Talk: Beyond the High Line: Transforming Philadelphia

The High Line gets a lot of hype, but it is just one example of the many ways community leaders and creative thinkers are re-imagining public space.

Stop by for the launch of this year’s Beyond the High Line, a series of free talks about adaptive reuse projects around the world. The first talk features the Reading Viaduct, a 4.7-mile-long railway traveling through Philadelphia. Beginning in 1893, the railway carried both passengers and mail to and from the Reading Terminal, in downtown Philadelphia. When the railway ceased operations in the 1980s, nature took over, covering the tracks with wild grasses and self-seeded shrubs.

Paul Levy, of Center City District, will present plans for his business improvement district’s vision of a Philadelphia destination centered around a transformed Reading Viaduct. Leah Murphy, of Interface Studio, will speak on behalf of VIADUCTgreene, an advocacy group that seeks to preserve the viaduct’s historical industrial character and existing self-seeded landscape.

This High Line Program is free and open to visitors of all ages. No RSVP required. A free reception with the speakers will follow the presentation.