A Case Study Of Two Rail-Trails

Abstract

With the rapid development of private mobilization, a number of rail beds have been abandoned. The adaptive reuse of these rail beds into recreation corridors involves a number of factors and is an ongoing historic preservation effort in the country. The two rail-trails studied in this work are the South Hill Recreation Way Trail in Ithaca, New York that has been completed and is currently in use and the Cresheim Valley Trail in Philadelphia & Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania which is proposed for future use. They are studied and compared with one another to understand the advantages and disadvantages of planning and preservation that arise and their effect on the surroundings. The planning, preservation, implementation and interpretive strategies used in these trails are analyzed to understand and conclude what other details may be required to enhance the usability of the trails.