Talk About The Magic

This week I was recording a conversation with Adam Ganser, who for 10 years, was involved with the New York High Line. Afterwards I was talking to him about the episode just published, about the proposed Camden Highline. I asked him what his advice would be to the people involved in that project. Read on for his advice!

The Camden Highline offices

I admit I was a bit surprised that when I was organising to meet Simon Pitkeathley for our interview, he sent me a photograph of his office to accompany the address - surely I would just look for the address. But when I arrived I was kinda glad he had because, well first impressions, you’re not sure you are in the right place! But these blue containers just visible behind the razor wire are the HQ for the Highline project. And the other side of the colourful exterior are hidden buildings and a hive of activity. If you haven’t yet listened to the episode you can listen here.

It took 15 years (the last section opened in 2019) to build the The New York High Line which has inspired many cities to look afresh at their urban landscape and look for similiar opportunities. For 10 years of those years, Adam Ganser was the Vice President of planning and design for the High Line:

“He led a team of designers and a network of public and private stakeholders to plan, design and build the third section of the park, which surrounds Hudson Yards. He managed the High Line’s partnership with New York City government, including the Parks Department, and oversaw the negotiation of critical agreements to ensure the High Line’s completion.”

I was talking to Adam Ganser this week in his capacity as Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, for series 3 of the podcast. At the end of the conversation I asked him what would his advice be to the team at the Camden Highline?

Well, I met with folks from that project when I was at the Highline. We were working at that time with people across the world, frankly, who wanted to kind of recreate the magic of the Highline. …..you know, sticking with the project and allowing as many people to sort of get on board with the vision behind it and keeping the vision somewhat vague and magical is, is really important. So there's not a lot to point at that's negative. It's really, everybody has their own version of it in their head of how great it's going to be. You know, a lot of these projects are made possible. as much by the vision behind them as the kind of economic impact that they can have for the areas where they're being built or reclaimed. And so that's just the key factors to be talking about the magic of it, the impact it can have economically on folks.

When I worked at the BBC, we always used to say that “the pictures are better on the radio” because they are in your imagination. As I walked along the route of the proposed Highline with Simon, I could tell that it is all there in his imagination and because I have visited other highlines I also have a picture in my head too. And it is magical. So please do tell people about this episode of the podcast because as Adam Ganser says “allowing as many people to sort of get on board with the vision behind it” is also important and right now while there are no plants to see, we can let the audio do the work.

In other news I went to the Garden Media Guild Awards last Friday and over the next few weeks, I will as last year, be sharing the winners with you. I think there will be lots of recommendations of books to read and people, doing amazing work, that you will find interesting.

Thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee and joined Plant Plugs too - your support of my work is AMAZING and I am SO grateful.

Finally re- reading last years posts about the awards I realised that I did not follow my own advice to ‘only order extra bulbs’ when you have planted the ones you already have. So I am writing it again in the hope that next year I will follow my own advice!

Have a lovely weekend

Sally

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