To reduce pollution in the city and increase engagement with a vibrant downtown scene, Hong Kong is considering a plan to build a 14.3-mile-long elevated path around historic Victoria Harbour. Architecture firm Lead 8 and engineering firm BuroHappold are working in collaboration to create the HarbourLoop, a walkway that will allow pedestrians and commuters to traverse the dense city while bypassing congestion on its busy streets. According to Karen Sin, head of global marketing and communication at Lead 8, the HarbourLoop project was, in part, inspired by such successful programs as New York’s High Line. “Many global cities, such as New York, Singapore, and London, are developing infrastructure that prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists in an effort to create safer, cleaner, and more livable cities,” says Sin.

Yet, it’s not just providing Hong Kongers with more options for eco-friendly transportation. By learning from the successes of the 1.45-mile-long High Line, Hong Kong has an eye on promoting growth in certain parts of the city as well. “The lessons from the High Line show the financial benefit of creating such an elevated park,” says Sin. The High Line created new economic activity and helping rejuvenate Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. What’s more, the High Line now attracts some 7.5 million visitors a year. “New York created such a successful model that it led us to realize we have the opportunity to create something similarly beautiful and beneficial in Hong Kong.”

This map shows various points throughout the city where pedestrians and cyclists could easily get on and off the HarbourLoop.

Strategically positioned hubs, roughly every mile, will provide entry points as well as space for dining and retail. “The hubs are intended to be constructed out of recycled shipping containers, keeping costs and the carbon footprint to a minimum,” says Sin.

HarbourLoop will also connect two halves of Hong Kong—Hong Kong Island and Kowloon—with a 1,640-foot-long pedestrian/bicycle bridge on the east side and a bicycle-friendly cable car on the west side. Kowloon, an area that makes up roughly 4 percent of Hong Kong’s total mass, is an important part of the city as Kowloon Peninsula is geographically connected to mainland China and borders Shenzhen, the country’s fifth-largest city.

Final plans for the HarbourLoop are still being reviewed by members of the Hong Kong Planning Board; no confirmed date for the project has been announced.