In 2001 Action Greensboro hired the Cooper Carry Center for Connective Architecture to guide a public process for creation of a Greensboro Center City Master Plan. A key element of the plan was a greenway trail for pedestrians and cyclists to loop around the central business district. Greenways, Inc. was hired with a grant from the Moses Cone Wesley Long Community Health Foundation to work with the Greensboro Dept. of Transportation and Parks & Recreation Dept. to incorporate the Downtown Greenway into Greensboro's trail system in a citywide Master Trails Plan. The Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway Master Plan (BiPed Plan) integrates the Downtown Greenway in 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 Downtown Greenway as the signature project for Bicentennial commemoration.

The Downtown Greenway lends itself as a Bicentennial commemoration by:

• Celebrating community history with "cornerstones" illustrating Greensboro traditions such as textile manufacturing, strides in civil rights, and achievements in education. The Greenway will also use public art to celebrate the history of the adjacent neighborhoods.
• 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 of older neighborhoods on the perimeter of downtown and serving to define the transition from downtown's urban character to the residential character of the 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, 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 NewBridge Bank Park.
• Addressing the future health and wellness of Greensboro's increasing center city population by providing safe, convenient opportunities for outdoor activity and exercise.

Initial groundbreaking for the Downtown Greenway took place on March 9, 2009. Action Greensboro continues to work with the City of Greensboro to develop plans and secure funding for implementation of the greenway.

Members of the Greensboro Downtown Oversight Committee:
Chester H. "Trip" Brown, Jr., Chair
Andy Scott, Co-Chair
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
Capt. Wayne Scott
Dan Curry
Adam Fischer
Dick Hails
April R. Harris
A. Robinson Hassell
Brian Higgins
Cathy K. Levinson
Dan Maxson
John A. McLendon, Jr.
Tyler Meyer
Robert L. Newton
Dabney H. Sanders
Susan S. Schwartz
Butch Simmons

For more detailed information, visit www.downtowngreenway.org. To get involved in making the Downtown Greenway happen, or to schedule a speaker about the Greenway, contact Dabney Sanders at 336-387-8353 or dsanders@actiongreensboro.org.

Click here to review the City of Greensboro's Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenway Plan.