Deconstructing the High Line | Chapter Author
Edited by Christoph Lindner and Brian Rosa, Deconstructing the High Line is the first book to critically engage the High Line project from an academic perspective. I authored Chapter Two, "Community Engagement, Equity, and the High Line," which is a reflection on the seven years I spent there working in partnership with a diverse set of residents and organizations to make the High Line more inclusive and use the resources it generated to make the neighborhood and city a more equitable place. Other chapter contributions are from James Corner, Julian Brash, and Kevin Loughran. Below is an excerpt of my chapter.
"The park experienced a level of success that no one at FHL had anticipated when the organization began its initiative to develop a public space for the neighborhood. Recognizing that visitors to the High Line in the first few years did not reflect the diversity of the neighborhood, FHL began initiatives to better listen and partner with public housing residents in the neighborhood and other individuals and groups that are typically marginalized by urban development investments. It was through this discursive, relationship- building exercise that we began to consider what it might look like to intentionally develop equitable public spaces..."