Community Input

Community Input Forum

Since its founding in 1999, Friends of the High Line has held over two dozen community input sessions, to encourage neighborhood residents, business owners, and all interested members of the public to share their ideas for what the High Line could, and should, become.

The High Line is a public park, built and maintained for the benefit of all New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. It represents a unique opportunity for members of the community to become involved in the planning of a major public amenity that will serve New York City for years to come. Throughout the design process, community input has been central to the High Line project.

At the beginning, when the High Line was under threat of demolition, the question was simple: “Why do you think the High Line should be saved?” Answers varied, but it was clear that many in the High Line community recognized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a public place unlike any other in the world.

The design process began with an Open Ideas Competition, in 2003. All 720 entries were made available to the public, and response to the ideas helped shape the design process. You can still view all 720 entries into the 2003 Ideas Competition here.

When the team of James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro was selected by a jury to design the High Line, we recognized a great opportunity to work within the High Line community. During the initial phase of the design process, in 2004, frequent Community Input sessions helped shape the design team's plans for the High Line. The design team presented new ideas publicly, then refined them in response to public input before incorporating them into the design.

Friends of the High Line still seeks input into the maintenance and operations of the park the community has helped us build. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact us at info@thehighline.org.

Summary Documents

Summaries and Q&A's from some of our past Community Input Sessions are available for download as PDFs.

May, 2005

December, 2004

November, 2004

October, 2003