November 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 52

" It creates more access, " Trautman says, " and the more people who have access to the greenway, the more powerful its use
and interaction. You can have a mile-long greenway and you'll
have people on it. But once it's nine miles long [and connects
with others], you'll have hundreds and thousands of people on
it-because they can now get to it. "
Trautman cites Cleveland, Ohio's century-old Emerald Necklace greenway system as an example of the enduring concept of
interconnectness. " But what's new about connectedness, though,
is the trail system within a greenway and the ability of people to
move through it, " Trautman says. " There are long greenways-
you can look at the Ozark Trail, and you can only hike it. But now
there are long greenways in lush, urban spaces. When you do it
in an urban setting, it's more complicated, but you do get more
success, in use and for transforming your community. "
Complications come in many forms: multiple jurisdictions, infrastructure (power lines, highways, bridges), natural features
(rivers and stream crossings), and general real estate issues (not

all residents initially support greenways in their " backyards " ).
Consequently, the price tag per greenway rises and the acquisition strategies multiply. The cost for acquiring and developing a
greenway averages $450,000 per mile, Trautman says. But less
tangible, though evident through surveys, overall community
satisfaction increases as well.
" Resistance comes from that initial fear of crime-and that's
true of any agency trying to put in a trail system, " Trautman says.
" The fact is, it's unrealized. There are more eyes on it and it's
safer, and all of a sudden, you've got this incredible energy and
enthusiasm to be out on it.
" Now we are at the point when I go out and meet with people,
particularly elected officials, they want to know: 'When will my trail
be built? When are you going to connect pieces of the greenway in
my district or city?' " Trautman explains. " In those first years, nobody ever understood, really, what we were doing. There were a
lot of bureaucratic hoops to be jumped through, because in every
initiative for whatever you are building, you've got permitting. "

a Greenway saMPLer
These urban greenways connect in many ways.

ATLAnTA BeLTLIne
the beltline is an ambitious, $2.8 billion redevelopment effort currently underway in
atlanta, georgia. once completed, the beltline will directly connect 45 neighborhoods
clustered around a 22-mile railroad
corridor spanning the city. this network of greenways is critical for the
greater vision of the project: the
beltline represents an integrated
approach to land use, green space,
and transportation. the greenways
of the beltline, then, will not only
provide greater access to outdoor
recreation-they will also create a
framework for future urban expansion with enhanced quality of life.
the beltline, in fact, is the most comprehensive redevelopment effort ever initiated by the City of atlanta. once
complete, it will feature a 22-mile loop of
pedestrian-friendly rail transit. this 22mile park core will be accented by a 33mile network of multi-use trails, complete
with extensions to surrounding parks and
trails. the City of atlanta plans to continue work begun on the beltline in 2005 by
increasing green space by around 40
50 Parks & Recreation N O V E M B E R

percent with the addition of 1,300 acres
of new parks. by focusing development
around multi-use trails and public transit,
the city hopes to generate over $20 billion in new economic development.

bicycling for speedy cross-town trips; it
also provides commuter access to the Kenilworth trail connecting to the downtown and western suburban areas.
While Midtown greenway is a key resource for Minneapolis commuters,
it's also a great outlet for outdoor
recreation: it connects city residents directly to a network of other
biking and pedestrian trails, a variety of green open spaces and community gardens, and the chain of
lakes.

midtown Greenway, minneapolis,
minnesota (center page and top left)

MInneAPOLIS
the Midtown greenway at the heart of
Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a 5.66 milelong former railroad corridor owned by
the hennepin County regional railroad
authority and maintained by the City of
Minneapolis since its completion in 2006.
While deceptively short in length, the
Midtown greenway provides a host of
amenities for Minneapolis residents: not
only does it guarantee safe, barrier-free

2 0 1 1 w w w . N R P A . O R G

CHICAGO

in 1992, the Chicago Metropolitan
agency for Planning created the
first northeastern illinois greenways and
trails plan. since then, the heavily networked system of greenways has linked
together nearly 2,700 ecologically diverse miles of trail throughout the greater
Chicago area-and the newest plan, updated in 2009, plans to expand even further, and to create more linkages between
parks and trails.
given the impressive extent of Chicago
area greenways, it comes as no surprise

November 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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