The Downtown Greenway, a collaborative project between Action Greensboro and the City of Greensboro, is a planned 4 mile walking and biking trail that encourages community dialogue, economic development, healthy and active living, and improves quality of life for its citizens. Expanding the perceived footprint of downtown and connecting surrounding neighborhoods, the Downtown Greenway is the central hub of the city’s trails and greenways system. With its emphasis on public art, the Greenway tells stories, and, in doing so, activates selected sites and engages users in a unique and authentic way. To date, 23 public artworks of varying size and scale have been installed along its completed route. This focus on public art plays an important role in bringing our community together while setting our community apart. Community engagement throughout the planning and design process has been a key to the success of creative placemaking efforts along the Downtown Greenway. Panelists will share insights into how disenfranchised members of the community were engaged and transformed into supporters of the project, how public art has created dialogue and bridged disparate communities together, and how creative placemaking has provided inspiration for the City’s future growth in an equitable and inclusive way.
