Resource Library:

Planning And Design

Subcategories • Accessible Trail DesignCase StudiesCost EstimatingFeasibility StudiesLivable/Active CommunitiesLand Acquisition and ConservationMaster PlansSignage and InterpretationTrailheadsTrail Networks DesignTrails as TransportationClosing Trail System GapsWildlife and Habitat



posted Jul 22, 2021

How GIS Can Be Used to Save the Places We Love

Join this webinar to learn more about strategies to bring the power of GIS to create a more equitable park and greenway system.


posted May 3, 2018

How Greenways Work: A Handbook on Ecology

This is a handbook for those private citizens and public officials all over America who are working to create outdoor recreation opportunities and protect wildlife and our environment by establishing corridors of open space called greenways.


posted Mar 13, 2018

How Land Use and Transportation Systems Impact Public Health: An Annotated Bibliography

This literature review discusses how urban form affects public health, specifically through the ways in which the built environment encourages or discourages physical activity levels.


published Jan 2020

How to Build Safer Streets Quickly and Affordably

by Alta Planning + Design, California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike)

The California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) and Alta Planning + Design are excited to share this Quick-Build Guide for quickly and inexpensively creating safe spaces on our streets for people to travel by bike, on foot, on a scooter, by skateboard, or by any other low-impact, low-cost mode of transportation.


posted Feb 19, 2018

How to Use the Forest Service Standard Trail Plans and Specifications

Standard Trail Plans and Specifications.


published Oct 2011

Ice Age National Scenic Trail: Trail Stewardship Notebook

by Ice Age Trail Alliance

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail (NST) is a thousand-mile footpath highlighting Wisconsin’s renowned Ice Age heritage and scenic beauty. The Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) and its partners can shape users’ experiences. As stewards of the land and the Trail, we can help users develop a connection with the land and create a sense of wonder — even pique their curiosity enough to further explore the Trail.


posted Feb 19, 2018

Implementing Your Trail Vision

This presentation will provide participants with a framework that integrates effective strategies for consensus building, planning, and design.


posted Feb 19, 2018

Improving the Built Environment

This session will focus on the big and innovative thinking necessary to retrofit an urban environment for a multi-use trail system.


posted Jul 29, 2020

Inclusionary Trail Planning Toolkit

This report will discuss how community organizing principles and practices can help organizations and agencies connect with the communities they are working in to achieve comprehensive community engagement. As a lack of resources is a common obstacle to achieving an inclusive process, Section Three of this report outlines low-cost outreach methods and emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing community-based resources.


published Mar 2016

Incorporating On-Road Bicycle Networks into Resurfacing Projects

by Federal Highway Administration

Installing bicycle facilities during roadway resurfacing projects is an efficient and cost-effective way for communities to create connected networks of bicycle facilities. This workbook provides recommendations for how roadway agencies can integrate bicycle facilities into their resurfacing program. The workbook also provides methods for fitting bicycle facilities onto existing roadways, cost considerations, and case studies.