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Linear park

Long strip of naturally occurring land for recreation

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
9 min read
Source updated August 30, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

A linear park is a type of park that is significantly longer than it is wide. Linear parks are strips of public land running along canals, rivers, streams, defensive walls, electrical lines, highways and shorelines. Examples of linear parks include everything from wildlife corridors to riverways to trails, capturing the broadest sense of the word. Other examples include rail trails ("rails to trails"), which are disused railroad beds converted for recreational use by removing existing structures. Commonly, these linear parks result from the public and private sectors acting on the dense urban need for open green space. Linear parks stretch through urban areas, coming through as a solution for the lack of space and need for urban greenery. They also effectively connect different neighborhoods in dense urban areas as a result, and create places that are ideal for activities such as jogging or walking. Linear parks may also be categorized as greenways. In Australia, a linear park along the coast is known as a foreshoreway. When being designed, linear parks appear unique as they are planned around the public's opinion of how the space will affect them.

01North America

Possibly the earliest example is the Emerald Necklace, which consists of a 1,100-acre (4.5 km2) chain of parks linked by parkways (a broad, landscaped highway) and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. The name comes from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula. This system of linear parks was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to connect the Boston Common and Public Garden (1837) to Franklin Park (Boston), also known as the "crown jewel" of Olmstead's work in Boston. The project began around 1878 with efforts to clean up and control the marshy area which later became the Back Bay and the Fens. In 1880, Olmsted proposed that the Muddy River be included in the park plan as the current dredged into a winding stream and was directed into the Charles River. Olmsted's vision of a linear park of walking paths along a gentle stream connecting numerous small ponds was complete by the turn of the century, but never completed the section to Boston Harbor. The subsequent development of the automobile industry and roads severely disrupted the original concept.

In some cities, many linear parks run through residential areas. In this case, the front of the house will face the streets, while the back faces a small linear park containing a pathway, trees and grass connecting different areas together. There are examples of this in some US cities and some Canadian cities, such as Saskatoon, Canada. Houses connected with linear parks are more common in suburban and rural areas where space is much less in-demand.

In the 21st century, prevalent examples of linear parks that have seen high levels of visitors are the High Line in New York City and the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago. The High Line in New York City is a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) rail trail and greenway, having been built on a portion of a defunct rail line as well as constructed to have greenery all throughout. Like its Paris counterpart Promenade Plantee, the High Line has been transformed into a linear park that allows for activities such as sight-seeing and exercise, while being elevated. The High Line's annual budget is funded almost entirely by park visitors, though it is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation license agreement. Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago is the longest linear park in the Western Hemisphere, and the second-longest linear park in the world, with a length of 2.7 miles (4.3 km), just under Paris' Promenade Plantee at 2.9 miles (4.7 km). Bloomingdale Trial was created by converting an elevated portion of the former Bloomingdale railway to this linear park, which features trees, flowers, plants, shrubbery, grass, light posts, and benches throughout. The greenway transverses through the neighborhoods of Logan Square, Humboldt Park, and West Town.

Atlanta Beltline

A linear park system under development in Atlanta, Georgia, is the Beltline. Part of the foundation for this project consisted of reclaiming 22 miles (35 km) of unused rail trails. Totaling approximately 33 miles (53 km), the Beltline will include a trail and light rail line on the existing tracks instead of a road. The vision of the Beltline is to attempt to balance out resident demographics within the city, allowing for all associated to the Beltline to benefit.

Beltline Trail, Toronto

The 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) Beltline Trail opened in 1989 by using the part of the 27-kilometre (17 mi) Toronto Belt Line Railway Don Loop, which was last used by Canadian National Railway in the late 1960s. A few years of a public battle over the use of the former rail corridor ended in 1972 and 1988 after the City of Toronto bought most of the remaining unused sections.

Plan of the Emerald Necklace, Boston, US, in 1894
Plan of the Emerald Necklace, Boston, US, in 1894
William Sarjeant Park, a linear park in the Willowgrove neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
William Sarjeant Park, a linear park in the Willowgrove neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

02Europe

In England, linear parks have also been created around waterways, especially in cities where the terrain is such that rivers and brooks have significant flood plains. Such land cannot sensibly be used for urban development and so it is set aside as a civic amenity. Milton Keynes makes extensive use of linear parks along the flood plains of the Great Ouse and its tributaries. In the UK, Milton Keynes ranked highest in a national comparison of open urban areas available to residents.

In Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire, the Lee Valley Park is a 10,000-acre (40 km2) linear park, stretching for 26 miles (42 km), much of it green spaces running along the flood plains of the River Lea from the River Thames to Ware, through areas such as Stratford, Clapton, Tottenham, Enfield, Walthamstow, Cheshunt, Broxbourne, and Hoddesdon in an area renowned as the Lea Valley. Greater London's largest park, Lee Valley Park is more than four times the size of Richmond Park, extending beyond Greater London's borders into the neighboring counties of Hertfordshire and Essex.

