Balancing Growth and Greenspace: The Razorback Greenway
How can lessons learned from the Razorback Greenway teach us about greenspace-oriented development?
This is part two of a five-part series on greenway-oriented development.
Cities across the South have invested in greenway-oriented development (GOD), a new model for leveraging trails as catalysts for economic growth and environmental preservation. In Northwest Arkansas, the Razorback Greenway is a 36-mile multi-use trail network connecting the region's major cities. The Razorback is sparking a trail of investment and redevelopment. Along the trail users can find some of the area’s most popular destinations including entertainment, shopping, historic sites, lakes, art projects, and cultural experiences. Today, the Razorback links dozens of popular destinations across Arkansas’ Washington and Benton counties, including seven central business districts, three major hospitals, twenty-three schools, the University of Arkansas, and the corporate headquarters of Walmart, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, and Tyson Foods.
This interplay between business growth and access to nature is an innovative approach. By orienting new residential and commercial density along the Greenway's path rather than facilitating outward sprawl, cities like Fayetteville and Bentonville are experiencing sustainable growth without compromising their natural assets.
Cities around the world have long since leveraged natural spaces such as waterfronts and mountain views to spur development. Oftentimes, the most expensive properties are adjacent to these natural gems. Greenway-oriented development has a similar approach, harnessing the strength of the greenway to increase investment.
Of course, the Razorback Greenway didn't emerge overnight. For most of modern planning’s history, zoning codes and development regulations simply weren't designed to accommodate this type of urban form integrated with nature. Aligning land use regulations, securing funding, and building public support for such an ambitious regional amenity required tackling substantial hurdles. Traditional requirements around setbacks, parking minimums, density limits, and permitted land uses make it very difficult to orient buildings and communities towards greenway corridors. Decades of car-centric planning have reinforced development patterns pushing density outward rather than inwards along recreational amenities like trails.
But over a decade since the Razorback’s launch, that careful planning has paid dividends. Public demand for walkable, trail-oriented communities is skyrocketing, with millions of annual visitors hiking, biking, and exploring the Greenway's connected corridors of parks and natural areas. New residential and mixed-use developments continue popping up to capitalize on this trail-oriented premium.
For the Razorback, the local code language hinders development. Rather than treating the greenway as a public right-of-way, it prevents greenway-facing residential properties. Alli Quinlan, a former member of the Fayetteville Planning Commission shared, “I think our residential code language has in many ways stymied what could be better GOD, but our commercial development along the trails has been great. Lots of restaurants, breweries, bike shops, etc that intentionally address and market to the trail traffic.”
Many critics might be concerned, however, that this type of development takes away from the serenity of the otherwise completely natural areas. Yet, for trail advocates and mixed-use developers alike, the Razorback Greenway represents an inspiring model for smart growth that expands access to nature rather than diminishing it. By leveraging pre-existing transportation corridors, cities can inject new economic vitality into underutilized areas while giving residents a unique amenity for recreation and mobility.
Regardless, limitations to development are still very much needed to protect environmental quality. Implementing guidelines and oversight to concentrate density inwards while preserving generous setbacks and vegetative buffering along the actual greenway corridors themselves might be one solution. Another option involved acquiring surrounding land for conservation and to prevent overdevelopment.
So, while rezoning land along greenway networks for new development may seem like a double-edged sword, enabling sustainable economic growth while expanding access to nature is a delicate balance that cities like those around the Razorback Greenway are striving to achieve. It's a new frontier, but one with huge potential benefits if done right through cohesive regional planning, smart regulations, and an amenities-oriented economic development approach.
As more cities explore greenway networks to anchor development, Northwest Arkansas is demonstrating connected trails of opportunity can allow healthier, more sustainable communities to take root and thrive.
Sonia Birla is a student at UNC Charlotte majoring in Finance, Geography, and International Studies. She is the James Hardie Fellow for Urban Development Spring 2024.