The opportunities for Greenways in Northwest Indiana are many and varied. They are generally described by the geographic features listed in the Corridors Section. Floodplains, creek and river corridors, and hydric soils are key water-based greenway components. The oak savanna remnants and floodplain forests, which so distinctively characterize the landscape aesthetics of the region, create important upland and lowland greenway habitats. A variety of built linear corridors also provides greenway benefits. These include interstate highways, rail lines, pipelines, utility corridors, and trail routes. Portions of industrial brownfields can be redeveloped as Greenways to add value and quality of life to future developments. All of these Greenways together create a public and private open space system that connects local community and county parklands, the national lakeshore, and land trust properties throughout the region with schools, private backyards, homes association properties, agricultural lands, and industrial land holdings.

The Greenway vision expressed by the map on the left shows what Northwest Indiana could ideally be in the future through the efforts of public and private stakeholders working together, focused on the many benefits provided by Greenways.