Thoughts on Overseas Travels：Chapel Hill Greenway Research and Optimization Proposal

(PCC) Program on Chinese Cities – Thoughts on Overseas Travels Series

Authors: Xue Jiang,

Harbin Institute of Technology – UNC Joint Doctoral Program in Urban and Rural Planning, specializing in greenway planning and construction in cold regions and village landscape planning. xuexue062889@163.com

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The greenway system is an effective mechanism for balancing urban development and environmental protection[1]. Originating in the United States, the concept of greenways was introduced and began to be studied in China since 2000; since 2010, some cities have started comprehensive greenway planning and construction. Led by the construction of China’s first regional greenway in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province, cities such as Chengdu, Haikou, Nanjing, and Wuhan have carried out specialized greenway planning and construction. However, overall, China’s urban greenway planning is still in an exploratory stage, particularly in the development of characteristic small towns, where many forest-based small towns have not incorporated the greenway concept.

In the United States, the development of greenways has a relatively complete construction system and has become an important part of small towns, which is highly relevant for the development of characteristic small towns in China. Currently, the United States has approximately 100,000 kilometers of greenways of various levels, leading the world. The requirement for U.S. greenway construction is that all residents should be able to reach the nearest greenway within 15 minutes from their homes or workplaces. During nearly a year of study at the University of North Carolina, I deeply appreciated the significance of greenways in the forested town of Chapel Hill. Through field research on Chapel Hill’s greenways, I gained an understanding of the construction of greenways in American small towns and proposed optimization designs based on the actual conditions of the town’s greenways.

 

1.  Background of Greenway Construction in Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, with a population of about 58,400 (2014 data), known for hosting the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC; ranked 30th among U.S. universities by US NEWS & World Report). The greenway system in Chapel Hill is designed to maintain ecological continuity and provides comfortable connections between communities, offering paths for residents to enjoy natural scenery (Image 1).

 

 

Currently, Chapel Hill has 8 long-distance greenways and 3 short-distance greenways, totaling approximately 13.4 miles (21.6 kilometers). The first Chapel Hill Greenway Plan in 1998 established three main objectives: (1) to establish and maintain a linear open space system that benefits the environmental protection of Chapel Hill; (2) to establish a pedestrian pathway system that allows all residents to enjoy the recreational functions of the entire greenway network; (3) some greenways provide people with travel options other than driving[3]. At present, the Chapel Hill greenway system is considered an integrated system of open spaces and road networks, offering both humans and wildlife the opportunity to traverse the urban environment. In an ideally planned community with greenways, one can reach any major destination, including neighborhoods, schools, parks, shopping centers, business centers, and office areas, through linear open space corridors—this is particularly important in the United States, a car-dependent country. In this town where roads dominate, the development of greenways gives residents healthier travel options, reducing car use, minimizing conflicts with motor vehicle traffic, and enhancing the safety of pedestrian travel.

 

2. Classification of Chapel Hill Greenways

Based on surface materials, Chapel Hill’s greenways can be divided into natural paths (unpaved) and artificial paved paths (paved)[4] (Image 2). These two types of greenways are not very different in terms of surrounding landscapes, primarily featuring natural forests; the main difference is that artificial paved paths are more suitable for bicycles and use during rainy or snowy weather. Even the artificially paved greenways are predominantly natural in scenery, with minimal human intervention, providing ample opportunities for people to interact with nature.

 

 

From the perspective of their origin, greenways can be categorized into river greenways (stream corridors), man-made greenways (man-made corridors), and connector trails.

(1) River Greenways

River greenways are a major component of the greenway system. The main rivers of Chapel Hill and the open spaces along their banks provide the basic possibilities for the extension of the greenway system and the basic framework of the system, including Bolin Creek, Booker Creek, Dry Creek, Little Creek, and Morgan Creek. Most of the land belongs to the drainage basins or watersheds of the three main rivers (Bolin Creek, Booker Creek, and Morgan Creek) (Image 3).

 

 

River greenways connect major functional blocks within the greenway network, such as parks, schools, shopping areas, and residential communities. In my field research, I found that Chapel Hill’s river greenways mainly serve as wildlife corridors and ecological buffers, rather than providing more recreational spaces or waterfront activities for residents.

(2) Man-made Greenways

Man-made greenways are formed along roads and public service facilities and arise from specific land use developments. In Chapel Hill, these types of man-made greenways mainly include corridors formed by sewage, natural gas, and electricity pipelines (Image 4).

 

 

Combining sewage pipelines with greenways is a common method of constructing man-made greenways in Chapel Hill (Image 5).

 

 

In Chapel Hill, the sewer pipelines managed by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) are mostly located within river greenways, thus, issues related to OWASA-managed pipelines and town-managed land ownership need to be coordinated and resolved in greenway construction. In fact, the town of Chapel Hill has been closely cooperating with OWASA in the construction of greenways, trying to minimize conflicts between roads and sewer pipelines during design. Public service departments in North Carolina can build greenways on land used for natural gas transmission, especially connector trails. On the other hand, most of the electricity in Chapel Hill is provided by Duke Energy, which has recently imposed stricter prohibitions on constructing roads and tracks within its jurisdiction. The first short greenway in the northern part of Chapel Hill is actually owned by Duke Energy, so significant compromises were made in the design of this greenway, including the path and facilities, due to the land ownership. Thus, some greenways constructed in conjunction with public facilities must consider comprehensive factors such as path selection and facility maintenance due to land ownership issues.

