The Greenway

Designing for Every Condition

The Midline Greenway will move through a variety of urban conditions as it weaves through Cleveland's near east side — from historic rail corridors and elevated passages to bridges, alleys, and open spaces. Our design team is actively exploring trail typologies for each of these conditions, ensuring the Greenway feels intentional, safe, and welcoming at every point along the route. The full typology guidelines will be shared as part of the master plan this summer.

Conceptual Renderings / Merritt Chase

OVERVIEW

The Greenway is also Cleveland's missing link. Running north to south through seven neighborhoods, it connects major light rail and bus lines to regional destinations including Lake Erie, the Health Tech Corridor, the Cleveland Foundation Campus, the Opportunity Corridor, and the MetroParks Sailing Center. Where fragmented sidewalks and on-street bike infrastructure once made getting around difficult, the Midline Greenway creates a safe, continuous, and beautifully designed alternative — weaving through complex terrain and diverse communities with a design that responds to the environment, the people who live here, and the city's long-term sustainability goals.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Midline Greenway is being designed with the people who will use it most. Through an active master planning process, near east side residents are shaping the trail's route, its open spaces, and the experience it creates for the neighborhoods it runs through. This is your greenway — and your voice matters in how it gets built.

Get Involved

More Than a Trail

The Midline Greenway doesn't just add green space — it stitches together the people, places, and opportunities that make Cleveland's near east side whole. Tap each connection to learn more.

Parks

The Midline Greenway creates the connective tissue for a network of green spaces across the near east side. Four new parks will be linked by a continuous multi-use trail, giving residents a seamless outdoor experience that goes far beyond a single destination.

Community

The Greenway runs through the neighborhoods of Hough, Fairfax, Kinsman, Garden Valley, Central, Asiatown, and St. Clair Superior — bringing a shared public space to communities that have long deserved one. Along the trail, programmable open spaces create opportunities for food trucks, community gardens, farmers markets, pop-up events, and the everyday moments that make a neighborhood feel alive.

Employment

The Midline Business District surrounds the Greenway, meaning residents in nearby neighborhoods can literally walk or bike to work. The trail creates a direct, safe, and car-free connection between home and one of Cleveland's fastest-growing employment corridors.

Regional Assets

The Greenway connects Cleveland's near east side to some of the region's most significant destinations — including University Circle, Downtown Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, the Cleveland Foundation Campus, Midtown's Collaboration Center, the HealthLine, Opportunity Corridor, and the North Coast Master Plan. To the north, the trail reaches all the way to Lake Erie and connects to the MetroParks Sailing Center and the MetroParks CHEERS project, linking the near east side to one of Cleveland's greatest natural assets.

What the Greenway Makes Possible

More than miles of trail — a meaningful addition to everyday life on Cleveland's near east side.

Health & Wellness

The Greenway brings parks, trails, and open air to neighborhoods where access to quality recreational space has historically been limited.

Environmental Repair

Remediated brownfields are being transformed into green corridors with expanded tree canopy, native plantings, and permeable surfaces.

Safety

A continuous, protected alternative to on-street infrastructure means a safer, more comfortable daily experience for everyone who walks, bikes, or moves through the near east side.

Neighborhood Vitality

The Greenway will bring new energy and foot traffic to the near east side — creating conditions for local businesses, new amenities, and the everyday vibrancy that makes a place feel alive.

Accessibility

Designed for every age, ability, and mode of movement — the Midline Greenway is built to be used and enjoyed by everyone.

Stay tuned — the full greenway vision is coming soon.

This summer, The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, LAND Studio, Merritt Chase, and Utile will complete a full vision plan and master plan for the Midline Greenway & Business District — mapping the trail route, designing the open spaces, and shaping what this corridor will look and feel like for generations. Community voices are part of that process. The result will be a greenway designed with the people who live here, not just for them.

Check back this summer for the full plan.

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