A while back I posted some ideas on what could be done to make the 1st Ave. S. railroad cut a useful and beautiful bit of walking greenspace. Essentially, I thought we could adapt some of the ideas that New York was working on for its High Line, an abandoned elevated railroad track winding through Manhattan. Well, the first phase of the High Line park has opened, and it looks fantastic–see for yourself in this slideshow. Now imagine a somewhat subterranean version of that connecting the Railroad Reservation Park and Sloss Furnaces. What do you think? I believe it’s a concept that could work.

Speaking of Sloss, my latest contribution of the weekly online edition of UAB Magazine profiles its curator, who also is a UAB history instructor, and her inventive efforts to preserve the stories of Sloss steelworkers. With the help of our staff photographer, Steve Wood, who took some gorgeous photos, we did this “article” in the form of a slideshow.