Greenway Collaborative

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Dakota County established a Greenway Collaborative to deliver 200 miles of greenways for its residents. The greenways will provide desired trails, natural habitat, improved water quality, and non-motorized transportation options in attractive, connected, open spaces. The Greenway Collaborative combines shared interests of the county, city, state and federal agencies and attracts funding from a host of supporting sources. Working together and using the strengths and resources of each partner, Dakota County developed a Guidebook that clarifies the roles of each partner in planning, funding, developing, and operating the greenways. The guidebook identifies greenway alignments and defines typical greenway widths and cross-sections in urban, suburban, and rural contexts. As a direct result of these efforts, Dakota County is currently working on 10 separate greenway projects and is well on its way to delivering the countywide greenway vision. The Greenway Collaborative is a pristine model of intergovernmental cooperation. Each partner in the process and the people they serve benefit from greater efficiencies and improved services. This program was made possible through the identification of a mechanism – greenways – that could accommodate the multiple public benefits of trial-based recreation, natural habitat protection, water quality improvement, and non-motorized transportation options. The project was put into motion using an interdisciplinary approach that combined the expertise of planners, park directors, engineers, and natural resource experts from different agencies. Despite the inherent difficulties incurred when bringing so diverse a group together, the county realized that there was too much to be gained not to work together, and through collaboration and compromise these groups are all headed in the same direction.