Reading Response 3

Exploring Local Greenways

          Greensboro's Greenway is opening up and making way for more bicyclist and pedestrian friendly paths. Greensboro's plan is to have 400 miles of trails and greenways, of which we currently have about 150 miles and counting. One of the new projects is creating a 4 mile long greenway downtown that brings together bicyclists, pedestrians, and artists. The downtown greenway features benches, monuments, and bike racks from local artists, and will soon have more.

          I think it's wonderful that Greensboro is trying to get people to come together as a community to be healthy and active, while enjoying local art, but I think that the art in the downtown greenway should have a common theme. The art below the Spring Garden St. underpass contains very bold and geometric shapes, whereas the "Gateway of the Open Book"is more organic and Roman inspired. Some bike racks are more literal, and some are more abstract. One set of benches are inspired by traditional living room furniture, while the other is more "inspiring" in a literal sense. I appreciate that Greensboro has eclectic art, but the artists should have come together to find out what the community would want and have a common theme or motive.

Exploring Local Greenways: Greensboro’s Artistic Twist | WUNC. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://wunc.org/post/exploring-local-greenways-greensboros-artistic-twist