Tech

The world's first underground park is coming to New York City, and it looks awesome

Chris Weller

2016-07-14T17:43:00Z

Pretty soon, the subway won't be the only subterranean destination in New York City.

On July 14th, deputy mayor Alicia Glen and the New York City Economic Development Corporation announced their approval of the Lowline Project, the world's first underground park.

Located beneath Manhattan's Lower East Side, the park will serve as a place for both the local community and New York's countless tourists to hang out. Think of it like the High Line, but underground.

Here's what the park of the future could look like.

If all goes to plan, Lowline will arrive in the Lower East Side by 2020 at a cost of around $55 million.

The one-acre park was originally built as a trolley terminal in the early 20th century.

People will get to stroll at their leisure and appreciate the awesome splendor of nature as sunlight filters through the roof.

They'll hardly remember they're actually several floors underneath the concrete.

During chilly New York winters, residents and tourists could have an alternative to installing themselves in their apartment or local Starbucks.

As Lowline co-founder Dan Barasch told Tech Insider last November during a trip to the Lowline Labs, getting natural sunlight is surprisingly straightforward.

The project uses mirrors, which rely on a periscope-like system to channel the sun's rays downward.

When the Lowline opens to the public, the plan is to turn it into a multi-purpose space.

Source: New York Magazine

Events will take place in a large plaza near the entrance, which will also be adorned with relics from the original trolley terminal.

The Lowline will also host fitness classes and give people semi-private spaces to meditate or simply think.

New York will still be a concrete jungle, but now people might finally start emphasizing the "jungle" part.

New York City Design