Well-designed greenway networks can be an integral part of urban ecosystems. These networks provide for our well-being through a variety of benefits that are categorized within the framework of ecosystem services. Included within this framework are provisioning services that directly meet human needs, cultural services that include non-material benefits, and regulating and supporting services.

Through strategic planning, greenway networks can provide a wide range of ecosystem services. As our underlying framework, these services explain why greenway networks are important and how they can be effective. Our goal is to analyze the current systems under this framework to identify how a future greenway network can support and enhance existing services and create new services where needed.

The following lists provide examples of a variety of ecosystem services that can be part of greenway networks.