From Freight to Flowers: The High Line leads with well-being and accessibility

Built on a historic, elevated rail line that was once destined for demolition, the High Line is a public park in New York City filled with over 500 species of plants and trees. It is an urban oasis designed so that neighbors and visitors alike can feel a sense of well-being. As the park’s first-ever Lead Wellness Sponsor, Guardian created wellness experiences throughout the park, such as guided meditation tours to help relieve stress.  

Alan van Capelle, The High Line’s Executive Director, sees himself as a cheerleader for New Yorkers and his job as a love letter to the city. 

Alan believes that what’s magical about The High Line is that everyone, no matter their income or their interests, can experience the same thing together. “It’s a place where you don’t know the political views of the people next to you,” says Alan, “but you’re all seeing botanical-level gardens and a world class public art program, and live performances — and they’re all for free. It’s really important to find those places where we can be with each other outside of our labels.” 

A big part of Alan’s role is to make the High Line accessible to all New Yorkers and other visitors, so that everyone can feel like they belong. He wants to encourage the diversity he sees. “When I look at The High Line, I want it to look like New York. I want it to look like our beautiful mosaic,” Alan says. That means being very intentional about things like signage, programming, the cost of food vendors, and of course, how to physically access the park. 

“We’re doing a good job,” says Alan proudly. “Seven million people are going to come see us this year. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do better.” 

One of the accessibility projects that Alan’s team focuses on is language-based items like signage. The High Line wants all New Yorkers and all visitors to New York to feel welcome. So, the team aspires to translate as much signage as possible into multiple languages or universal iconography so that visitors can understand it and feel a sense of belonging.  

Because The High Line isn’t at street-level, visitors need to either walk up a couple flights of stairs or take an elevator. The park follows the original train tracks, so it’s relatively narrow in parts and visitors need to navigate both the foliage and other people. For those with mobility issues, Guardian provides wheelchairs to the High Line for those who request one in advance, so everyone can tour the ever-changing gardens.  

All New Yorkers are encouraged to help maintain the park. Spring Cutback is the High Line’s largest volunteer project, held annually throughout the month of March. Through the Tri-State Community Involvement Committee, Guardian volunteers join forces with the High Line’s horticulture team to undertake the huge task of cutting back plants by hand for compositing and to clear the plant beds of debris. This creates room for spring blooms to emerge.  This volunteer event strengthens the relationship between the High Line and Guardian, as well as providing habitats for the birds, bees, and other animals that call the High Line home.

Alan’s team also works to make the experience of the park an affordable one to support the financial wellness of all New Yorkers. The park itself is free, but there are many enticing vendors that offer great food and wine that are hard to pass up. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money,” says Alan. “So, I’m proud that any family can purchase food at a price point that’s accessible to them. I don’t want any kids to walk The High Line in the summer and not be able to get an ice cream because it’s too expensive.” 

Alan is passionate about sharing the High Line’s assets with New York schools and teens through important initiatives. The High Line operates school-based programs in several public schools across the city that capitalize on its strengths in public art, sustainability, and other facets of its work. It also runs a paid teen employment program that gives about 50 teens from the neighborhood their “best first job.” It offers them not only hands-on experience across several different career pathways, but also some soft skills, such as professional expectations for the workplace, public speaking, and conflict negotiation, while providing them with mentorship and support along the way. 

Alan’s team is working hard to extend the spirit of The High Line around the country. There are 47 communities throughout the country that are now part of the High Line Network, a group of public spaces inspired by the park’s model of finding something dilapidated and unused and reconfiguring it into something beautiful for public use. 

“We know that New York is a really tough place to live. Places like The High Line make New York more livable,” says Alan. “You can rise 30 feet above the city and walk through a forest. At night, you can grab a telescope and gaze at the stars. You can experience how the gardens and the new art installations change throughout the seasons. I see many people walking to and from work on it. And everyone on The High Line is doing that together. So, for me, it seeds connectivity, community, mental health, and overall well-being.”