The Greenway
In 2001 the Cooper Carry Center for Connective Architecture was hired by Action Greensboro to guide a public process maximizing community input in the creation of a Center City Master Plan for Greensboro. A key element of the Master Plan, which was completed in the fall of 2001, was a 4.2 mile greenway trail for pedestrians and cyclists to loop around the central business district.
With a grant from the Moses Cone Wesley Long Community Health Foundation, in late 2004 Greenways, Inc. was hired to work with the Greensboro Department of Transportation and Parks & Recreation Department to incorporate the proposed Downtown Greenway into Greensboro’s trail system as part of a citywide Master Trails Plan. The Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway Master Plan (BiPed Plan), adopted by Greensboro City Council in November 2006, integrates the Downtown Greenway into the existing trail system to create a comprehensive off- and on-road system.
The Greensboro Bicentennial Commission, appointed by City Council to plan the celebration of the city's 200th year in 2008, adopted the Greensboro Downtown Greenway as the signature project for Greensboro's Bicentennial commemoration.
The Downtown Greenway lends itself naturally as a Bicentennial commemoration, with objectives such as:
• Celebrating community history with “gateways” illustrating Greensboro traditions such as textile manufacturing, strides in civil rights, and achievements in education. The Greenway will celebrate the history of the adjacent neighborhoods and include directional signage to historic sites including the Greensboro Historical Museum, the Depot, the Blandwood mansion, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in the Woolworth’s building, and War Memorial Stadium. Public art placed in the Greenway is expected to play a prominent role in these expressions.
• Spurring economic development in areas the City has targeted for revitalization, including Lee Street, South Elm Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
• Connecting residents in the older neighborhoods located around the perimeter of downtown, including Westerwood, Cedar Street, College Hill, Glenwood, Warnersville, Ole Asheboro, Southside, Gorrell Street, East Market, Cumberland, Charles B. Aycock, and Fisher Park. The Greenway will also serve to define the transition between the urban character of downtown and the residential character of surrounding neighborhoods.
• Connecting colleges and universities through its proximity to Greensboro College, NC A&T State University, Bennett College and UNCG.
• Connecting existing parks and green spaces around the downtown, thereby making previously underused parcels accessible for recreation and education. Routes from the Greenway will lead to popular downtown destinations, including Center City Park, the Cultural Arts district, the Central Library, the Greensboro Children’s Museum, and First Horizon Stadium.
• Addressing the future health and wellness of Greensboro’s increasing center city population by providing convenient opportunities for outdoor activity and exercise.
Action Greensboro and Cooper Carry are working with the City of Greensboro on development of the Downtown Greenway. The Bicentennial’s Commemoration Committee is working with the Greenway Steering Committee to secure funding for the Greenway, further guide its development, and use it as a means to illustrate the city’s history and culture. A groundbreaking is planned for 2008 during the Bicentennial celebration.
The members of the Greensboro Downtown Greenway Steering Committee are:
Chester H. “Trip” Brown, Jr., Chair
John A. McLendon, Jr., Co-Chair
A. Robinson Hassell
Robert O. Klepfer, Jr.
Cathy K. Levinson
Robert L. Newton
Dabney H. Sanders
Susan S. Schwartz
Zana Wall
To get involved in making the Downtown Greenway happen, or to schedule a speaker about the Greenway, contact Dabney Sanders at 336-379-0821 or dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.
Useful Links
- Vote for Greenway logo
- Call To Artists
- Action Greensboro
- Warnersville Community
- Greensboro Parks & Rec
- Technical Team