Abstract

Greenways and trails have emerged in recent decades as a mechanism to facilitate access for increasingly urban-based societies to nature and its related services. Among the most ambitious of these initiatives are nationwide, interconnected networks of multi-use, multi-purpose greenways and trails, clustered under a single national project idea/vision, such as the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) in Canada and Sendero de Chile (SDC) in Chile. Unfortunately, limited research has been conducted to document the development of these national scale initiatives or glean lessons from their experiences. This thesis contributes to this knowledge gap by analysing these two national scale initiatives. Using document analysis and interviews, the evolution of the TCT and SDC networks is documented over time, emphasizing similarities and differences between them as well as identifying challenges and opportunities related to their implementation. Both initiatives have faced significant challenges in reaching their connection goals but have availed of opportunities, such as different strategies of multi-level and multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnership to advance their agendas. A virtuous cycle is recognized in relation to the positive feedback generated by sustained network expansion over time. It is hoped that the insights offered from this thesis may offer guidance to inform the development of similar projects elsewhere, particularly in less developed countries.