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Rail to Trail: 12 U.S. Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

10 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

A whole lot of valuable land in America’s densest urban centers is occupied by the disused and often toxic remnants of neglected infrastructure, industrial complexes and other blight that could be green space instead. Taking inspiration from New York City’s High Line, an elevated linear park along a former New York Central Railroad spur, many cities are transforming urban riverbanks, viaducts, underpasses, freeway structures and even the tops of tunnels into parks, bike paths, pedestrian routes and other public amenities.

11th Street Bridge Park, Washington DC by OMA and OLIN

An aging freeway structure over the Anacostia River in Washington D.C. is set to become the 11th Street Bridge Park, with officials announcing in October 2017 that a design by OMA + OLIN has been chosen. Each ‘lane’ of the bridge is pulled upward toward the middle, crossing each other to form an X shape; the space underneath these overhangs will host a performance area, cafe, plazas and other public functions.

Lowline, New York City, New York by James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch

Complementing New York City’s famous High Line park, a 1.45-mile greenway built on a former New York Central Railroad spur, the subterranean ‘Lowline’ has been given a green light. Set to be the world’s first underground park, it will be tucked into a former trolley terminal in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, with a design by James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch. “The transformation of an old, forgotten trolley terminal into a dynamic cultural space designed for a 21st century city is truly a New York story,” says Barasch. “We know with input from the community and the city, we can make the Lowline a unique, inspiring space that everyone can enjoy.”

The 606, Chicago, Illinois by Collins Engineering, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Frances Whitehead

Chicago converted its abandoned Bloomingdale Rail Line into a 2.7 mile linear park called the 606 (named for the zip code prefix shared by everyone in the city.) The greenway connects four separate neighborhoods and includes a park and trail system with elevated trails for bikers, runners and walkers as well as event spaces and lots of greenery. The project was designed by the firm Frances Whitehead, which approached it as a ‘living work of art,’ demonstrating the vital role that arts play in the fabric of the city.

The Underline, Miami, Florida by James Corner Field Operations

Down in Miami, a stretch beneath an elevated rail line could become ‘The Underline,’ a new public park by James Corner Field Operations, one of the studios behind the High Line in NYC. The 10-mile-long park and urban trail would sit beneath the city’s MetroRail, following an existing bike path called the M-Path, but widening it and adding a parallel pedestrian path that winds through various ecosystems of native plants and habitats for birds and butterflies. Spaces for arts and recreation would be scattered along the way, like pop-up structures and a bike tune-up station.

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Rail To Trail 12 U S Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

[ By SA Rogers in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Trainspotting Hotel: Stacked Shipping Containers Overlook the Rail Tracks

16 May

[ By SA Rogers in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

The phrase ‘Trainspotting Hotel’ probably doesn’t conjure visions of a cozy, comfortable and safe place to lay your head at night, but this hotel gets its nickname from its location overlooking rail tracks rather than anything relating to the heroin-charged cult classic film. Obviously, that’s a good thing for guests who want to enjoy a peaceful getaway on the Elbe River near the town of Litomerice, Czech Republic at this unusual pop-up structure by Artikul Architects.

The hotel is comprised of just three shipping containers, with one forty-foot crate stacked atop two twenty-foot crates in a perpendicular arrangement to create a covered space underneath. The two ground-floor containers house the bathrooms, storage and one of the guest rooms, while four more guest accommodations are set into the top layer.

The client commissioned Artikul to produce a modular design that can be easily taken apart and moved when desired, and would have a light footprint on the land. The hotel has its own built-in water reservoir for the showers and sinks, and utilizes waterless toilets, and the bedrooms are compact but warm and welcoming, fitted with bunk beds and lined with birch plywood.

Artikul is known for producing sustainable structures, so it’s no surprise that they did something creative using recycled and natural materials. Barely any modification to the containers was necessary, preserving the ability to load them onto a truck. The top container is sheathed in reclaimed wood and features a terrace and awning so guests can hang out in the open air and enjoy the views.

