London is following similar successes in Paris and New York by turning a disused section of elevated railway in the city center into a "sky garden".

(AFP)

(Central News Agency) London is following similar successes in Paris and New York by turning a disused section of elevated railway in the city center into a "sky garden".

Regional planning officials are preparing to formally approve the first section of the Camden Highline next week.

Camden Elevated is named after its pioneer, the famous Manhattan "New York Skytrain Park" (High Line Park, or translated Elevated Park, High Line Park).

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It took five years of planning, design and fundraising efforts to get the project off the ground, with local residents forming an alliance with the business community, politicians and sponsors.

The redesigned 1.2km elevated corridor will eventually link bustling Camden with revamped King's Cross, transforming an old overgrown corridor into new green spaces and attractions ; and next to the corridor is a still busy railway line.

"We want to create an amazing park in the sky," Simon Pitkeathley, who leads locals on regular tours of the planned high-altitude corridor, told AFP.

"It will be a pleasant, beautiful environment for people to move between these vibrant areas of London."

Local architects vPPR and urban design firm James Corner Field Operations set out to design the blueprints after beating out dozens of firm bids.

The prestigious New York Skytrain Park was designed by James Corner Field Operations.

The New York Skytrain Park is built along the old tracks on the west side of Manhattan. Since its opening in 2009, it has become a major local attraction and has recently been expanded.

The air corridors of London and New York both originated from the Promenade Plantee in Paris, France, which was completed in 1993.

James Corner Field Operations has promised that the Camden Project will create a "unique park along the elevated railroad, telling the story of the magical symbiosis of nature, culture, art and community."

Regional planning officials are preparing to formally approve the first section of the Camden Highline next week.

(AFP)