With the High Line’s unique setting comes exceptional complexities unmatched by other city parks. Our firm determined operations and maintenance challenges for Phases 1 and 2 and provided long-term management solutions. These challenges included: delivering materials to the elevated railway itself; restrictions on vehicle type; the complex horticultural plantings; and the lack of space for a traditional storage yard and construction equipment. We worked closely with the lead landscape architects to evaluate bespoke design components and offer insights into design detailing. We identified comprehensive maintenance needs, defined daily operating costs based on maintenance staff requirements, and proposed specific administrative, security and programming staff positions. Following this analysis, we provided modular furnishing recommendations, designed temporary maintenance and administrative facilities, and identified specialized service equipment including the now iconic maintenance bike. Our Operations and Maintenance Manual served as a guideline to ultimately define the public/private partnership that currently operates the High Line and helped prepare the Friends of the High Line to transition from a “development” mode to an operating mode.

Images by: ETM Associates, JCFO and Friends of the High Line (Bann, Tschappat)