[ By SA Rogers in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

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Off the Rails: 12 Artistic Interventions of Train Cars & Rail Yards

04 May

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

As railway systems decay in the United States and flourish elsewhere in the world, works of art pop up in train cars and along disused tracks, paying tribute to the journey of a transportation system in transition. Painted murals display works of art across long distances, interior installations make trips more engaging and projects reclaiming abandoned tracks mull over their history and the scars they leave on the landscape.

Kiev Metro Murals by Okuda San Miguel

For Ukraine’s Independence Day, street artist Okuda San Miguel painted an entire train from the Kiev metro network in his signature style, full of rainbow geometry and the faces of animals and people.

Mobile Garden on Chicago’s Transit System

Chicago’s public transit system was temporarily transformed into a mobile garden for the Art on Track festival, inviting passengers to walk and sit on grass among lush vegetation as they made their way across the city.

Yarn-Bombed Train by Olek

Crochet artist Olek yarn-bombed an entire train, working for two days straight with four assistants to cover an entire locomotive in Lodz, Poland with brightly-colored camouflage-pattern crochet.

Spray-Painted Landscape Along Philadelphia Train Route

Artist Katharina Grosse spray-painted the landscape of one of Philadelphia’s train routes, including abandoned warehouses and stretches of grass, in seven vibrant colors for her large-scale public artwork ‘Psychylustro.’

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Off The Rails 12 Artistic Interventions Of Train Cars Rail Yards

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Underline: 10-Mile Park to Trace Path of Elevated Rail in Miami

24 Feb

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

underline

Following in the footsteps of the High Line (and Low Line) of New York City, the Underline project aims to take the underutilized space below Miami’s elevated MetroRail and transform it into a connected park-and-pathway system spanning ten miles and hundreds of acres.

miami underline project

The undertaking is ambitious, but it has solid precedents around the country: “The Underline will connect communities, improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, create over a hundred acres of open space with restored natural habitats.”

underline system map

Before-and-after concept images, shown above and below, highlight key points along the trail, including expanded park space, bicycle repair stations and play areas.

miami before after park

Connecting Miami, Coral Gables and South Miami, the design further aims to “encourage a healthy lifestyle, provide an easily accessible place to exercise, create a mobility corridor that integrates transit, car, biking and walking, provide a 10-mile canvas for artistic expression, attract development along US1, and generate significant economic impact.”

underline master plan

Beyond its immediate and direct effects, the trail would also connect out to a system of existing bike paths as well as ones under development, serving as a nexus between a total of 250 miles of extant and proposed trails across southern Florida.

miami park project

James Corner Field Operations of New York City was selected to create the master plan for The Underline, with input collected from surveys and six public meetings.

underline miami design

Their master plan provides “standards and requirements for the urban trails including trail widths and proposed materials. It also includes recommendations for lighting and wayfinding, seating, amenities, etc. The plan proposes improvements to crosswalks, intersections. Landscape recommendations include a plant palette and placement. There are also proposals for destination parks.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Rainbow Rail: 5,000 Neon Lights to Line Underside of Chicago “L”

31 Jul

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

wabash lights large

Designed to be suspended below Chicago’s elevated rail system, hovering above cars and pedestrians, this 5,000-tube neon lighting installation aims to bring bright colors to drab railway tracks, using illumination to bridge the dark gap formed by overhead infrastructure.

wabash lights rendering

A set of elevated rails forming a rounded rectangle in the heart of the city, the Chicago Loop defines the downtown experience. Physically, visually and audibly, this nexus of sometimes-subway lines creates a circuit of transit over and under which vast numbers of people travel each and every day. Despite its centrality and functionality, the Loop has little presence in terms of the city’s public image, at least it until The Wabash Lights came along.

wabash lights neon art

The main aim is to activate this shady pseudo-circular zone, turning it from an ignored void into a enjoyed space. The first phase of the project has already been successfully funded on Kickstarter and the next step will be a limited-scale test implementation of the technology. The lights are highly programmable and infinitely customizable, able to cycle through sets of colors and form complex patterns.

