Success Stories
Friends of the Highline
Category: Government Relations
Subcategory: Community Advocacy
Problem: In the Giuliani Administration, the City issued a mandate to tear down the Highline, a 1.5-mile-long historic elevated rail structure on the West Side of Manhattan. Friends of the Highline was started by Robert Hammond and Joshua David in order to preserve and reuse the Highline. In order to so, however, Friends of the Highline had to convince numerous Federal, State and City agencies of the Highline's value.
Strategy: Our strategy was to assist Friends of the Highline in building an unprecedented groundswell of community support for the adaptive re-use of the Highline. This including securing the support of the local residents and businesses, major civic organizations and global environmental and urban experts.
Result: Thanks to the efforts of thousands of individuals, the local community and the leadership of Mayor Bloomberg, former City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, current City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and countless other local elected officials, the Highline has not only been saved but more than $120 million in City capital funding and an unprecedented rezoning of West Chelsea have been approved to support the redevelopment of the Highline into a world-renowned public park.