Currently, the man-made corridors in Chapel Hill mainly include the Horace Williams Trail and the North Trail, which are among the most important recreational trails in the Chapel Hill greenway system. These greenways are located near the town’s borders and effectively connect the green spaces and open spaces both inside and outside the Chapel Hill area.

(3) Connector Trails

Connector trails link Chapel Hill’s river greenways with man-made greenways, enhancing the overall accessibility of the greenway system and providing convenient connections with communities. In many cases, connector trails may be located within residential areas or other private properties and can be developed by homeowners’ associations or become frequently used walking paths. This part of the connector paths is rarely constructed by town public agencies and is less often maintained by them. Connector trails along secondary tributaries can provide effective connections between residences and natural environments within communities, while combining sidewalks and bike lanes to supplement the main greenways. A typical example of such a trail is the connector path between Pritchard Park and the Chapel Hill Public Library (Image 6).

 

 

3. Reflections on the Optimization of Typical Greenways in Chapel Hill

3.1 Current Status and Issues of Greenways

The current state of greenway construction in Chapel Hill is not ideal. Although most of the greenway corridors have been preserved, from the perspective of transportation connections, the greenways have not formed a complete, continuous system. The accessibility between different parts of the greenway system is not sufficient, and the paths need further optimization; the friendliness of the cycling environment needs to be enhanced; the functionality of the signage system needs to be strengthened, and some signs are too simple and lack clear direction (Image 7).

 

 

In my field research, due to the imperfect signage system, I accidentally entered a private residence directly from the greenway. The area shown in Image 8 is the boundary between the Battle Branch trail and a private residence, but there is no signage to warn walkers in the greenway that they are about to enter private property.

 

 

These issues are particularly evident in the greenway organization near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). This area in Chapel Hill has developed significantly, although its development is somewhat limited by complex terrain conditions. UNC has a large jurisdiction with abundant land resources, so the school is also trying to implement a greenway system. Within the areas of UNC’s jurisdiction that have already formed part of the greenway, there are large areas involving biologically sensitive areas and federally managed wetlands, making the organization of this part of the greenway particularly important and representative. I focused my research on the Battle Branch trail and the Bolin Creek trail, two greenways located in more central parts of the town and representing higher and lower levels of greenway construction, respectively. Through field research, I sought to explore their development opportunities and directions for optimization.

3.2 Analysis and Optimization Directions for Battle Branch Greenway

3.2.1 Current Status of Battle Branch Greenway

Many lands within the greenway corridor have been developed for single-family residential or commercial purposes, mainly distributed in the town center along Morgan Creek and Booker Creek. Greenway spaces along minor tributaries are often privately owned, making it an expensive and difficult task to make the greenways contiguous. Some greenway developments must wait until the land’s nature is changed to public land, which is uncertain and may be indefinitely delayed. The town of Chapel Hill has acquired ownership of originally private greenway lands through various means and has realized a large amount of greenway planning and construction. Although land acquisition efforts have significantly increased open spaces since 2000, the parcels that make up the greenway system are still somewhat scattered.

The existing Battle Branch Greenway provides a direct entrance from the eastern part of Chapel Hill into the UNC campus and is the only greenway that leads from the campus to the town’s main living and commercial areas. Its main route connects the business district to the school, with four branches entering the UNC campus area (Image 9).

 

 

About 50% of the paths in this greenway are owned by the town, and the other half by the University of North Carolina. This greenway is mainly a natural-type greenway, with occasional bridges or boardwalks as artificial facilities. The town-owned sections of the path allow bicycles. The sections owned by UNC have also been upgraded. The land ownership of this greenway is partly owned by OWASA, so UNC cannot completely organize and implement the planning and construction of the entire greenway; currently, bicycles are allowed on the paths shared by the two entities.

Battle Branch Greenway is mainly located within Battle Park, which is in the center of Chapel Hill. Given its geographical importance, this greenway should theoretically carry more traffic functions, and its potential for improvement is substantial. However, unless the road conditions are improved to the extent that most users can use bicycles, most people are unlikely to use it as a main transportation route.

3.2.2 Optimization Approaches and Recommendations

(1) Refinement and enhancement of greenway surfaces and basic service infrastructure

At this stage, some signs have aged and need to be updated and strengthened in their directive function (Image 10).

 

 

Considering the significant undulations in Chapel Hill’s terrain, while improving existing signs, path designs should be optimized by selecting routes with suitable slopes for safety. To further enhance its transportation function and become a system convenient for bicycle travel, road bridges and other features need to be redesigned to form a continuous bike lane (Image 11); some steep slopes need route improvements to facilitate bicycle riding; and the rest areas, viewing platforms, and other spaces within the greenway (Image 12) need further refinement to achieve a better greenway touring experience.

