Windsor in Ontario, Canada and Detroit in Michigan, USA are Great Lakes border cities on the Detroit River that have a long history of water pollution. Public outcry over water pollution in the 1960s led to the enactment of environmental laws starting in the early 1970s. As these laws were implemented and water quality improved, citizens started calling for improved public access to the river, including establishing linked riverfront greenways. This paper presents a case study of greenway development in these border cities based on indicator reporting to comprehensively assess ecosystem health. Findings show that waterfront greenways were catalyzed by cleanup of the Detroit River. As greenway systems expanded on both sides of the border, greenway stakeholders began to envision cross-border greenway connections that would stimulate ecotourism, help encourage healthy lifestyles, and enhance quality of life in southwest Ontario and southeast Michigan. Recommended next steps include investing in greenway capacity building, identifying and testing creative financing options for greenways, formalizing institutional arrangements between Canada and the United States for a binational greenway network, and strengthening cross-border greenway connections by reestablishing a cross-border ferry, offering free access to the tunnel bus on weekends for cyclists, and hosting Windsor-Detroit open streets' events. Robust transboundary greenway partnerships are critical to realizing the full potential of cross border greenway systems, including expanding outdoor recreation and ecotourism, conserving natural resources, and inspiring a stewardship ethic for shared ecosystems.

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将人们重新连接到底特律河——一项跨界努力

加拿大安大略省的温莎和美国密歇根州的底特律是底特律河畔的五大湖接壤城市，水污染历史悠久。1960 年代公众对水污染的强烈抗议导致从 1970 年代初开始颁布环境法。随着这些法律的实施和水质的改善，市民开始呼吁改善公众对河流的访问，包括建立连接的河滨绿道。本文提出了一个基于指标报告的边境城市绿道发展案例研究，以综合评估生态系统健康状况。调查结果表明，底特律河的清理促进了滨水绿道。随着绿道系统在边界两侧的扩展，绿道利益相关者开始设想将刺激生态旅游的跨境绿道连接，帮助鼓励健康的生活方式，并提高安大略省西南部和密歇根州东南部的生活质量。建议的下一步措施包括投资于绿道能力建设，确定和测试绿道的创新融资方案，正式确定加拿大和美国之间关于两国绿道网络的制度安排，以及通过重建跨境渡轮加强跨境绿道连接，提供周末免费为骑自行车的人提供隧道巴士，并举办温莎-底特律开放街道活动。强大的跨境绿道合作伙伴关系对于实现跨境绿道系统的全部潜力至关重要，包括扩大户外休闲和生态旅游、保护自然资源以及激发共享生态系统的管理伦理。