GreenWay Planning: Campiling of Recreation and Protection in Urban Landscape Darrakeh River Valley as a Case Study

Greenway planning is one of the most important tools for increasing quality of life for residents. Green space and greenways are essential to maintain urban environment quality and considerably increase aesthetic values of it. Protecting ecology of specific natural system, providing recreational opportunities for people in metropolitan and rural space, increasing economic benefits and protecting heritage and cultural values are some of the advantages of greenway planning. Developing and extending of Tehran to the Alborz Mountain and its piedmont has made cause extermination of open and green space, gardens, valuable valleys and piedmont and irreversible changing in this area. Building houses, bridges and roads in buffer zones and even bed of river in north of Tehran simultaneously leisure time uses has disturbed the natural trend in area and has changed landscape in this valuable ecological regions. So, preparing plans for valleys as greenways can improve environmental conditions in the area while it can use for recreational manner for residents. This paper review greenway’s literature and history and attempt to introduce this planning tool with aim of improving conditions of valleys in north of Tehran with a focus of Darakeh Valley.