Developers Eye New York City for Underground Park Project

An underground park doesn't seem all that appealing at first thought, considering sunshine and blue sky are a park's biggest assets. But by the looks of it, the world's first underground park may not be far off.

According to Verena Dobnik of the Associated Press, private planners are looking to New York City's Lower East Side as the ideal location for the Lowline project, which is inspired by Manhattan's High Line, a park built on an old railroad track elevated 30 feet off the streets

Dobnik explains the plans to turn a century-old abandoned trolley terminal underneath the Lower East Side into a bustling park:

"Street-level solar collectors would be used to filter the sun about 20 feet down to bedrock, turning the dank, subterranean space into a luminous, plant-filled oasis. The park would offer city residents a place of refuge and host art exhibits, music performances, readings and children's activities."

Dan Barasch, a specialist in promoting various applications of technology, said the planners would be "simply taking over a space no one was using in a densely populated neighborhood that lacks sufficient public space."

However, there are several obstacles the Lowline team must first overcome, among them finding a way to channel natural sunlight below the ground while still allowing plants to grow.

The Lowline project represents just one enterprise in a larger movement to revitalize on of the borough's most beloved neighborhoods.

If you like the idea of an underground park in New York, you'll have to be patient. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and city officials must approve the plan, and not everyone is so fond of the planners' vision. As Dobnik reports, residents still have questions and city officials have expressed concerns.

Still, Barasch believes crews could begin construction on the Lowline project in as soon as five years assuming the planning team gain the necessary approval.

Source: Travel Pulse