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Greenways are corridors of protected
open space managed for conservation, recreation and non-motorized
transportation. Greenways often follow natural land or water features
and provide links to many community features such as parks, schools,
historic sites, and natural areas. Most greenways include trails, which
may be either paved or soft-surfaced.
Greenways not only protect
environmentally important lands and native plants and animals, they also
link people with the natural world and outdoor recreational
opportunities. Greenways provide what many citizens seek-close to home
recreational areas, safe routes for non-motorized transportation, and
areas of natural beauty.
Greenways are
created primarily through local or regional initiatives reflecting
community needs, defined by the people who create them. Greenways are
best formed from cooperative public and private partnerships, including
citizens and user groups, government agencies, and private businesses.
Benefits of Greenways
Trails and
greenways positively impact communities in many ways including:
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Connecting people, communities, and countryside.
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Providing for hiking, strolling, biking, picnicking, fishing, and
other recreational activities.
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Providing important open space resources.
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Providing an outdoor classroom space.
- Linking
important cultural and historic sites—fostering greater awareness
and appreciation for them.
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Providing alternative transportation routes by providing bicycles
and pedestrian facilities.
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Softening urban and suburban landscapes by providing buffers to
developed areas.
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Improving water quality by buffering steams and trapping pollutants.
- Reducing
flood damage and cost related to damage.
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Increasing real property values.
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Enhancing economic development and tourism.
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Improving overall quality of life.
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