From viaducts to bridges, high structures around the globe are being repurposed into elevated parks. It may have started with the Promenade Plantée in Paris, and be best exemplified by the High Line in New York City, but the trend has expanded across the world, including the Chao Phraya Sky Park in Bangkok.
Occupying a structure that was built for the failed Lavalin Skytrain project, left unfinished and abandoned since 1984, the park has a length of 280 meters, with a width of 8.5 meters. Measured from the ground, its height is of 9 meters, and its construction started in 2018, being completed two years later. Despite the heavy motor traffic along Phra Pokklao bridge, this plant-filled oasis feels remarkably peaceful.
Chao Phraya Sky Park, a name chosen through a local competition, is considered an innovation as the first park of its type in Thailand. Its elevation allows for many great views of the larger parks at both ends, from Chaloem Phrakiat Forest Park on the Thonburi bank to King Prajadhipok Park on the Phra Nakhon side, as well as the iconic spire of Wat Arun.
