Next City Event: From Tracks to Parks: The Next Generation of Urban Green Space

Next City and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University invite you to hear from the visionaries who are transforming the industrial relics of our past into urban parks of the future. Inspired by New York’s High Line, cities across the U.S. are adapting aging rail infrastructure into linear parks and recreation paths.

How can we adapt former rail corridors to create distinctly local parks that serve the needs of their neighborhoods and cities? As more and more cities set their sights on these rail corridors, advocates are looking to established projects for inspiration and best practices. The linear character of rail corridors presents advocates and designers with unique challenges. These greenways serve multiple—and sometimes diverse—communities, and the success of each site often is dependent upon the support and investment of multiple stakeholders.

Through a moderated panel discussion with representatives of Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail, New York’s High Line, Philadelphia’s Reading Viaduct and City Branch, and St. Louis’ Trestle, we will explore how these projects are redefining our notion of the local park and engaging urban dwellers in shaping the future of our cities. Registration is requested!

Moderated by Beth White, Chicago Region Director of The Trust for Public Land, the panel includes:

• Todd Antoine, Deputy Director for Planning, Great Rivers Greenway District
• Ben Helphand, Cofounder and Board President, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail
• Paul Levy, President and CEO, Center City District
• Leah Murphy, Board Member, Friends of the Rail Park
• Danya Sherman, Director of Public Programs, Education & Community Engagement, Friends of the High Line
• Jamie Simone, Program Director for the Urban Parks Program, Chicago office of The Trust for Public Land

Free and open to the public. Click here to reserve your spot!

Doors will open at 5:30 pm. From 5:30 – 6:00 pm, chat with representatives of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the Manayunk Bridge Project, OLIN, Philly Land Bank Alliance, Reading Viaduct Project, and the Philadelphia Chapter of The Trust for Public Land. OLIN will be displaying conceptual designs for a segment of the City Branch extending from Broad Street to the Community College of Philadelphia campus. The renderings were developed for Friends of the Rail Park through a Community Design Collaborative service grant project.

Subscribers are invited to join Next City staff, panelists and fellow subscribers for a special reception following the panel. Space is limited. Learn more and register here.

This event is made possible with support from OLIN and the William Penn Foundation.