Sustainable trail development: Applications of the GreenPaths Rating System

Expanding on the concept of green building, sustainable development is being implemented across various infrastructure systems. Performance metrics and rating systems have been developed to measure the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the development process. The transportation sector has adapted with the development of sustainable rating systems, such as Greenroads, which focuses on roadway planning, design, and construction. Efforts to support more sustainable modes, such as pedestrian and cycling, have led to the development of new transportation rating systems, such as GreenPaths. The GreenPaths Rating System, developed as part of a previous research project, includes sustainable performance metrics related to the planning, location, design, construction, safety, and maintenance of shared-use pathways. This research builds on the development of the rating system and explores the feasibility of applying GreenPaths to various pathway development phases (existing, in development, and proposed). Therefore, the rating system is applied to three case study phases along the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail in Union County, PA. The results of the case study applications provide insight into the implementation process to three different development phases as well as an opportunity for rating system improvement. Results show that using the rating system earlier in the planning and design phase can lead to improvements in the integration of sustainable practices. The GreenPaths case studies serve as examples of how to implement the rating system for real-world pathway projects to support the development of sustainable transportation systems.