The City of Tualatin has received state and national awards for excellence, design, and sustainability for the innovative Tualatin River Greenway Trail project.
The City received the Green Infrastructure or Transportation Project Award from the American Planning Association’s Sustainable Communities, Urban Design, and International Divisions recognizing the project for supporting and growing sustainable communities.
The League of Oregon Cities presented its 2016 Award for Excellence recognizing the City for progressive and innovative city operations and services.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Association presented the City with its Design Award recognizing the City for superior landscape design and design processes, and Landscape Architecture Magazine has published an article on the Tualatin River Greenway Trail in its December 2016 issue.
An average of 10,000 walkers, joggers and bikers a month have used the new Tualatin River Greenway Trail since it opened in February 2016. In a recent community survey, eighty-three percent of responds rated the availability of paths and walking trails in Tualatin as excellent or good, a level higher than nationwide comparisons.
“These awards recognize Tualatin’s progressive approach to integrating active transportation options into Tualatin’s transportation infrastructure,” said Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden. “The Tualatin River Greenway trail promotes health and wellness, provides a safe and enjoyable alternative to driving while improving connectivity with nature, residential areas, commercial developments, and public facilities.”
Interactive interpretive elements enable people to experience a walk through geologic time while discovering, exploring, and learning about the last Ice Age Missoula Floods, Pleistocene megafauna, and the emergence of Paleo-indians. The project included removal of invasive, non-native plants on more than two acres on the south bank of the river, replaced by trees and shrubs designed to improve water quality, fish habitat, soil conservation, air quality, and natural beauty.
For more information on the Tualatin River Greenway Trail and other Tualatin Parks and Recreation programs, visit www. tualatinoregon.gov/recreation.
