Duality in Urban Identity – The High Line Park and 9/11 Memorial

Duality in Urban Identity – The High Line Park and the 9/11 Memorial 

The assumed role of architecture within civilization is often reduced to merely structures meant to house organisms for various purposes:  housing, working, shopping, and so on.  However, structures have evolved over the centuries, transitioning from merely dwellings for solely practical purposes into works of art that can be assimilated into a modern-day setting with their multi-functionality and plethora of uses.  The High Line Park and 9/11 Memorial (the projected location of the Freedom Towers) lend witness to this as they are both pieces of architecture within New York City that rose out of the ashes of a former, practical structure and evolved into places that came to symbolize an even greater concept.  Once a historic freight line, the High Line Park was transformed into an extended garden, complete with shrubbery, park benches, and a beautiful view from above.  On the other hand, once the site of the Twin Towers, the 9/11 Memorial resurrects the glory of the World Trade Center in a location that commemorates the bravery of incalculable departed souls, workers, emergency personnel, and visitors alike.  These two structures present the modern view that architecture does not necessarily have to serve a tangible purpose:  it can exist to honor nature and human life, lending witness to the beauty of life and artwork in general.

The multifaceted approach to construction now enables sites to cater to an individual’s visual senses, rather than solely the functionality of the place in question.  The fact that “the use of each [building] platform can never be known in advance of its construction,” provides insight into the impact of urbanization on the development of architecture in New York City.  In fact, “in terms of urbanism, this indeterminacy means that a particular site can no longer be matched with any single predetermined purpose…each metropolitan lot accommodates…an unforeseeable and unstable combination of simultaneous activities, which makes architecture less an act of foresight than before and planning an act of only limited prediction” (Koolhaas 85).  This applies to High Line Park as the setting was once home to a train line, considered to be the functional purpose—however, in time the park became a location where visitors could stroll at their leisure, observing the Manhattan skyline amongst the comfort of beautiful plants and trees clothing the once barren tracks.  The enclosed pictures are a reminder of the dichotomous nature of the park as the tracks serve to commemorate its previous function as home to a subway line, while the benches and plants adhere to the visual aesthetics of the area, pleasing its visitors’ eyes and providing them with solace from the bustle of Manhattan’s city life and sensory stimuli.  High Line Park offers its visitors the opportunity to become flaneurs and wander through the park setting while admiring the structures prevalent within it.  The flanerie involved with the parks contrasts highly with that offered by Manhattan streets as the park is a more contained and less diverse region.  The experience of walking through High Line Park offers one the peace of mind to escape the pandemonium of city life and walk into an alternate universe covered by vegetation and promoting relaxation.  The benches and shrubbery succeed in doing so by offering a more comfortable and inviting environment for the visitor to sit down, as opposed to Manhattan streets’ emphasis on flaneuring through crowded roads, only to be met by the honks of taxi cabs and the shouts of frustration of city workers and travelers.

Likewise, the 9/11 Memorial meanders from the previous characteristic of Manhattan structures serving a tangible purpose as it dedicates its presence to the countless lives fallen at the World Trade Center.  Once the center of trade and financial activity, the towers fell only to rise again as a place of solace for those wishing to commemorate the loss of loved ones.  However, this occurrences demonstrates Koolhaas’ argument that skyscrapers are no longer the sole structures within Manhattan—plots of land once reserved for the construction of buildings can now be adopted into sites for a myriad of purposes, just the Freedom Towers will serve as both a memorial and the site of the new World Trade Center.  Similar to the High Line Park, the 9/11 Memorial offers a wide expanse of land through which visitors can freely wander—however, the feeling differs in the sense that the sights and sounds associated with Manhattan are more prevalent within the location.  While the High Line Park was more reclusive and segregated from city life, the World Trade Center’s location is located right in the middle of it in an effort to offer easy access to visitors and workers.  Although the location was serene, it was difficult to meander through the crowds of tourists and visitors.  I had to wait a few minutes to find an opening where I could stand and witness the actual memorial, a gargantuan square-shaped monument that led into an abyss of water.  The monument was engraved with the names of people whom had perished during the tragedy.  The memorial structure itself was unlike anything I had ever visited before, its unique structure ultimately overweighing the difficult process to view it.  However, flaneuring wasn’t quite the same as there was less scenery to marvel at.  The city skyline of various skyscrapers and trees was the generic one I had been used to since I had spent quite a bit of time already walking through Manhattan.  Therefore, it wasn’t as unique a sight to see or ponder about.  Interestingly, both the memorial and High Line Park had benches within them to serve as a resting spot for visitors, lending further insight into the multifaceted nature of modern-day city structures that serve both a practical and visual aesthetic purpose (a train line or finance center on one hand, and a park or memorial where a person could relax on the other).  The dual nature of these city structures is exactly what defines New York City’s urban identity as one that takes into account both form, function, and aesthetics, being not only pleasing for practice usage, but also for people to enjoy and truly experience firsthand through visual stimuli.  Without this duality, urban life within New York City would simply be skyscrapers whose purposes were limited to work and housing.  Rather, this innovative perspective on architecture has allowed New York City to evolve into the diverse location it is recognized as today.