skys the limit art

It is hard to avoid drawing a comparison with another highly-visible and quite popular neon project in Chicago, namely: the neon light tunnel (Sky’s the Limit by Michael Hayden) connecting Concourses B and C at Terminal 1 in the O’Hare International Aiport, “a mile-long kinetic light sculpture composed of 466 neon tubes [reflected from above by] 23,600 square feet of mirror.”

wabash street

The duo behind the idea, Seth Unger and Jack C. Newell, are well-suited to the endeavor, with backgrounds in design, branding and creative strategy on the one hand, filmmaking and public art on the other. Together, they are looking to involve citizens from start to finish, looking to them for feedback as well as funding.

wabash lights technology

More on the project from its creators, using “LED light tubes to transform an iconic piece of Chicago infrastructure into a canvas for a dynamic, interactive experience, serving as a catalyst for a re-energized Wabash Avenue. Working with the Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Department of Transportation, and City Government, we have received approval to install a small section of lights on the Wabash Ave tracks to troubleshoot design, interactivity, and test how vibration from the “L”, temperature changes, and the wear and tear of the city affect our hardware.” (Hat tip to Chris B and James B).

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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Multimodal Micro-Homes: Tiny Dwellings Travel by Truck & Rail

13 Jul

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

ship modular multimodal dwelling

Designed around an aging shipyard and its crosscrossing maze of leftover railroad tracks, these series of expandable little dwellings can be rearranged or even moved entirely on demand. Each unit is small enough to fit multiple on a standard cargo truck, then undergoes a simple expansion once deployed on rails to create more living space.

shipyard compact kitchen chair

shipyard portable micro homes

Polish architecture students Tomasz Zablotny and Pawla Maszota are following in the footsteps of other great designers and speculators. The idea of a city on rails has origins both in conceptual architecture as well as science fiction, with authors like China Mieville imagining an entire world made up of ever-moving trains (Railsea).

shipyard site plan

shipyard modular units

shipyard expanding box home

Designed for a specific site in Gda?sk, Poland, the project could of course be expanded to other places, but begins with a real location that could use a productive urban intervention. The ease of mobility inherent in these units makes it possible to reconfigure them for events, creating clusters that in turn leave open spaces for gatherings, festivals or exhibitions.

shipyard plan section

shipyard expanding home

In the past two decades, the number of workers along the docks has dropped by 90%, from 20,000 to just 2,000, leaving plenty of space for such an influx of new inhabitation and activity.

shipyard exploded axon drawing

shipyard bathroom space

There are still some issues yet to be resolved, like indoor plumbing and electrical connections, but some of these (like showers) have already been considered, with auxiliary buildings to be created around this community. Should more permanent transformations ever be called for, the entire place essentially be packed up and moved along, traveling along the tracks or closed up and put back on trucks.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Non-Stop Rail: 2 Future Trains Pick Up Passengers in Motion

16 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

Saving time, energy and bridging the gap between high-speed rail and local-only service, these proposed solutions (each in their own unique way) let people board and disembark at their leisure while the main train speeds along. In on case, passengers wait inside an ancillary car that hooks into a passing bullet train – in the other, they step seamlessly across a dock when changing between slower and faster trains.

gif rail

First, the overhead-car approach (illustrated above) from China, a country that has long been on the cutting-edge of record-fast rail travel, pioneering magnetic levitation trains and incredibly fast cross-country routes with few stops in between. One simply steps into the upper cabin and then walks down into the main train once the two sync up. A second approach, proposed by PriestmanGoode and shown below, involves synchronizing two trains alongside one another then allowing each to dock with the other in transit.

transfer train passenger idea

Aside from being more energy-efficient, a lot of other standard frustrations of train travel are rendered obsolete by one or both approaches, like queuing up, pushing and shoving for quick entrances and exits at the right stop (an issue you will know is serious if you have ever ridden Chinese trains or subways). In the case of Moving Platforms from PG, train transfers in general could be made faster and smoother without requiring stops along the way.

