Pedestrian Ways: Greenways

Public Garden, Source: Te-Ming Chang

The Emerald Necklace, Boston Massachusetts, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted

The Emerald Necklace consists of an 1,100-acre (4.5 km²) chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts.

The Emerald Necklace is the only remaining intact linear park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, America's first landscape architect. From Boston Common to Franklin Park it is approximately seven miles by foot or bicycle through the parks.  -- Wikipedia

More information from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Source: ordinaryparis.atkielski.com

Promenade plantée, Paris, France, 1993 designed by Landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Mathieux

The Promenade plantée is a narrow, 4.7 km (2.9 mi) parkway in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is built on the former right-of-way of the Vincennes railway line. -- Wikipedia

Source: madrid.es

Madrid RIO, Madrid, Spain, 2006 designed by West 8

The city of Madrid dug 43 kilometres of tunnels into which the exit routes and motorways of the six-kilometre section along the River Manzanares disappeared. West 8, working together with MRIO arquitectos, a joint venture of three Madrid based firms led by Ginés Garrido Colomero, designed the master plan for the reclaimed riverbanks and the new urban area. Development plans were then prepared for the individual components: Salón de Pinos, Avenida de Portugal, Huerta de la Partida, Jardines de Puente de Segovia, Jardines de Puente de Toledo, Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto and Arganzuela Park. The first parts were completed in spring 2007. -- West8

For more photos of this project: idealista.com

Source: wikipedia.com

Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 2007

In 1991, after almost a decade of planning, construction was begun on the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, which is recognized as the largest, most complex, and technologically challenging highway project in the history of the United States. It significantly reduced congestion and improved mobility in one of America's oldest and most congested major cities. 

When these elevated highways were relocated underground, Boston found itself rich in prime urban land.Today, the Greenway encompasses gardens, plazas, and tree-lined promenades, offering beautiful places for relaxation within an urban environment. -- Greenway Conservancy

Source: Te-Ming Chang

The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, New York City, New York, USA

The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway is a 32-mile route that circumnavigates the island of Manhattan. The greenway builds on recent efforts to transform a long-ignored and derelict waterfront into a green attraction for recreational and commuting use. Wherever possible, it runs along the shoreline and thus reclaims the waterfront for pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, and other users of non-motorized transportation. -- Official web site

This is a part of the East Coast Greenway in the USA.

The East Coast Greenway is a developing trail system, spanning nearly 3,000 miles as it winds its way between Canada and Key West, linking all the major cities of the eastern seaboard. Over 25 percent of the route is already on safe, traffic-free paths. -- Official web site.

Source: wikipedia.org

Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, USA

The Embarcadero is the eastern waterfront and roadway of the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay, constructed atop an engineered seawall on reclaimed land, and derives its name from the Spanish verb embarcar, meaning "to embark". Embarcadero itself means "the place to embark".

During the early-20th century when the seaport was at its busiest and before the construction of the Bay Bridge, the trolley loop, now the trolley plaza, in front of the Ferry Building was one of the busiest areas of foot traffic in the world ...

However, after the completion of the Bay Bridge and the rapid decline of ferries and the Ferry Building, the neighborhood fell into decline. The transition to container shipping, which moved most shipping to Oakland, led to further decline. Automobile transit efforts led to the Embarcadero Freeway being built in the 1960s. This improved automobile access to the Bay Bridge, but detracted aesthetically from the city. For 30 years, the highway divided the waterfront and the Ferry Building from downtown. It was torn down in 1991, after being severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

After the freeway had been cleared, massive redevelopment began as a grand palm-lined boulevard was created, squares and plazas were created and/or restored -- Wikipedia

Demolishing Freeways and Reviving American Cities

As cities grapple with budget cuts and rising infrastructure costs, the value of removing costly freeways has been gaining more attention. Boulevard conversions are now being considered as a cost-effective, practical alternative to rebuilding expensive expressways. -- ArchDaily