Urban Trails are one of the key building blocks of our transforming society. They are the arteries that allow for the circulation of different groups of people and ideas. They alleviate the reliance on cars and technology to provide and allow individuals to interact with their environments in a much more intimate manner. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many issues that currently plague the U.S and has left individuals stuck at home with little to not physical activity or stimulation. This curated collection looks to serve as a tool in adding to the awareness and advocacy in the creation of low-stress, active transport systems all across the country. This collection will look at some of the best urban trail systems across the world, it will describe how to build better bike lanes, it will discuss current trends, limitations, and advancements in academic research as well as health related benefits. Ultimately, this curated collection looks to understand the overall current state and capability for urban trail systems.
During the pandemic the growing affluent populations over reliance on technology and infrastructure has led to some alarming new behavior. For instance, consumers during the pandemic have increased their reliance on Amazon Prime to ship and/or overnight packages that otherwise could have been purchased locally. Interestingly enough given the proportion of the population who uses Prime the most (urbanites), most times these commutes to the store would be cheaper, faster, and a much healthier option for both one and environment.
For example, a walk, run, or ride to the store would have first been a healthy relaxing activity especially since most of us are working from home. Additionally, an urban commute would have reduced the usage of fossil fuels used throughout the supply chain, thus alleviating the greenhouse gas emissions released.
For these reasons, and many more we will now explore six non-peer reviewed items then proceed to fourteen peer-reviewed papers to understand what urban trails are, why we need them, and how we can best facilitate them in communities including the need for more funding.

Items

Active Transportation and the City

Creating Bikeable Cities Will Benefit Our Communities (Part 1)

How Green Space Can Make Us Happier People