At this stage, the concepts look promising but some technical questions still need to be resolved, including whether using wheels makes the most sense (in the Chinese variant) and the speed reduction required on the part of the passing train to make the two meet smoothly (in either case). Both, however, address a huge pain point in transportation as well as energy efficiency: slowing, stopping and waiting for and between public transit rides. Eventually, one could imagine an omni-directional maglev system taking people directly from buildings to their trains without needing to stop or transfer along the way.

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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Snoozeboxes: Mobile Container Hotels Travel by Truck or Rail

22 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

snoozebox trailer flat bed

Modular, stackable and robust, these cargo containers may not look like much on the outside but provide surprisingly refined accommodations inside and can be packed and shipped cheaply and easily around the world to meet different demand.

snoozebox modular system interior

snoozebox interior module design

Recently renovated, the newest Snoozebox models can be shipped by road, rail, air or sea, fully deployed within two days and configured in a variety of ways for festivals, events or emergency housing.

snoozebox shelves sofa door

snoozebox fashionable interior design

snoozebox new remodel version

Making them appealing for off-the-grid contexts as well, “each of the units require no mains service – no provision for electricity, water or sewerage is necessary. each room is climate controlled and features a wet room, double bed, flat screen TV, power sockets, free wi-fi and a safe.”

snoozebox wet room walls

snoozebox door room divider

These small-footprint shipping container modules allow for “two upper level units, each offering two bedrooms, can be placed on top of the lower level, accessed by stairs with a walkway leading to each dwelling. internally, each temporary residence has four stowed bunk beds, which can be readily and easily converted.”

snoozebox stairs and ramps

snoozebox interior space design

shipping container hotel design

The older models were a bit more bare-bones in terms of their cladding but still provide all of the essential basics, including flat-pack circulation structures and shade provisions for sunny and hot climates.

[ By WebUrbanist in Boutique & Art Hotels & Travel. ]

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Set Sail on Rail: Quirky Vehicles Explore Abandoned Tracks

26 Oct

[ By Steph in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

abandoned railroad vehicles 1

Before the abandoned railroad tracks of Paris officially disappear – which is bound to happen, as cities realize the potential for reclamation as High Line-style parks – some intrepid locals are taking the opportunity to explore. “Train Project” by French design studio HeHe is a series of fun, quirky handmade vehicles that traverse the city on a line that most local residents never get to experience firsthand.

abandoned railroad vehicles 3

The autonomous vehicles include ‘Metronome’ and ‘M-Blem,’ two transparent, cylindrical solar-powered electric vehicles, and the sailboat-inspired ‘Radeau de Sauvetage.’ HeHe also developed additional vehicles made for train tracks in other cities, like an individual transport system to transfer objects from one place to another in Slovakia, and a one-person platform making use of the urban tracks in Istanbul.

abandoned railroad vehicles 2

HeHe calls The Train Project “an ongoing body of speculative investigation into the language and aesthetics of transport culture,” proposing personal rail travel as “a temporary, imaginative solution to question our industrialized conscience in relation to locomotion.”

abandoned railroad vehicle 5

abandoned railroad vehicle 6

The collective invited members of the public to travel on the vehicles, “journeying through space and time to experience the past and future of local transportation networks.” The idea is to take a picturesque trip through areas of the city that can’t be seen from the roads, reclaiming spaces that have been left to deteriorate until they’re inevitably integrated back into the functional urban landscape.

Custom-Railroad-Exploration-Car-1-644x429

A similar project (above) explored sections of the 5,500-plus miles of abandoned railroad tracks in Mexico with the retro-futuristic SEFT-1, modeled after a midcentury vision of a spaceship.

