Greenways
Greenways are safe and accessible routes for walking, biking, and rolling that connect people to places, nature, and each other.
The vision of the Mystic Greenways Program is to connect 25 miles of paths, improve hundreds of acres of parklands and engage thousands of community members from the Mystic Lakes to the Boston Harbor. Key segments include the Alewife Brook Greenway, the Mystic River Greenway, the Malden River Greenway, and the Boston Harborwalk.
A high-quality network of greenways will enhance climate resiliency, provide sustainable mobility, and improve physical and mental health outcomes for the more than 600,000 residents of the Mystic River watershed.
Photos by Karl Alexander, David Mussina, Michelle Schapiro, and Isaiah Johnson
The Mystic River Watershed Association is leading this vision in partnership with community members and key stakeholders.
Click to enlarge.
While access to green and welcoming open space should everyone’s right, the reality is that many of our community members face barriers - physical and social - which preclude them from doing so. We’re well on our way towards the Mystic Greenway vision—with a strong focus on addressing lack of access to greenspace in environmental justice communities within the watershed.
Guided by our 5-year Strategic Plan, we have over $225 million in proposed projects, including welcoming and resilient waterfront parks and universally accessible paths for walking, biking, and rolling.
We invite you to learn more, and look forward to seeing you out on the greenways soon!
Projects
Open space improvements at Blessing of the Bay Park guided by a community-driven revitalization plan.
Providing universally accessible recreation opportunities and improving the ecological health of the Mystic Lakes and Mystic River.
A community-driven effort to connect Charlestown residents to the Little Mystic Channel.
Mitigating coastal flooding risks from sea level rise and storm surges by adding flood control to the proposed Harborwalk.
Working with community members to create a connected greenway and new parks along the Malden River.
Partners
This ambitious effort is made possible by partnerships with all types of stakeholders across the watershed. We are working collaboratively with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), dozens of municipalities and many local community groups and citizens. We are grateful for the philanthropic and thought leadership from the Barr Foundation, the Conine Family Foundation, the Hamilton Charitable Foundation, Llewellyn Foundation, and the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation.
For more information: Karl Alexander, Greenways Program Manager, karl.alexander@mysticriver.org, 781-316-3438.
Medford