Glasgow could build a new public park to cover the M8 motorway and open up the area at Charing Cross and Sauchiehall Street. The eye catching move is part of a raft of 80 new projects that are currently in front of Glasgow City Council.
While the Merchant City has been transformed through an extended program of regeneration efforts, the focus is now on revitalising Charing Cross and Anderston.
The proposal would involve a public space designed to cover the motorway in front of the Mitchell Library.
Architects have cautioned that the project could involve significant costs but the idea has been warmly received in its initial stages.
Many other cities have had success through transforming areas around disused canals to create new public spaces or reclaiming land around major transport intersections. The High Line in New York (pictured below) is a cherished park space on reclaimed elevated railway lines in Manhattan.
The prospect of linking Sauchiehall street with the approaches to the West End is an attractive one and it could provide a focal point for more outdoor markets or public events away from George Square. It’s likely that any change would require a long period of planning and approval before any building began but the presence of radical ideas amongst current thinking is encouraging.