The development of habitable urban skyways: claiming interstitial territories through evolutionary processes

Urban skyways, in which an elevated pedestrian-friendly layer of the city is applied to the existing urban fabric, have evolved from radical conceptual proposals in the mid-twentieth century, such as the continuous monument by SuperStudio, to increasingly realised proposals over the last 30 years, such as the highline project in Manhattan. Developed as either networks that respond to harsh climatic conditions, or solutions that aim to reclaim part of the city for pedestrian use, their use has been additive rather than integrative, in most cases culminating in elevated walkways. This article proposes an alternative approach to the utilisation of urban skyways within existing cities, in which the question of habitation is a primary driver. The research involved the application of sequential evolutionary simulations, to locations in the city of Paris, as an algorithmic approach to achieve multiple conflicting objectives. The results demonstrate the value of urban skyways as habitable spaces that respond to the city as well as being informed by it, in which issues of overpopulation, lack of public space, climatic response and urban farmlands—all of which impact most megacities today—shape the urban decision-making process.