TRANSFORMING CITYSCAPES: URBAN EVOLUTION AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN HIGHLIGHT THE NEW SKYLINES

In the data revolution, cities are getting smarter. A lot of the evidence might go unseen, such as better waste and water management.

- DAMIEN MARTIN

Some might be on the surface, but we only notice when it's not there, like optimized traffic and public transportation management. When it comes to skylines, however, everyone sees changes there. Some creative urban planners are leading the charge in transforming their cityscapes with designs that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

GREEN CORRIDORS

New York City’s High Line is a classic example of how creative planning can add green space in even the most densely packed cities. The project, a collaboration between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf, transformed an abandoned railway on Manhattan’s west side into a linear park that runs nearly 1.5 miles. The idea for the High Line came from a similar project in Paris, and the City of Light plans to greenify its famed Champs-Elysées into what Mayor Anne Hidalgo calls “an extraordinary garden.” Once completed, Atlanta’s BeltLine will have 33 miles of multi-use paths connecting dozens of neighborhoods in the sprawling city. Medellín, Colombia, has built 30 green corridors throughout the cityscape since 2016, adding more than 90,000 species of plants in an effort to cool the urban heat island by 2 degrees Celsius.

SKY BRIDGES