 

 

 

(2) Optimization of greenway routes (Image 13)

Route improvements can make travel from the community center park to Greenwood Rd more convenient. The path should be extended into the campus, and the school encouraged to improve the greenway facilities in the areas shared with OWASA land, forming a more complete bike riding route. Improvements to the town-owned sections of the path should allow cyclists to continue onto Raleigh Rd.

 

 

3.3 Analysis and Optimization Directions for Bolin Creek Greenway

3.3.1 Current Status of Bolin Creek Greenway

Bolin Creek Greenway is an approximately 1.5-kilometer-long artificially paved greenway, mainly connecting the community center park with the Battle Branch Greenway, serving as a multi-functional greenway that integrates walking and bicycle traffic. This greenway has been constructed in three phases since 1993, with the third phase completed in 2017. The third phase of the greenway connects to the existing greenway at the main road, Estes Drive, and in the future, the greenway may develop along the railway line to connect to Westville Elementary School, potentially becoming a comprehensive greenway that connects schools, living areas, and commercial areas.

A total of 14 acres of land within the greenway range form a buffer zone by connecting to water bodies in a short slope format. Bolin Creek Greenway has suffered damage from several storms (Image 14), and although the greenway itself was not severely damaged, it is sometimes forced to close due to flooding. After the planning and construction of the third phase of the greenway, most of the riverbed debris in Bolin Creek has been cleared, and flood embankments have been built to direct water to the tunnel south of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. However, there is a lack of landscape connectivity between the north and south banks of the greenway, especially the waterfront spaces and related facilities, which urgently need improvement. Therefore, the optimization of ecological and waterfront spaces is a key consideration in the subsequent development of this greenway.

 

 

3.3.2 Optimization Approaches and Recommendations

(1) Route Optimization

Continuing the greenway plan from 2013, the greenway should be extended about 7 miles, relying on the Bolin Creek tributary to connect Carrboro Park and residential areas, thereby strengthening the inter-regional connections of the greenway (Image 15). From a disaster prevention perspective, parks, playgrounds, and greenways can be combined for transformation, turning all areas where soil erosion is severe within the buffer zones into a sustainable restoration project. Theme playgrounds should be set up at the entrances of greenways and existing parks, taking advantage of the strategic locations of greenways, to enrich greenway activities, serve surrounding residential areas, and make greenway functions more comprehensive, enhancing the vitality and participatory nature of greenways.

 

 

 

(2) Ecological Protection and Waterfront Space Optimization

Bolin Creek Greenway is adjacent to the river and steep slopes, built in a challenging natural environment, so extra caution is needed during the construction phase, requiring measures to prevent soil erosion and protect trees, preserving the existing natural slopes (Image 16).

 

 

Tree protection should focus on differentiating between temporary construction sites and long-term construction sites. Through a differentiated treatment strategy, the health of the river and the balance and stability of the ecosystem should be protected. Temporary construction sites need to ensure that the soil remains healthy after construction activities are moved out; whereas long-term construction sites need to further consider human involvement and the vitality development of the greenway, by choosing appropriate tree species to help maintain the soil, protect the riverbanks from erosion during floods, storms, and other extreme weather events, and protect aquatic life.

Waterfront spaces should be regulated and cleared following the natural course of Bolin Creek. The waterfront revetment should primarily consist of natural slopes, combined with greenery to create a rich riverside landscape space (Image 17). Where hard revetments are necessary, they should primarily use brick and stone and other natural materials to maintain the green and ecological nature of the revetments. The cross-section should mainly use stepped revetments, and through changes in the type of greenery and diversification of functions, the waterfront effect should be enhanced, such as planting waterfront plants in the waterfront area, setting up waterfront walkways and platforms near the community, expanding the water surface in low-lying areas to enrich the scenery, and also increase the water storage space of the river, enhancing the ecological flood storage function.

 

 

4. Conclusion

Overall, the Chapel Hill greenway system is a typical small-town greenway organization in the United States, currently meeting the daily recreational needs of residents, but it can still enrich its functions in entertainment, business, and transportation, further stimulating the vitality of the greenways.

Note: Images not cited in the text are taken or drawn by the author.

References

[1] CONINEA, XIANG W N, YOUNG J, et al. Planning for multi-purpose greenways in Concord, North Carolina[J]. Landscape and Urban Planning, 2004, 68(2/3): 271-287.

[2] Town of Chapel Hill Interactive Map[EB/OL]. [2019-01-20]. http://townofchapelhill.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7c0b17839ad142178172ac4cc82e13b6.

[3] Town of Chapel Hill greenways master plan[EB/IL]. Chapel Hill Greenways Commission. (2013-05-29)[2019-01-20]. https://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/parks-recreation/planning-and-development/greenways-master-plan-adopted-may-2013.

[4] Town of Chapel Hill. [EB/IL]. https://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/parks-recreation/facilities-greenways-parks/greenways.