Whether you are building a new trail or already maintaining one, planning for routine trail maintenance is critical, but often overlooked aspect of the budgeting process. This webinar will introduce planning and budgeting tools that helps determine the cost of base level maintenance tasks, which, once accurately determined and differentiated from rebuilding and life-cycle costs, […]

Research Summary: Neighborhood Change and Gentrification Near Three Urban Trails Authors: Greg Lindsey, Yunlei Qi, Torsha Bhattacharya, Tracy Loh Published: October 2021 Read the full article in the journal, Findings, published October 2021: rtc.li/gentrification-study In recent years, some studies have suggested possible correlation between trails and gentrification. These studies tended to examine high-profile trails in markets […]

Kevin Mills, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)’s vice president of policy, will be on hand to provide timely updates on the negotiations, discuss what’s next, and answer your questions. We will also be joined by Marianne Fowler, RTC’s senior strategist for policy advocacy. Panelists: Kevin Mills – Vice president of policy, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC)  Marianne Fowler- Senior strategist […]

Working alongside utility companies across the country, trail entities have often used utility corridors to help build safe and accessible trails for local communities. Some of these most visible trails span miles under large power lines, but utility corridors refer to any passages built below or above ground that carry utility lines, such as electricity, […]

This article from Rails to Trails Magazine’s Fall 2021 issue narrates how trail developers in Wisconsin along the Route of the Badger, and around the nation, are finding willing partners in utility companies to lay down some miles.

Trails provide people with safe and inexpensive spaces for outdoor physical activity, commuting and recreation. They can serve as economic catalysts, opening up opportunities for neighborhood reinvestment. They also provide critical “social infrastructure”—public spaces where people can meet, interact and build relationships. The key to maximizing these benefits is ensuring every stakeholder in a community […]

Executive Summary The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) is the largest dedicated source of funding for trails, walking and biking in the United States. Since 1991, this program, formerly known as Transportation Enhancements (TE), has transformed the landscape of the country. Under the program, states have been able to make critical investments in building safe places […]

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is leading a national study to better understand the barriers to trail use with a particular focus on race and gender. Our research is built upon regional and national survey instruments developed and implemented over the past 18 months, with a goal of better understanding how the trails movement can support efforts to bring more […]

Whether you are building a new trail or already maintaining one, it is critical to determine your maintenance costs. All maintenance issues need to flow from costs, because without them, you cannot determine accurately if your practices and methods are cost-effective. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has created this peer reviewed worksheet to enable you to capture your […]

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) published its first Rails-with-Trails: Lessons Learned report, which summarized the state of the practice and lessons learned regarding the development, construction, and operation of rails-with-trails. This updated Rails-with-Trails: Lessons Learned report documents how the state of the practice, perspectives, and context for rails-with-trails have evolved since 2002 […]