Ximena Solorzano, Contributing Photographer

Designers set to convert a section of High Street into a pedestrian-friendly walkway welcomed community input — from New Haveners and Yalies alike — in a webinar on Tuesday evening. 

The meeting, hosted by representatives of the University and SCAPE, the landscape architecture firm chosen to transform High Street between Chapel and Elm Street, provided updates on the project. After designers presented preliminary sketches, attendees were invited to voice concerns in smaller groups. 

“Everything you see tonight, I will caution you, is a napkin sketch,” Jason Hickey, a University planner, said. “We’re at a very early point in the design process. It’s the perfect time to speak and to listen, and that’s what we’re here to do tonight.”

SCAPE’s initial plans feature foliage for stormwater management, abundant seating nooks and plazas for community use.

The High Street conversion was jointly announced by New Haven and Yale in 2021, alongside a historic $52 million increase in the University’s voluntary contribution to the city. Since then, almost 100 conversations about the project have occurred among stakeholders, Hickey said. 

Unlike past conversions of sections of High and Wall streets, New Haven will retain ownership of the new space. Hickey framed the project as a “true partnership” between the city and the University. 

But the webinar shone a light on recurring concerns among New Haveners over Yale’s dominant influence in the project and whether the space will be truly welcoming and accessible to non-Yalies. Live polling responses expressed a desire to include city residents in the pathway’s design — from the name to the signage.

Sixteen New Haven residents and two Yale students attended the meeting, according to a poll. 

During a brainstorm for possible names, many attendees advocated for a name that respected the street’s origin as a New Haven place and that was inspired by local history and culture. “High Walk” was suggested several times. 

Yale professor Karen Seto shared concerns raised in her smaller group. Outreach about the space should be far-reaching and welcoming, members of her group said, and the on-site signage should not be Yale branded or Yale colors. 

“The space is couched between Yale buildings, and so we want to make sure that people understand, whether it be the messaging or the signage, that this is a space that’s open to all,” Seto said during the webinar. 

Erin Michaud, teacher at Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School, did not attend Tuesday’s webinar. She still raised concerns to the News about whether non-Yalies will feel welcomed in the new space.

There is a noticeable divide between Yalies and New Haveners, Michaud said. Though she praised the progress toward pedestrianization, she characterized previous buy-outs of city streets as unequal transactions between Yale and New Haven. 

“I feel weird about it, like I understand it, but it feels like a lot to surrender to a university that doesn’t already give the city much,” Michaud said, referring to the University’s tax-exempt status. 

Other residents encouraged SCAPE to include sustainable materials in their construction plans, as well as  water sculptures and a play area for children. 

Robert Grzywacz, a New Haven resident that attended the webinar, raised concerns over the loss of parking spaces.  

“People that need cars will have a harder time using them. That’s not so important about losing High Street, but we’ve heard plans for Chapel Street, which can imply that maybe half the parking on Chapel is going to be lost. That would be deadly,” Grzywacz said, referring to traffic safety improvements on Chapel Street slated to begin in 2027. 

In her presentation, Laura Marett, principal at SCAPE, emphasized the need to uphold High Street’s significance as a connective corridor. Student residential and academic buildings lie adjacent to the street, and the gateway on Chapel Street links the space to a thriving commercial district, she said. Thirty attendees said they cross through High Street by foot, while about twelve attendees each said they biked and drove on the street. 

“Thinking about High Street in the context of both New Haven and Yale,” Marett said, “It’s serving as a connective space, both within the New Haven network of bike trails and parks and greens and public spaces, and it’s also a critical connection within the fabric of Yale’s campus.” 

Marett identified sustainability as one of SCAPE’s core priorities for the new space; designs include stormwater management, cooling infrastructure for hotter summer months and biodiverse greenery.  

Through polling, attendees ranked a “welcoming, active, social space” as their highest priority. Additional requests included internet connectivity, trash cans and public art. While several attendees stressed that the space should not feel exclusive, two responses said that given the residential dorms in proximity, Yale student experience should be prioritized. 

Marett asked attendees for feedback on events and activities that they would like to see in the space. Concerts and performances, seasonal festivities and farmers’s markets were all popular suggestions. 

Greta Ruedisueli, project manager at SCAPE, raised the pragmatic limitations of needing to accommodate service and emergency vehicles, as well as move in day for Yale students. 

SCAPE plans to delineate a 15 to 20 feet corridor that accommodates pedestrians, bikers and necessary vehicles, flanked by seating nooks and bioswales — depressions filled with vegetation that filters stormwater runoff. A prominent welcome plaza will be erected near Chapel Street, as well as smaller gathering areas by Harkness Tower. 

“Yale and New Haven are both spaces that are continually changing, evolving and growing,” Kiana Flores, the alder for this section of High Street, said. “High Street is a really great example of ideal collaboration between the city and Yale, given that it’s multi-purpose, it achieves both of our goals and it’s really a team effort”. 

A second community conversation will be facilitated in the spring. The conversion is slated to begin next summer and be completed by fall of 2026.