6:26 a.m. EST December 21, 2015

ASHEVILLE – On an unseasonably warm December Tuesday, one of the most popular places in the city was an 8-foot-wide path.

A sunbather lay next to French Broad River, stripped down to shorts in the 65-degree heat. On paved paths around him, people jogged by, whizzed past on bikes or strolled with dogs.

There’s no doubt, people love greenways. The “linear parks,” as they are sometimes called, rank as a top
priority in resident surveys and in public comments.

But considering the popularity of the paths, efforts to build them have been anemic. Since efforts began in the
1980s, around $4 million has been spent to build 4.6 miles of greenways, most lacking connections to each
other.

Read more from the Asheville Citizen Times:

$17M greenway building boom planned for Asheville