Verdant oases have been squeezed into every corner of New York City, tucked between towering skyscrapers, carved from former military posts and abandoned railroad tracks, and even laid on top of landfills.
But it is still not enough. So now the latest frontier in the quest to carve out more parkland is the city's subterranean level - home to subways, sewage lines and rats.
Plans are underway to build what its supporters say would be the world's first underground park.
An abandoned trolley terminal near the Williamsburg Bridge on the Lower East Side of Manhattan would be transformed into a green space built by a nonprofit group that has spent years experimenting with solar technology. The group proposes to illuminate the underground space with sunlight collected by high-tech panels above ground and reflected down through a series of pipes.
Called the Lowline, the one-acre park below Delancey Street would feature a year-round garden with herbs and vegetables. In a nod to the past, the group behind the park, the Underground Development Foundation, would also display parts of the original terminal - an old booth, U-shaped trolley tracks, a cobblestone floor - alongside new seating and play areas.
Alicia Glen, the city's deputy mayor for housing and economic development, said the Lowline would create more public space in one of the city's most densely populated neighbourhoods and could serve as a model for other cities. The underground park proposal has already attracted the attention of city officials, urban planners and developers as far as London, Moscow, Paris and Seoul, South Korea.
Besides, as Glen acknowledged, "it's not exactly the hottest property in New York City." When the city called for proposals for the site, it received only one: the Lowline. "To be honest, most people don't think of the underground as a super happy place to be," she said.
Some people were undaunted and said they were intrigued by the idea of having a park lying right at their feet. "Sounds like a cool thing to take friends to," said Dave Wiskus, 35, a singer and guitar player in a local rock band, Airplane Mode, as he walked his Italian greyhound up to Delancey Street. "If we're not trying new things, we're not New York."
But others winced at the possibility of encountering stale air or worse - rats and other vermin - down below. Robin Malcom, 47, a construction worker who said she got enough of the underground world just riding the subway, added that she would feel confined and isolated, especially if there were another terrorist attack in the city. "I'm going to need my parks to be above ground," she said.
Dan Barasch, the executive director of the Lowline, said the park would have a ventilation system in addition to the garden to freshen the air, and full-time security on site. The park would be kept clean and well maintained, he said, and garbage would be removed swiftly to prevent rodent infestations.
The Lowline has won the support of the local community board and some advocates. But Victor Papa, president of Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, a community development and housing organisation on the Lower East Side, said he remained sceptical, though he was willing to give it a chance.
Papa, 71, said he did not want the park to become a magnet solely for celebrities and wealthy patrons with no stake in the community. In return for using public land, he said, the park should offer free science programs and other activities for local children, many of whom are from low-income and immigrant families.
The Lowline, which would cost $80 million to build, still faces significant hurdles, and would not open until 2021 at the earliest. The New York City Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the city-owned site, has given the Underground Development Foundation until July to submit a detailed design and raise at least $10 million, among other things. City officials have yet to commit any money to the project.
© 2016 The New York Times News Service
