Graduation Year
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.U.R.P.
Degree Granting Department
Geography, Environment and Planning
Major Professor
Elizabeth Strom, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Vikas Mehta, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Robin Jones, M.P.S and M.B.A.
Keywords
sustainability, green infrastructure, funding, recreational trails, Tampa
Abstract
Across the country and world, cities are building urban greenways to achieve environmental, economic, and social objectives. Greenways are recreational trails that provide functions beyond recreation, such as stormwater management, economic development, community development, and aesthetic improvements. A plan to build an urban greenway in downtown Tampa is underway. The greenway is proposed to be built underneath and adjacent to the Selmon Expressway, in conjunction with a widening and redecking project. A feasibility study was performed and approved by the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization; now the biggest hurdle standing in the way of the Selmon Greenway is finding funding. This thesis uses qualitative research methods to build a case for the Selmon Greenway by demonstrating the importance and usefulness of greenways and examples of other urban greenways to provide ideas for possible funding and implementation strategies. Three case studies of greenways in New York City, Minneapolis, and Miami provide real-world examples of greenways, the benefits these cities have seen, and the funding sources and implementation strategies used to develop these greenways. Additionally, an in-depth case study of Tampa and the Selmon Greenway details the planning process and status of the greenway, the potential benefits the greenway could bring to downtown Tampa, and possible sources of funding.
Scholar Commons Citation
Brasier, Alana, "Urban Greenways: The Case for the Selmon Greenway" (2011). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/3014
