?Fast Co. Exist
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Searching for the Next High Line, City Identifies 700 Miles of Unused SpaceCrain's New York Business
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Planners See New Opportunity in Old Elevated InfrastructureCapital New York
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How New York Plans to Elevate the Spaces Under Freeways, Subway PlatformsNext City
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Study Finds 700 Miles of Space under NYC Bridges, TracksThe Real Deal
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Design Trust for Public Space Unlocks Potential of 'Under the Elevated' SpacesInterior Design
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Bringing New York City’s Underpasses Out of the Shadows and into Public SpaceHyperallergic
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Urban Planners See Hidden Potential Under Elevated StructurescoUrbanize
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What to do with Under the FreewayThe Spokesman-Review
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A Music Booth in the Boogie Down BronxWNYC
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Under the Tracks, a Kiosk With a Bronx BeatThe New York Times
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Booth Delivers Bronx Sounds Under the DinThe Wall Street Journal
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Noteworthy Arrival Beneath the TracksCrain's New York
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A Temporary Bench Placed in the South Bronx Features Overhead Music from Local MusiciansNew York Daily News
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'Boogie Down Booth' Debuts at Bus Stop on Freeman StreetNews 12
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'Boogie Down Booth' Brings 24/7 Music to Bronx Subway StationDNAinfo
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Unnatural NatureMetropolis Magazine
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What Lies Beneath: the Design Trust for Public Space Seeks to Transform the Spaces Under NYC's Elevated InfrastructureUntapped Cities
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Tapping Into the Potential of New York's "Lost" UnderpassesArchDaily
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Under the Elevated: Fellows Named to Study Reviving New York City's Gritty UnderbellyThe Architect's Newspaper
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Development Ahead Under Elevated Trains?GlobeSt.com
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Nonprofit Wants to Build Parks Under Train Tracks, OverpassesCurbed NY
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2013 Spring Grant AnnouncementNational Endowment for the Arts