A more recent example of a linear park is the Berlin Mauerpark, which was built on a part of the former Berlin Wall area and its adjacent former death strip.

In Kraków (Poland), Planty Park encircles the Stare Miasto (Old Town), where the Medieval city walls used to stand until the early 19th century. The park has an area of 21 ha (52 acres) and a length of 4 km (2.5 mi). It consists of a chain of thirty smaller gardens designed in varied styles and adorned with numerous monuments and fountains. The park forms a scenic walkway popular with Cracovians. In summer, sprinkled with ponds and refreshment stalls, it is a cool and shady retreat from the nearby bustling streets.

Unique art found on the Atlanta Beltline
Unique art found on the Atlanta Beltline
Part of one of Milton Keynes's linear parks, showing cyclists crossing a cattle grid on National Cycle Route 51
Part of one of Milton Keynes's linear parks, showing cyclists crossing a cattle grid on National Cycle Route 51

03Asia

In Hong Kong, a prominent example of a linear park is the Avenue of Stars. Located at the waterfront surrounding East Tsim Sha Tsui, the Avenue of Stars is a 440-metre (0.27-mile) promenade offering scenic views to the public. As a public amenity, the park provides much needed urban space to the dense city of Hong Kong. The walking road itself is dedicated to famous Hong Kong celebrities, and as such is an attractive tourist area lined with souvenir stalls at some sections.

In addition to the dynamic waterfront location, the Avenue of Stars provides visitors a "front-row seat"(stand) to the Symphony of Lights, the world's largest light and sound show. It is also around this area that the Star Ferry can be observed.

In Singapore, the wild growth and shrubbery that took over a former KTM rail line has been encouraged and maintained through public opinion. Convincing the government of its amenity value, the citizens of Singapore were able to turn a neglected KTM railway in to a rail trail that now runs 10 km (6.2 mi) long and offers unique perspectives into Singaporean wildlife. Rail Corridor differs from the typical linear park in a way that promotes and integrates the biodiversity and ecosystem throughout, covering 93 different species, while serving as an excellent outdoor trail to get active in.

In Tel Aviv (Israel), a linear park was established on the former route of the Ottoman railway between Jerusalem and Jaffa. Following the disuse of the railway the area was used as a parking lot. In 2020 the park was opened to the public.

In the Philippines, the Iloilo River Esplanade is the country's longest linear park, with a total length of 9.29 km (5.77 mi). It began as part of the Iloilo River Rehabilitation Project in Iloilo City, later evolving into a popular venue for jogging and leisure, and is now lined with mangroves and other forms of riverine biodiversity. A similar project in Metro Manila, the Pasig River Esplanade, is a planned 25-kilometre (16-mile) linear park, of which about 1.1 km (0.68 mi) have been completed in several sections.

Mauerpark in Berlin, Germany
Mauerpark in Berlin, Germany
View of the walkway (Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong)
View of the walkway (Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong)

04List of linear parks

Europe

Belgium

France

Germany

  • Mauerpark in Berlin
  • Mittellandkanal, Hannover
  • Kattenbrook-Park, Hannover

Ireland

Portugal

Romania

Gorgeous four-kilometre urban linear park in Bucharest, set to become one of the longest urban linear parks in Europe. The project will see a four-kilometre swathe of the city transformed into a lush urban garden. 3km out of 4 are full functioning. https://loc.wiki/t/136346821?wa=sc

Spain

United Kingdom

North America

Canada

United States

Mexico

South America

Argentina

  • Paseo del Bajo, Buenos Aires

Brazil

Asia

Hong Kong

Singapore

Iran

Israel

Japan

Philippines

Taiwan

Thailand

South Korea

United Arab Emirates

Australia

Picture of Rail Corridor, Singapore
Picture of Rail Corridor, Singapore
Watch videos about Linear parkExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Linear park”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

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Boardwalk

A boardwalk is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway typically built with wooden planks, which functions as a type of low water bridge or small viaduct that enables pedestrians to better cross wet, muddy or marshy lands. Such timber trackways have existed since at least Neolithic times.

Footpath

A footpath is a type of thoroughfare, walking trail, or nature trail that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not by other forms of traffic such as motor vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide variety of places, from city centers to suburbs, highways, public parks, farmlands, mountain ridges, National parks, nature preserves, conservation areas and other protected wilderness areas.

Greenway (landscape)

A greenway is usually a shared-use path along a strip of undeveloped land, in an urban or rural area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection. Greenways are frequently created out of disused railways, canal towpaths, utility company rights of way, or derelict industrial land.