The most interesting New York Times Magazine articles, from 100 years ago to the week
I can think of a few double-decked roads in the city (such as under elevated portions of the FDR drive, and beneath elevated subway tracks in the outer boroughs) but nothing like what’s depicted in this drawing. It’s an interesting concept. Are there any major cities with double-decked sidewalks along the roads?
DOUBLE-DECKED STREETS FOR LOWER NEW YORK: Department of Public Works Has Made Plans for Elevated Sidewalks and for Tunnels to Relieve Congestion. (PDF)
From August 6, 1911
This is similar to the Seattle Underground. After an 1889 fire, the streets were regraded to be a story higher in downtown Seattle. For a while, you could still access the original ground floor entrances, before the buildings were converted to have entrances on the new street level. Eventually the underground was sealed off. Seattle sidewalks still have glass skylights to illuminate the underground. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Underground
There are also tours of the underground: http://www.undergroundtour.com/about/history.html
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