Investing in green space and park creation has enormous benefits, from bolstering community wellness, to reversing historic disinvestment, and in raising surrounding property values. While care should be taken to avoid the park-driven gentrification that has accompanied many of the recent high-profi … Read more

When you think of highest and best use for real estate, public parks are often overlooked.  Even if a park is functioning as intended, it still might have potential to serve the community in a greater capacity while adding benefit to the surrounding area. If the purpose of a park is to offer a recre … Read more

In an increasingly digital world, the economic fortunes of a community can be dependent on a quality of life it provides to residents. Investments in greenway systems — trails lined with trees, vegetation, or other natural features — are a way that some local governments choose to enhance quality … Read more

Downtown revitalization takes many forms, and for some cities downtown parks are a major catalyst for redevelopment. From New York’s Central Park to Greensboro’s Central City Park, parks have not only provided open green space for recreation and community gatherings, but have also fostered interest … Read more

  Two CERC community projects involve converting an abandoned railroad right-of-way into a bicycle and pedestrian trail. One might be surprised to learn that there is real economic development potential associated with these trails. Bicycling visitors to the Northern Outer Banks generate $60 million … Read more

Paul Winn is a Masters Student of City and Regional Planning and a graduate student assistant working with Lenoir County. A conceptual plan for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) of Eastern North Carolina was produced in 2004 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in partnership with G … Read more