The Greenway of Dreams and Disappointments

It shifted my world view over and over

I explored trails wherever I went, celebrating different trail surfaces or scenic views. I mused at their potential for good, and enthusiastically championed them in the name of public health. Eventually, as I followed these trails, I saw a more complete picture, and I wrestled with uncomfortable tensions of how they sometimes altered communities for the worse. Somehow, I came out of it with a deep appreciation for the good inherent in parks and trails, a critical eye for what often goes wrong, and an undying optimism about the potential they have to reshape our lives in every part of civic life.

One greenway trail in particular has been a part of my journey for over 10 years, spurring me to learn more and be more capable and responsible as a professional. I share this experience with you in hopes that it sparks your interest in looking at greenway trails from a new perspective.

PART 1: Greenway trails support fitness!

On a 2013 plane ride, I still remember tearing small clipping from an airline magazine that details the must-see ingenuity of the Atlanta BeltLine, a multiuse trail in Atlanta that stretched miles and miles and was slated to expand further. It included a picture of a man with a race number on his chest running on a grass trail with a colorful mural painted on a bridge in the background. The scene was so vivid, I could imagine myself right there jogging alongside him. In the margin I jotted down notes about how a similar trail could fit in where I was living.

My interest in the trail at the time was surface level. I loved running, especially on unpaved trails, and I thought there should be more readily accessible, runner-friendly trails. The magazine snippet stayed pinned to my bulletin board for years as a placeholder of something I’d like to advocate for. It was an example I had on hand to illustrate to others what I wanted, ‘see this? this is what I’m talking about.’

PART 2: They can promote public health

In grad school I started out by studying community health, and this idea of the greenway trail slightly evolved to be more of an idea that more infrastructure like the BeltLine would lead to healthier lifestyles of those who lived near them. Surely a population would be healthier if they lived in places where walkability and clean environments were available.

…and wellness!

I dug a little deeper. I got goosebumps as I watched promotional videos for Atlanta’s BeltLine talk about the multifaceted community goals the trail was designed and set up to achieve. Brownfield redevelopment, combined bike and rail transportation, affordable housing, promotion of the arts, environmental health, and, of course, healthy living were all aspects of the Beltline the City proudly showcased. I recommend you check it out, because it really is a beautiful vision. I also recommend you look at it with a critical eye.

PART 3: Greenway trails are trouble.

My rose colored glasses smashed into pieces when I studied the crossover between greenways and community health. As I looked into the benefits of the Atlanta BeltLine, along with other greenways around the world, it seems that no one really successfully pulls off a large park or greenway trail (often also called linear parks) that are great for those living near it. Not in the big picture and not in the long term.

Often, environmental sustainability and social equity goals take a back seat to economic development agendas. Property values predictably increase around quality greenspaces, especially large, connected ones. Long term and low income residents are priced out of their homes. Green spaces designed for tourists or upscale park users make locals feel unwelcome. Well manicured landscapes undermine healthy ecosystems. Sustainability features are not designed properly or maintained in a way that actually makes them useful.

There is a lot that can go wrong, and there is a lot that often does go wrong.

In fact, the Atlanta BeltLine had become an example of what not to do, a sort of cautionary tale in the industry of how economic development initiatives can overshadow any and all others. A 2018 academic paper by Dan Immergluck and Tharunya Balan titled “Sustainable for whom? Green urban development, environmental gentrification, and the Atlanta BeltLine” outlined the immense failures of the greenway to meet social equity goals. Since then, Immergluck has written a book on the subject, and he methodically details the injustice surrounding the Beltline’s development.

Though this tends to happen everywhere with all sorts of public greenspaces, Atlanta’s lofty social and environmental goals made its trail an easy one to criticize. Not only were the goals unmet, they were also undermined by public and private stakeholders looking to make a profit from the wildly popular greenway.

As I spoke to professionals in the parks and greenways communities, I found the same themes cropping up again and again. They acknowledged that yes, greenways increased the cost of living around trails, but that’s the economic system we live in. The vibe was sort of a shrug. Yeah, economic development takes over and inequity happens in the green spaces realm, but at least we get to improve the environment and create bikeable, walkable cities.

So again, I reconfigured in my mind what a greenway trail means to a community.

Part 4: Greenway trails are complex systems…

Now, I view the BeltLine and large city park projects like it as more of a balancing act. You can analyze the system dynamics of the ways in which they are physically used, the development of surrounding areas, the environmental ecosystem that encompasses them, and the process of how they are designed, implemented, and maintained. They all have unclear boundaries, and they all influence one another. They are also always changing, and anyone who tries to sell a simple, neat vision of a good-for-all park is lying or poorly informed. Either way, it’s irresponsible.

The big pretty rendering with neatly landscaped lines and tourist trap attractions is not inherently bad, but it is a good place to start asking questions. 3 big ones that come to mind immediately are:

• Who was included in the planning process, and to what extent did they have decision making power?

• What objectives did planners prioritize, and how were those objectives prioritized and measured?

• How do nearby residents and park users feel about the design, and in what ways are they protected against potential harm resulting from the park?

• Who benefits most from the park and who bears most of the burden?

We will delve into more about why these are crucial points to know in the future. For now, let me just say that the answers to these questions for any greenspace mean more to me than any promotional video or pretty picture. The answers to these questions, to me, showcase a deeper community health than an impressive swath of trails and parks.

…And they’re a conduit for community change!

Now, I’ve come back to my enthusiasm for greenway trails with a deeper understanding of their power. I hold no greenway trail on a pedestal, but I see possibility in all of them.

The role a greenway trail like the Beltline plays in community is transformational and far reaching. When used for the sort of top-down economic development we see in most localities, we see its influence reflecting that methodology all along the greenway. Prices of homes increase, taxes increase, tourism blossoms, inequity and injustice grow, and the outdoor environment is protected just enough to protect the economic interests that are tied to it. The ripple effects move throughout a region.

But what happens when used predominantly for health, placemaking, social justice and equity, or environmental resilience? What happens when the public harnesses the power they have in planning the spaces? I believe planning a greenway can spark connected civic involvement efforts. I believe it can lead to a greater sense of community, of care for residents. I believe it can promote more awareness and protection of our outdoor environment.

And more.

We don’t know until we try. I encourage you all to get out into your parks and trails. Look at what the space means to you and your community now, and think of what it could look like if it represented and served more diverse interests.

WORKS CITED

Atlanta Beltline (2017). Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. Overview Video 2017 (video). Retrieved October 24, 2019 from this link

Cole, H. (November, 20 2018). The Problem With The Atlanta BeltLine’s Promise of Affordability. Green Inequalities. Retrieved from https://www.bcnuej.org/2018/11/20/the-problem-with-atlantas-beltline-promise-of-affordability/

Finn, M. (2013). Beltline Atlanta (photograph). Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwf2005/10582341895/in/photostream/

Immergluck, D. (2022). Red Hot City: Housing, Race, and Exclusion in 21st Century Atlanta. Oakland, University of California Press.

Immergluck, D., & Balan, T. (2018). Sustainable for whom? Green urban development, environmental gentrification, and the Atlanta Beltline. Urban Geography, 39(4), 546562. doi:10.1080/02723638.2017.1360041