About 300 people from 11 states attended the first Southeast Greenways & Trails Summit, held in Durham on October 1-3.. The East Coast Greenway Alliance organized the summit to bring people together and share success stories, progress and best practices related to greenways/trails projects. Projects along and connecting to the path of the East Coast Greenway – which is envisioned to go from Maine to Florida and connect greenways in communities along the coast and in some cases, inland area – were featured. It was inspiring to see what has been completed so far in all the states and what was in the works to be completed in the next 5 or so years.
The American Tobacco Trail and the Neuse River Greenway in Durham and Raleigh are part of the East Coast Greenway and mobile tours got people out to experience these trails, and also see how art, culture and history are being featured on the trails. Look out for a new report that was released at the Summit: “The Impact of Greenways in the Triangle” which highlights health and economic benefits of the East Coast Greenway in NC’s Triangle Region.
Check the Summit website for conference presentations and links to other resources in the coming weeks.