Urban Redevelopment

New York City's High Line elevated park proved such a good idea that it's since been replicated around the world, including Seoul's Seouullo and Sydney's Goods Line. Londoners will soon be able to enjoy something similar too, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Neiheiser Argyros​.

It's always interesting to see how well fanciful renders translate into an actual project and the MVRDV-designed Seoullo 7017 Skygarden is no exception. Following the concept's unveiling a couple of years ago, the highway-turned-walkway/park has now opened to the public.

New York's developing Hudson Yards neighborhood, of which High Line at the Rail Yards is already a part, will soon be home to a new public space with a unique artwork. Vessel will comprise a 150-ft tall "geometric lattice of intersecting flights of stairs" designed for climbing and exploring.

New York's massively successful High Line has spawned several similar projects around the globe, but an even more unusual park could now be coming to the Big Apple. Following years of planning, the underground Lowline park has finally received a conditional thumbs-up from officials.

A new train station in the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung will be the centerpiece of a larger transport hub that will boast a huge swathe of new public space and knit together the local area. Kaohsiung Station will cover an area of 8.5 ha (21 ac) and boast a 35,000-sq m (376,700-sq ft) green canopy.

Cities everywhere are undergoing somewhat of a green renaissance, with public spaces and linear parks being built around existing infrastructure and buildings. In Düsseldorf, Germany, however, the buildings themselves are being greened, with hedged façades and a green roof that forms a park.

A new enclave in Tokyo, Japan, will soon offer places to live, work and relax, as well as act as a gateway to the rest of the city. Added to the existing tower at Toranomon Hills will be three more towers and integrated transported facilities, all linked by an elevated park.

Vancouver is following the lead of other world cities by repurposing a disused rail line to create a new walking and cycling route. The Arbutus Greenway project will provide a continuous route for pedestrians and cyclists from Milton Street to 1st Avenue.

London collective Assemble has become the first architecture firm to be awarded the Turner Prize, in honor of its work on the Granby Four Streets redevelopment project in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Following an international architecture competition, Japanese firm Nikken Sekkei has won the opportunity to redevelop a stretch of railway line that spans the breadth of Singapore into a green corridor.

Toronto, Canada, is to become home to a new linear park that will make use of existing infrastructure. Project: Under Gardiner will be built beneath a section of the city's Gardiner Expressway. There will be new walking and cycling routes, as well as recreational and cultural spaces.

Recently, we've seen public parks created – or planned for creation – on old railways, in old trolley terminals, on streets, bridges and piers. A new park in London, however, is more unusual than all of these. It's built inside the structure of an old gasholder.