Today the High Line Blog features images of the new designs for continuation of the park into the rail yards north of 30th Street. The rail yards themselves are slated for development (mega-development, in fact), as the Related Companies’ Hudson Yards project, and the conversion of the elevated rail line will add a novel public space to the new mixed use district on Manhattan’s west side.

The new plans emphasize preservation of the existing rails, and show how influential the Joel Sternfeld photographs of the old railway have been in the creation of the new park.

That the High Line exists at all is perhaps a testament to the power of images. Robert Hammond described the early days of promoting the High Line:

“…I realized the most effective way to bring people on board was to show them [Joel Sternfeld’s] photographs, talking less and taking more time for people to experience the High Line through the photographs. The images really made the case for the project.”

[Image: James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Courtesy of the City of New York and Friends of the High Line.]