Visitors will use an underground walkway that repurposes old mail-rail tunnels, previously used to allow post office workers to deliver their parcels without having to navigate the crowded street above, into a public green space.

 

Fletcher Priest‘s winning design for an underground mushroom farm called “Pop Down”,  could provide a break from hot summer heat while producing something edible. The space would be lit by fiber-optics inside the mail rail in addition to sunlight, which would filter down through sculptural glass mushrooms placed at street level.

 

Maximizing urban spaces by incorporating natural elements is becoming a global trend. Likewise, re-imagining decaying urban environments as entirely new spaces serves to bring in new opportunities for commerce and cultural exchange.