Third phase of New York’s High Line redevelopment opens

Phase 3 of the High Line, New York City’s ambitious landscape redevelopment project, opened on Saturday, September 20. Since 2006, the High Line has been converting abandoned elevated railroad tressles along 1.45 miles of Manhattan’s Lower West Side into a free public park that parallels the Hudson River.

The first two sections of the park already draw more than five million visitors a year, according Crain’s New York.

The $35 million Phase 3, known as High Line at the Rail Yards, broke ground September 20, 2012, and officially opened to the public on September 21, according to Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit organization that has raised most of the money for the project. This half-mile stretch runs from West 30th Street at 10th Avenue (previously the railway’s northern terminus) to West 34th Street at 12th Avenue, across from the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

James Corner Field Operations is the High Line’s designer, working with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Piet Oudolf.

The newest section—which curves around the 26-acre Hudson Yards real estate development—incorporates some of the old tracks and switches (made safe for pedestrian passage and play), as well as wild plant life.

The opening ceremonies included New York Senator Charles Schumer, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, High Line founder and president Joshua Davis, and actor Edward Norton, who is on Friends of the High Line’s board.

The finishing touch will be put in place next year with the installation of a short stub along 10th Avenue and 30th Street, according to the real estate website Curbed.

Portland State University’s School of Architecture is proud to announce the launch of its new Center for Public Interest Design, a research center that aims to investigate and utilize the power of design to make social, economic and environmental change in disadvantaged communities worldwide. The Center is the first of its kind in the nation.

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Return of retail? Rent growth seen in recovering markets

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New ASTM standard enhances hollow structural sections

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Foster + Partners reveals plans for London residential towers

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RSMeans cost comparisons: pools, racquetball courts, bowling alleys, hockey/soccer facilities

Construction market analysts from RSMeans offer construction costs per square foot for four building types across 25 metro markets.

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7 tile trends for 2013: Touch-sensitive glazes, metallic tones among top styles

Tile of Spain consultant and ceramic tile expert Ryan Fasan presented his "What's Trending in Tile" roundup at the Coverings 2013 show in Atlanta earlier this month. Here's an overview of Fasan's emerging tile trends for 2013.