The High Line is an elevated railway that was abandoned and, years later, was converted into a park. In Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post Modern World, Emma Marris explains new ideas about nature with a focus on the ways that nature can exist in a urban setting. The High Line is a rambunctious garden because it was a manmade creation that was taken over by nature when it was abandoned then humans stepped in once again so that this nature could be preserved but also experienced by the people of the city.
Stalter’s paper gives some background information about the High Line and tells a bit about the plant species that grew on it. The High Line was built in 1934 to separate the rail and pedestrian traffic along 10th Avenue. The High Line was then abandoned 1980. In the decades that followed, wild plants began growing on the elevated rail line. The High line became a highly diverse natural habitat with limited human interaction even though it was located within Manhattan.
Recently, the High line has been developed into a park and the natural plants now share the space with pathways and recreational areas. This allows the people of New York City to experience that natural environment that has managed to grow in such an unlikely setting.
The interaction between humans and nature is perhaps one of the most important parts of nature in an urban setting. Therefore, although the development of the High Line as a park made the area less pristine, I believe it made the space even more of a rambunctious garden
I had been to the High Line a few times before I went for this assignments but I had never paid much attention to the pollinators before. Most of them are small and easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them. This time, though, I got to really see them up close as I took the time to try to snap clear pictures of them while high winds were blowing the plants that they were on.
