Dan Barasch’s dream is to build the world’s first underground park, and there’s no location more deserving than New York City. Barasch and James Ramsey are developing the Lowline, an underground greenspace the size of a football field.
New York City has two-thirds the green space per person compared to other big cities, and the site, located on the Lower East Side, remains one of the most crowded neighborhoods in the city with only one-tenth the green space. They’re building the park in a trolley terminal abandoned in 1948, using solar technology that harvests sunlight above-ground and directs it down below. It’s a park that can thrive, even in winter.
In this TED Talk, Dan Barasch talks about his childhood in New York City, how his family roots inspired him, and how this “crazy” dream will become a reality (the first step was quitting his job). Watch the Ted Talk below, and see more renderings and details of the project on the project’s website.