Greenway (landscape)

A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle traffic and sometimes including multiple transportation (streetcar, light rail) or retail uses.

Terminology

The term greenway comes from the "green" in green belt and the "way" in parkway, implying a recreational or pedestrian use rather than a typical street corridor, as well as an emphasis on introducing or maintaining vegetation, in a location where such vegetation is otherwise lacking. Some greenways include community gardens as well as typical park-style landscaping of trees and shrubs. They also tend to have a mostly contiguous pathway, allowing urban commuting via bicycle or foot.

Characteristics

The land may be newly developed, but usually it is redeveloped, having been formerly occupied by a railroad, highway, or other transportation route. Many greenways in urban centers or developed areas are linear parks. Greenways often are defined by municipal governments as having the following characteristics: vegetated, linear, and multi-purpose. [ [http://www.massbike.org/bikeways/fboston.htm#eboston East Boston Greenway] ]

Global greenways

Greenways are located internationally such as the Trans Canada Trail in Canada, the East Coast Greenway in the United States, the [http://www.ffe.es/viasverdes/programa.htm Vías Verdes] in Spain, the Gold Coast Oceanway in Australia or the EuroVelo cycle routes and the European Greenways Association routes throughout Europe.

Notable greenways

*Capital Area Greenbelt, a twenty mile greenway connecting neighborhoods, parks and opens spaces in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*Carrall Street Greenway, currently under development in Vancouver
*The River Ring, a system of connected greenways encircling St. Louis, Missouri
*East Coast Greenway, a trail being constructed along the Atlantic coast of the United States
*Ohlone Greenway, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area
*Greater Grand Forks Greenway, large public park on the banks of the Red River and Red Lake River in Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota
*The Greenway, foot and cycle path in East London, England
*Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, a circumferential foot and cycle path around Manhattan Island.
*Maryville Alcoa Greenway, an eight mile long foot and cycle path extending from Maryville Intermediate School in Maryville, Tennessee to the end of Springbrook Park in Alcoa, Tennessee
*Midtown Greenway, five-and-a-half mile pedestrian and bicycle path through Minneapolis, Minnesota
*Mountains to Sound Greenway, a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 90 between Seattle and Thorp, Washington protected from logging and development
*Rachel Carson Greenway, in Maryland
*Rose Kennedy Greenway, a series of parks and open spaces in Boston, Massachusetts
*Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, 50 mile trail in southwestern New Hampshire
*South East London Green Chain, a set of connected parks and open spaces in London, UK

ee also

*Cycleway
*Esplanade
*Foreshoreway
*Oceanway
*Riverwalk
*Trail
*Rail trail
*Right-of-way (railroad)
*Towpath
*Segregated cycle facilities
*Greenbelt
*Landscape architecture
*Landscape planning
*List of municipal parks in the United States
*Park system
*Public park
*Urban park

References

*Smith, Daniel S. & Hellmund, Paul Cawood. (1993) "Ecology of Greenways: Design and Function of Linear Conservation Areas". University of Minnesota Press
*Fabos, Julius Gy. and Ahern, Jack (Eds.) (1995) "Greenways: The Beginning of an International Movement", Elsevier Press
*Little, Charles E. "Greenways for America" (1990) Johns Hopkins University Press
* [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/xml/mc00214.xml Guide to the Charles E. Little papers, 1975-1990, an advocate for greenways]

External links

* [http://www.greenways.gov.uk/ UK government agency website on greenways]
* [http://www.gardenvisit.com/landscape/architecture/17.1-greenway-planning.htm Essay on greenway planning and design]
* [http://www.aevv-egwa.org/ European Greenways Association]
* [http://www.ffe.es/viasverdes/programa.htm Vías Verdes] in
* [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/xml/mc00294.xml International Greenways Resource Records]