Pocket Parks VS. Overscaled Parks!

Paley Park, a pocket park in Midtown East and the Highline, a large over-scaled elevated park in Chelsea, at first glance may be different in every way imaginable but take a close look and you find similarities in each park. They both foster the same activities but these same activities are carried out in a different manner based on the space. One space, Paley Park, is the ideal setting for individual or small groups to get away from the busy work day. Individuals tend to listen to music or the waterfall while reading and small groups gather to converse with each other. The users of their space tend be to keep a watchful eye on those that are not suppose to be there, the tourists. While the other space, the Highline, is the ideal space for the tourist and locals to coexist. It is a very casual and fun park where people gather to relax, socialize and take photos. Just as Paley Park both individuals and groups of users occupy this space and they do the same activities, reading, listening to music, and socializing. The difference between the two spaces is how weary the users are of outsiders. While the users in Paley Park seem to consistently keep their eyes on who is coming and going, on the Highline no one seems to care who else is around them or what anyone else is doing.

Paley Park

A park so small and tucked away that most people don't even know that it exists. This is not your typical tourist attraction like Central Park or the Highline but instead a small oasis. Tourists that do come to the park rarely step foot inside and only stop for a minute or two to take photos from the outside looking in. The few that do enter this small well maintained park are from nearby offices. Workers sit in small groups in chairs around small ergonomically unfriendly tables and converse while the waterfall provides white noise to mask the nearby street traffic and other conversations.

 Highline Park

Unlike Paley Park, the Highline is a large park designed for both tourists and locals. Although it is a very large over-scaled park, just like Paley Park, you can miss it if you are not paying attention because it is built on an old elevated railway and may be hard to find if you if you’re looking on the ground for it. Unlike Paley, tourists feel totally welcomed here and take pictures throughout the whole park and not just from the entrance. This large park offers many different areas to sit and converse. Because it is elevated, you are lifted from the street noise below and the breeze provides not only a relief from the hot summer sun but also white noise to mask traffic and other conversations. One section of the park also has a water feature intended to walk on/through but also provides white noise as well.