The High Line’s design incorporates as much of the original railroad tracks as possible, which are set into portions of the pavement and landscape.

The design also includes “sleek wooden benches that appear to peel up from the park surface.”

Near the north end of the High Line, the railway’s concrete deck is removed, revealing the framework of the High Line’s original beams and girders. It is covered with a thick rubber safety coating and is now a unique type of playground.

Its landscape is unique as well with perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees chosen not only for their beautiful textural and color variation, but also for their sustainability and hardiness.

Planting designer Piet Oudolf chose to include many of the species that originally grew on the tracks during the 25 years after trains stopped running and “nearly half of the plant species and cultivars planted on the High Line are native to the United States.”

The High Line functions like a green roof and is both designed to allow plants to retain as much water as possible and includes an irrigation system, making it a very sustainable structure.