[ By Steph in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Trained Eye: Rail Art Plays Visual Tricks with Tracks & Ties

04 Aug

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

train art rail music

This artist colors outside the lines (or off the rails, if you will) with his clever train-centric creations, dashing onto the tracks to complete pieces that play with the site-specific transit infrastructure in public places.

train painting hand shake

train graffiti scary jump

Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo (AKA Bordalo II) works in and around the train lines, using what is there as props and backdrops for his colorful compositions, turning them into musical lines, extended arms or text underlines.

train on off art

bordalo train tick tac toe

train outside the lines

Many of these are necessarily quickly-executed pieces, placed as they are around active train tracks, while others use abandoned railways and include three-dimensional objects in the mix.

bardalo wall apple mixed

bardalo installation art

bardalo mixed media art

We would be remiss not to mention his other works of urban installation art, often vibrant and including mixed-media elements drawn together, collaged and montaged from their environments (often including garbage and even its receptacles).

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Posts Tagged ‘Rail’

Rail to Trail: 12 U.S. Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

11th Street Bridge Park, Washington DC by OMA and OLIN

Lowline, New York City, New York by James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch

The 606, Chicago, Illinois by Collins Engineering, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Frances Whitehead

The Underline, Miami, Florida by James Corner Field Operations

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Rail To Trail 12 U S Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

Trainspotting Hotel: Stacked Shipping Containers Overlook the Rail Tracks

Off the Rails: 12 Artistic Interventions of Train Cars & Rail Yards

Kiev Metro Murals by Okuda San Miguel

Mobile Garden on Chicago’s Transit System

Yarn-Bombed Train by Olek

Spray-Painted Landscape Along Philadelphia Train Route

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Off The Rails 12 Artistic Interventions Of Train Cars Rail Yards

Underline: 10-Mile Park to Trace Path of Elevated Rail in Miami

Rainbow Rail: 5,000 Neon Lights to Line Underside of Chicago “L”

Multimodal Micro-Homes: Tiny Dwellings Travel by Truck & Rail

Non-Stop Rail: 2 Future Trains Pick Up Passengers in Motion

Snoozeboxes: Mobile Container Hotels Travel by Truck or Rail

Set Sail on Rail: Quirky Vehicles Explore Abandoned Tracks

Trained Eye: Rail Art Plays Visual Tricks with Tracks & Ties

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Posts Tagged ‘Rail’

11th Street Bridge Park, Washington DC by OMA and OLIN

Lowline, New York City, New York by James Ramsey and Daniel Barasch

The 606, Chicago, Illinois by Collins Engineering, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Frances Whitehead

The Underline, Miami, Florida by James Corner Field Operations

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Rail To Trail 12 U S Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

Kiev Metro Murals by Okuda San Miguel

Mobile Garden on Chicago’s Transit System

Yarn-Bombed Train by Olek

Spray-Painted Landscape Along Philadelphia Train Route

Next Page – Click Below to Read More: Off The Rails 12 Artistic Interventions Of Train Cars Rail Yards

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Disused 15-Mile Railway to Become Country-Wide Park in Singapore

Lookout Below: 1-Mile Toronto Park to Run Under Elevated Highway

Turning Tides: 10-Mile Park to Protect NYC from Flooding

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High Line West: Chicago & LA on Track for Elevated Greenways

Trained Eye: Rail Art Plays Visual Tricks with Tracks & Ties

Time-Traveling Trams: 30,000 LED Lights Vanish Street Trains

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Snoozeboxes: Mobile Container Hotels Travel by Truck & Rail

Truck-A-Tecture: 2 Convertible Nomadic Dwellings on Wheels

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Tramboarding: Hacked Wooden Pallet Slides Down Rail Tracks

Trained Eye: Rail Art Plays Visual Tricks with Tracks & Ties

6 Abandoned Railroads, Subways, Trains & Transit Stations

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Tramboarding: Hacked Wooden Pallet Slides Down Rail Tracks

Electrifying Art: Sculptures Made of Wire and Cable Ties

Frame-Busting Art: 2D Graffiti Figures Break Free from Walls

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Rail To Trail 12 U S Park Projects Reclaiming Urban Infrastructure

Next Page – Click Below to Read More:
Off The Rails 12 Artistic Interventions Of Train Cars Rail Yards