Larry Bleiberg

Special for USA TODAY

Once seen as urban blight, abandoned industrial corridors and rail lines have been transformed into some of the country’s most popular parks and trails. “They’ve been reborn as places for people,” says Ed McMahon of the Washington-based Urban Land Institute. “It’s amazing how many cities are embracing their industrial past.” He shares some favorite examples with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.

BeltLine

Atlanta

Sprawling Atlanta is now home to one of the largest bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly projects in the nation, McMahon says. The BeltLine, a former rail line circling the city, has already has attracted billions of dollars of investment, including Ponce City Market. The former Sears warehouse now houses a food hall, offices and an amusement park on its roof, and even has valet parking for bikes. Eventually reaching 22 miles, the trail already features art displays, yoga sessions and tours. “It’s really transforming the city.” beltline.org

The 606

Chicago

When it opened in 2015, this elevated rail line brought badly needed park space to Logan Square and other neighborhoods near downtown Chicago. “It was really kind of neglected,” McMahon says. Now it serves bike commuters, runners, dog-walkers and families out for a stroll. “It has had a pretty significant impact there.” the606.org

Walkway Over the Hudson

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

This partially burned railroad trestle had been an eyesore since the 1970s until a local group had the vision to transform it into a park. Stretching more than 1.25 miles, the state of New York calls it the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. “It’s not only a great project, but it has led to the redevelopment of downtown Poughkeepsie,” McMahon says. walkway.org

Three Rivers Heritage Trail

Pittsburgh

For decades, the former steel-making giant turned its back on its rivers, reserving its banks for transportation and industry. But in recent years, the city has reclaimed its greenspace with a 24-mile system of trails. “Pittsburgh has an incredible natural setting, but you really couldn’t access the water until it started turning all these rail spurs into trails,” McMahon says. friendsoftheriverfront.org

Promenade Plantée

Paris

The world’s first elevated park inspired many of the projects on McMahon’s list. The nearly 3-mile esplanade opened in 1988 on a former rail line that passes above neighborhoods and dips through tunnels and trenches. Visitors come for the galleries and shops that have opened in the viaduct’s arches, and for the gardens and landscaping, which includes lime and hazelnut trees. en.parisinfo.com

Rotary Trail

Birmingham, Ala.

While many municipalities have found space for trails by looking up to bridges and trestles, this Alabama city looked down and created a linear park in a former railroad cut. The short path includes extensive landscaping, seating and even solar-powered phone charging stations. It connects an award-winning park fashioned from a former railyard with an idled steel plant, preserved as an open-air industrial museum. birminghamal.org

HighLine

New York

One of New York’s biggest tourist attractions was long slated for demolition. The former West Side rail spur, which opened as an elevated linear park in 2009, has transformed once-scruffy neighborhoods, bringing millions of visitors to places like Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen and the Meatpacking District. “It has leveraged billions of dollars in investments,” McMahon says. “It also has gotten the attention of cities big and small that want to replicate it.” thehighline.org

Dequindre Cut

Detroit

Motor City does its runners, walkers and bikers proud on this 2-mile below-grade path once used by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. During its transformation, builders purposely left the street art and graffiti in place on underpasses, turning it into an urban art gallery. The trail’s particularly popular with group bike rides, McMahon says. visitdetroit.com

Walnut Street Bridge

Chattanooga, Tenn.

Chattanooga is known internationally for revitalizing its downtown with a riverfront park, an aquarium — and this repurposed 19th-century bridge, McMahon says. The span sat unused for more than a decade before opening to pedestrian traffic in the 1990s. Now the dog-friendly walkway welcomes runners and walkers, and hosts an annual fall wine-tasting that attracts thousands. chattanoogafun.com

Midtown Greenway

Minneapolis

McMahon calls this trail system “America’s first bicycle freeway.” Reclaimed from rail lines, it has separate lanes for cyclists and pedestrians. “You can tour the entire city with this network. It has rest stops. They plow it in the winter. It has become a real part of the transportation network.” midtowngreenway.org­­