When Meg Daly broke both her arms in a bike accident, she was forced to use Miami’s Metrorail and then walk under the raised train tracks to get to physiotherapy sessions.
The path beneath the tracks was wide and shaded and as she walked, it occurred to her that the land was a precious, under-used resource and the idea for the Miami Underline – a 16km linear park and urban trail – was born.
In our feature on page 112, we look at its development.
The creation of linear parks in cities is a fast growing and exciting trend, being driven by a hunger for nature, exercise and wellness and their proven value for health.
The European Centre for Environment and Human Health found moving near green space has a sustained positive effect on people which lasts for three years or more – in comparison with pay rises, promotions, or even winning the lottery, which only provide a 6-12 month boost to mental wellbeing before they return to base levels.
The findings, which appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, suggest access to good quality urban parks is highly beneficial to public health.
Attention Restoration Theory, which was developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in the 80s, says people concentrate better after spending time in nature. The theory applies to both medical outcomes and intellectual output.
Linear parks can also have significant economic impact. Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is on record as saying the city’s High Line park has generated US$2bn in private investment, while its presence has stimulated the regeneration of a huge swathe of the city. This on a public sector investment of only US$154m.
Using linear space is an efficient redeployment of otherwise unusable land and enables the insertion of greenspace into often impenetrable locations.
Parks can also play a valuable part in helping cities to manage the effects of climate change by being adapted to store floodwater and creating a cooling effect.
There are many more linear parks schemes on the drawing board, including one for Singapore, designed by architects Nikken Sekkei and called Lines of Life. This will stretch the length of the country, following 24km of disused rail track and uniting communities along the way.
The trend towards the creation of linear parks will accelerate as we more fully grasp their extraordinary economic and social power and people demand to be nearer to nature as a fundamental human right.
Liz Terry, Editor, CLAD @elizterry
