A greenway is "a strip of undeveloped land near an urban area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection". However, the term can in fact include "a scenic road" and though many are in urban areas, there are some rural greenways, as for example the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway, a hiking trail in southern New Hampshire.
A greenway is a trail (and sometimes a wildlife corridor), found in both urban and rural settings, that is frequently created, out of a disused railway, canal towpath, utility, or similar right of way, or derelict industrial land. Rail trails are one of the most common forms of greenway, and they also resemble linear parks.
In Southern England the term also refers to ancient trackways or green lanes, especially those found on chalk downlands, like the Ridgeway.
The American author Charles Little in his 1990 book, Greenways for America defines a greenway as