Last updated: March 2025
The Three Mile Creek Greenway Trail project aims to transform the existing creek into a valuable community asset by developing a multi-use greenway trail (Ref 1). This greenway will connect various parts of the city through walking and biking paths, linking neighbourhoods, parks, and commercial districts while providing access to unique natural areas (Ref 2). The creek having been adandonned for decades (Ref 5), the initiative seeks to turn 3 Mile Creek (3MC) into a vibrant natural corridor that fosters recreation, education, and economic activities (Ref 1, Ref 2). The project aims also at reducing pollutants in the waterway, restoring natural stream channels, and maintaining flood protection (Ref 1). The 3MC Greenway Trail is expected to become a key feature of Mobile's urban landscape, offering numerous benefits. These include enhancing community health, both mental and physical (Ref 2), and stimulating the local economy by increasing property values, tax revenues, and opportunities for recreation-related businesses and job development (Ref 2). Additionally, the trail will improve community connectivity by linking neighbourhoods, parks, and schools, thereby fostering a stronger sense of community and better access to public spaces (Ref 2). Lastly, the project will contribute to environmental restoration through stormwater management, pollution reduction, and natural habitat preservation (Ref 2). The greenway is part of a plan to restore the health of the Three Mile Creek watershed and is the first major piece of a long-term Mobile Greenway Initiative (MGI) (Ref 4).
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Green areas for water management
- Other
- Parks and urban forests
- Green corridors and green belts
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Improvements to water quality
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Improving mental health
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social cohesion
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Real estate development
- Employment/job creation
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Air pollution
- Poor water quality
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of green corridors (including connectivity between urban and rural ecosystems), Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens)
Project objectives
1) Public health: the community is facing health issues, including obesity and sedentary lifestyles, due to a lack of accessible spaces for physical activity and recreation. The greenway aims to address these issues by providing safe, attractive areas for walking, biking, and other outdoor activities (Ref 2)
2) Economic stimulation: by increasing property values, tax revenues, and opportunities for recreation-related businesses and job development (Ref 2)
3) Environmental restoration: through stormwater management, contributing to addressing the flooding issues in the city due to heavy rain and reducing water pollution (Ref 2)
4) Community connectivity and social cohesion: by linking neighbourhoods, parks, and schools, health facilities, local businesses (Ref 2)
5) Creation of opportunities for recreation and physical activities: by constructing new bike lanes and sidewalks (Ref 3)
6) Protection and restoration of natural habitat (forests protection, plants planting, limitation of artificial lighting, etc.) for supporting wildlife (Ref2)
Implementation activities
- Walking and biking trail construction that will connect neighbourhoods, parks, and commercial districts, addressing the problem of community connectivity and encouraging outdoor physical activity. (Ref 2)
- Environmental restoration: planting local trees, flowers, and grasses and restoring natural habitats along the creek. (Ref 2)
- Use of the creek and of vegetated bioswale to control runoff, reduce pollution, and improve water quality, contributing to stormwater management. (Ref 2)
- Creation of greenspaces: Greenspaces are used to encourage physical activity and improve mental health by offering access to natural areas and opportunities for exercise. This addresses the problem of public health concerns like obesity and sedentary lifestyles. (Ref 2)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement measures that prevent/manage desertification, soil erosion and landslides
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Communities located in floodplains
Main beneficiaries
- Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The city of Mobile is leading the project (Ref 1).
The implementation is done by a cross-functional team within the City of Mobile (Ref 1):
-Dix-Hite (design consultants for segments 5-7)
- McCrory & Williams, Inc (design consultants for segments 1-3)
- McElhenney Construction
Collaboration with neighbourhood groups, civic leaders, area stakeholders, and residents: feedback was gathered from the community at several public events (Ref 1).
Partners include:
-MAWSS
-Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
-Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
-Alabama Department of Transportation
Funded by :
- the RESTORE Act
-AL Department of Transportation
-Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program
-the Land and Water Conservation Fund
-the City of Mobile Capital Improvement Fund
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
No
... a national policy or strategy?
No
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
("The Three Mile Creek Greenway is part of a plan to restore the health of the watershed and is the first major piece of a long-term Mobile Greenway Initiative (MGI)." (Ref 1))
Type of enablers
Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public regional budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Expected improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Expected improved stormwater management
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Economic impacts
- Increased property prices
- Expected increased property prices
- Attraction of business and investment
- Expected attraction of business and investment
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Improved physical health
- Expected improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Map for Mobile (n.d.). Welcome to the Three Mile Creek Greenway Trail. Mobile, Al: Map for Mobile, p. 4 Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link];
2.
City of Mobile (2017). A management plan to guide trail developpment . Mobile, Al: City of Mobile, p. 24 Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link];
3.
City of Mobile (2023). City breaking ground on next phase of Three Mile Creek Trail June 22. Mobile, Al: City of Mobile, p. 1 Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link];
4.
City of Mobile (2022). Capital Improvment Plan. Mobile, Al: City of Mobile, p. 12 ; 57-59 Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link];
5.
United States Census (2020). United States Census - Mobile City. Mobile, Al: United States Census, Accessed on August 12, 2024, [Source link];
6.
City-data.com (2022). Demographics in North Crichton - City-data.com. Mobile, Al: City-data.com, Accessed on August 15, 2024, [Source link];
7.
City-data.com (2022). demographics Old Dauphin Way - City-data.com. Mobile, Al: City-data.com, Accessed on August 25, 2024, [Source link];
8.
City-data.com (2022). Demographics Caver - City-data.com. Mobile, Al: City-data.com, Accessed on August 25, 2024, [Source link];
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.