The community initiated planning for its Greenway system in 1993 under the guidance of a citizen Greenway Committee. A plan was developed and appended to the 1991 Comprehensive Plan in August of 1995. The development of a greenway system has become a high priority of the community and the Town Council.
Greenways are open spaces that include recreational, cultural, and natural areas.
Greenways are valuable to the Town of Blacksburg because they promote economic development, preserve natural and cultural features, enhance the beauty of the Town, and provide alternative transportation and recreation opportunities for citizens. As the Blacksburg greenway system develops, it will become very diverse. The greenway system will be characterized by linear corridors of open space along roads and streams, large open areas of land for the preservation of natural features and scenic vistas, public open spaces and parks for active use, and linear links providing greenway connections using pedestrian and bicycle trails. Though not all of the greenway system will be open to the public, much of the system will be designed to be open to pedestrians, hikers and bicyclists. The Blacksburg greenway system is intended for a variety of uses.