Economic Benefits

• Trails and greenways provide countless opportunities for economic renewal and growth. Increased property values and tourism and recreation-related spending on items such as bicycles, in-line skates and lodging are just a few of the ways trails and greenways positively impact community economies.*
• In a 1992 study, the National Park Service estimated the average economic activity associated with three multi-purpose trails in Florida, California and Iowa was $1.5 million annually.*
• Many studies demonstrate that parks, greenways and trails increase nearby property values, thus increasing local tax revenues. Such increased revenues often offset greenway acquisition costs*

Environmental Benefits

• Greenways often follow natural land or water features, and link nature reserves, parks, cultural features and historic sites with each other and with populated areas. Greenways can be publicly or privately owned, and some are the result of public/private partnerships. Trails are paths used for walking, bicycling, horseback riding or other forms of recreation or transportation.*
• Greenways protect important habitat and provide corridors for people and wildlife.
• Trails and greenways help improve air and water quality.

Preserving Our History and Culture

• They can give people a sense of place and an understanding of the enormity of past events, such as Native American trails.*

Promoting Healthy Living

• Trails and greenways provide a safe, inexpensive avenue for regular exercise for people living in rural, urban and suburban areas.*
• "Community design and limited transportation choice often prevent people from leading physically active lives" said Richard Killingsworth, director of Active Living by Design.*
• An article in the Wall Street Journal asks a provocative question: "Everybody knows they should exercise. So why do so few people actually do it?" Surveys generally find that 60% or so of adult Americans get little or no exercise. Less than 10% of school children walk or ride their bicycles to school. But in the early 1970s, over 60% walked and biked. *
• What has caused the drop in physical activity in the face of so much publicity about exercise and fitness? One answer is the change in our human environment. While people traditionally walked to school or shopping, in typical new housing areas they simply can't. According to Gregory Heath of the Centers for Disease Control, "Many of these communities are isolated-living communities. They lack connectivity to commerce, education, and entertainment."*
• Another reason people don't exercise is lack of time. Here is where trails can benefit tremendously: safe and attractive routes to work, to school, to church, and to shopping are all ways that people can combine exercise with necessary trips. Instead of driving to the gym to use the treadmill, our goal should be to make trails part of everyday life for more people. *

*From Americantrails.org