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. Raised infrastructure in urban areas serve as essential components of transportation, facilitating the movement of people, goods, and services across rivers, railways, and other obstacles. They help connect neighborhoods,
reduce travel times, and support economic activity by ensuring smooth transit flows in densely populated cities.
However, despite their functional utility, bridges often create unintended consequences for the spaces beneath them. These areas frequently
become neglected, forming negative
spaces that disrupt the continuity of urban life.
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.
Brief History
Just north of Charles Street, the El turned from Greenwich Street onto Ninth Avenue at Gansevoort Street, through Gansevoort Plaza in the heart of the Meatpacking District. This was one of the many curves the route of the Ninth Avenue El was known for as it wound its way uptown. At 110th Street, it hit what came to be known as “Suicide Curve,” where it took a particularly sharp but scenic turn to navigate around Morningside Park.