Why Smart Cities Want Their Own High Line: 5 Takeaways from the Skift Podcast

We brought the outdoors in for a recent episode of the Skift Podcast, which explored the history of the High Line in New York City and some projects around the world that have been inspired by the popular park.

Our experts were Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of city park development at The Trust for Public Land, and Meg Daly, founder and president of Friends of the Underline in Miami. Daly expects construction to begin next year on The Underline, a planned 10-mile linear park and urban trail.

Here are five takeaways from the conversation:

Early expectations for the High Line were modest.

The old rail lines that became the High Line were nearly torn down a couple of decades ago.

"It was seen as an albatross, as an impediment to development, and as an eyesore," Benepe said. But the city eventually came around, and the organization Friends of the High Line gathere