One of the things New York City has always been known for is it’s amazing parks system. Sure, some of the parks have developed lesser reputations over the years for the types of people that frequent them, but they are still some of the best urban design anywhere in the country.

In a move that will definitely change the way Americans look at the way they think of parks, the city has just approved plans to build their very first underground park, the Lowline, in an abandoned Subway Line in the Lower East Side. The park, which will be nearly a full acre in size, will use innovative daylighting system including fiberoptic cables and mirrors to pump sunlight underground and sustaining a flourishing underground forest.

Getting approval for the park was the easy part, now the organizers of the project have 12 months to raise the $10 million needed to start construction, along with completing the community outreach, finalizing the design, and submitting detailed plans for further approval. All told, they expect the park to cost around $60 million to complete.

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Source: Inhabitat