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The ongoing transformation of Camden, New Jersey, is a terrific case study of what Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is about. From our core mission of recycling disused rail corridors into public pathways, in recent years RTC has expanded that work to building broader, more connected urban trail networks and encouraging new generations of Americans to walk and bike for daily transportation. In Camden, there is an urgent need for this kind of transformation. Disconnected from the vibrant economic...

Across America, college campuses are often hubs of bicycling activity. Students and staff regularly depend on the local municipality having decent bike lanes and safe places to ride--indeed, the "bike-friendliness" of the college's city or town can sometimes be a selling point for prospective undergraduates. But rather than just rely on their local trails, the students at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., have taken a proactive interest in their maintenance and development. The college was recently...

By Ruby Brunk The city of Richmond, Calif., recently found itself in the center of an ongoing debate around the definition and role of public art after the city painted over a commissioned mural along the Richmond Greenway this October. Painted on a private building with the property owner's permission, the mural took two weeks and $1,000 for students from nearby Gompers High School to create. Teacher Gretchen Borg says she asked the city for a permit but was told that she only needed the building...

By Ethan Ellestad As a teenager, it is often hard enough to get your voice heard, let alone be taken seriously. Yet, on a hot day in late June, more than 30 young people from the Louisiana Green Corps set out on a tour of the Lafitte Greenway to prove that their opinions and ideas were just as valid as anyone’s twice their age. Every summer, the Louisiana Green Corps, a non-profit dedicated to providing green job skills training to unemployed, underemployed or otherwise disadvantaged New Orleans...

March is just around the corner, with warmer weather — and thoughts of getting outside and getting active — not far behind. It's also National Nutrition Month and, in observance, North Carolina Public Health has published a tip sheet outlining simple steps one can take to create a more healthy, active lifestyle. In " 5 Easy Ways to Create Walkable/Bikeable Communities ," the advice is sound and to the point: Understand the issues Speak your mind Write a letter, send an e-mail message...

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Smart phones. MP3 players. The "boob tube" and YouTube. Each day, young people spend an average of 7.5 hours with electronic and entertainment media—and, because they frequently use more than one medium at a time, their total consumption now stands at nearly 11 hours a day . These figures appear in the Kaiser Family Foundation's new report, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds , published earlier today. The report is the...

Above left: A ride down the length of the Railpath. Above right: CBC News Toronto reports on a mural below a Railpath overpass. On October 30, the first 1.3-mile phase of the West Toronto Railpath had its grand opening , which received rave reviews in the press . This urban rail-with-trail is a strong addition to the city's bicycle and pedestrian network, allowing users to bypass busy roads, including Bloor and Dundas streets, and connect with the GO Transit rail station at Bloor. View West Toronto...

In May, RTC's Florida State Director Ken Bryan ran a helmet giveaway sponsored by The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida at an event hosted by the MaliVali Washington Kids Foundation along the S-Line Urban Greenway in Jacksonville. In order for youth to receive a helmet, an accompanying adult had to fill out a one-page questionnaire about their family's current level of trail use and desired improvements to the trail. Some highlights from the survey results: More than 65 percent of respondents...