Urban waterfront trail planning: Understanding the relationship between trail location and use patterns

Urban greenway trail use has dramatically increased in the last decade. Over 500 trails are now being planned across North America. While the number of greenways is expanding, our understanding of users and their behavior is limited. Research has found that greenways do not necessarily serve the recreational needs of the entire community but are more likely to be used by residents of nearby neighborhoods. The distance from home has been found to be the main determinant in visitor use and satisfaction. The problem is that the effect of distance from home on frequency of use for different user populations is unknown.; A study was conducted with the major objective of understanding how urban greenway trail use is influenced by type of recreational activity, travel mode, reason for use, and distance. The results verify the major hypothesis examined in the paper; that there are important differences in urban greenway trail behavior for different groups of recreational trail users.