NYC: Inside The Underground Green Space By The Lowline

Has the answer to New York City’s lack of green space been right under our noses? Apparently so! The folks over at The Lowline have begun using untapped space in a place that you would never guess. Instead of spreading across rooftops or cramming in between buildings, their solution is to seek spaces underneath the ground.

The first of this project series will transform one of the Lower East Side’s abandoned trolley stations into a vibrant subterranean park. The green space currently lives as a prototype at a New York City warehouse. The brains behind The Lowline project, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, have been working on the space for seven years. The interactive garden and prototype is finally opened to the public. This aspect contains a 1000-square-foot display and boasts a staggering 3,000 plants. This allows Barasch and Ramsey to regulate which plants can survive and sustain in underground spaces. The real underground space has a projected 2020 completion date.

If you’re wondering how on earth plants will grow underground without sunlight, not to worry. They’ve already thought of that one. The Lowline will use state-of-the-art solar technology to illuminate the historic trolley terminal. The use of innovative technologies to improve the lives of city residents is a major focal point for projects at The Lowline. This underground park will be a huge testimony to their vision of how technology can transform our cities in the 21^st century.

“We’re kind of blown away now that it actually exists,” Ramsey told Curbed. “To our great delight, all of our equipment and technical pieces are performing in excess of our calculations.”

If the project persists without a hitch, we could have a beautifully experimental underground park on the horizon.

Photos via thelowline.org