LEAST COST PATH TRAIL NETWORK IN ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK By MARIELY ANN ORTIZ A TERMINAL PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 1 © 2016 Mariely Ann Ortiz 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair and co-chairs Professor Ferdinand Lewis and Professor Stanley Latimer for their unfathomable patience, understanding, and support throughout this process. Many thanks also to my GIS guru, Lisa Matthies-Wiza. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................3 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................6 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................7 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..........................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................11 About Trails ............................................................................................................................11 About Orchard Park, NY ........................................................................................................13 The Trails Task Force .............................................................................................................14 Nature Trails ....................................................................................................................16 Rails to Trails ..................................................................................................................18 Park to Park Connections, Park to Neighborhood Connections, and Multi-Use Paved Trails .................................................................................................................19 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................20 Related Literature ...................................................................................................................20 Government documents ...................................................................................................20 Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) .....................................................................................21 Least-Cost Path Trail Network Studies ..................................................................................23 Summary .................................................................................................................................24 3 DATA AND ANALYTICAL METHODS ............................................................................26 Data .........................................................................................................................................26 Analysis ..................................................................................................................................26 Destinations .....................................................................................................................27 Water Features .................................................................................................................31 Slope ................................................................................................................................33 Transportation ..................................................................................................................34 Land Uses ........................................................................................................................35 Weighted Overlay ............................................................................................................37 Cost Distance and Cost Path ............................................................................................38 4 RESULTS ...............................................................................................................................40 4 Park to Village - Axis Connections ........................................................................................40 Birdsong Park to Yates Park ............................................................................................40 Brush Mountain Park to Yates Park ................................................................................41 Milestrip Complex to Yates Park ....................................................................................42 Chestnut Ridge to Yates Park ..........................................................................................43 Park to Park - Loop Connections ............................................................................................44 Chestnut Ridge Park to Brush Mountain Park ................................................................45 Brush Mountain Park to Milestrip Complex ...................................................................46 Milestrip Complex to Birdsong Park ...............................................................................47 Birdsong Park to Chestnut Ridge Park ............................................................................48 5 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................50 APPENDIX A TRAILS TASK FORCE 2002 SURVEY ...............................................................................53 B MAPS .....................................................................................................................................56 Orchard Park Trails (Figure 1 – 2) .........................................................................................57 Origins and Destinations (Figure 3 – 6) .................................................................................58 Water Features Raster (Figure 3 – 7) ......................................................................................59 Slope Raster (Figure 3 – 8) .....................................................................................................60 ROW Raster (Figure 3 – 9) .....................................................................................................61 Land Use Raster (Figure 3 – 10) .............................................................................................62 Weighed Overlay (Figure 3 – 11) ...........................................................................................63 Birdsong Park to Yates Park LCP (Figure 4 – 1) ...................................................................64 Brush Mountain Park to Yates LCP (Figure 4 – 2) ................................................................65 Milestrip Complex to Yates Park LCP (Figure 4 – 3) ............................................................66 Chestnut Ridge Park to Yates Park LCP (Figure 4 – 4) .........................................................67 All Axial LCP Connections (Figure 4 – 5) .............................................................................68 Chestnut Ridge Park to Brush Mountain Park LCP (Figure 4 – 6) ........................................69 Brush Mountain Park to Milestrip Complex LCP (Figure 4 – 7) ...........................................70 Milestrip Complex to Birdsong Park LCP (Figure 4 – 8) ......................................................71 Birdsong Park to Chestnut Ridge Park LCP (Figure 4 – 9) ....................................................72 All Loop LCP Connections (Figure 4 – 10) ...........................................................................73 All LCP Connections (Figure 4 – 11) .....................................................................................74 LIST OF REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................76 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .........................................................................................................78 5 LIST OF TABLES Table page 1 – 1 Identified Existing and Potential Sites (TTF, 2002) ..............................................15 3 – 1 Weighted overlay raster influence .........................................................................38 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 1 - 1 Location of Orchard Park in Erie County (l) and Erie County in the state of New York (r). .........................................................................................................13 1 - 2 Discreet trails and recreational areas in Orchard Park NY ....................................17 1 - 3 Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail ....................................................................................18 1 - 4 Current Priority Trail List ......................................................................................19 3 - 1 Brush Mountain Park (outlined in blue) Aerial .....................................................27 3 - 2 Milestrip Complex (outlined in blue) Aerial .........................................................28 3 - 3 Birdsong Park (outlined