Northeastern Greenways
Northeastern Illinois has made tremendous progress in protecting greenways and developing trails. A key element in this effort has been consensus among the region’s agencies and organizations on a vision for a regional network of greenways and trails. The Program is helping to realize this vision by supporting regional planning and pilot projects and by participating in various regional and local planning efforts. The Program cooperates with various partners such as the Northeastern Illinois Regional Planning Commission, Openlands Project and the Illinois Paddling Council. 

The Division of Planning co-sponsored the Northeastern Illinois Regional Greenways Plan (1992) and its update, the Year 2000 Regional Greenways and Trails Implementation Program (1997). As a follow-up to the Plan, the Division co-sponsored a model greenway preservation plan, Protecting and Restoring Tyler Creek (1996). 

The Division also co-sponsored a northeastern Illinois water trails workshop, “People on the Water” (1996), and the follow-up, Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Trails Plan which was adopted in 1999. The map was updated in Februrary 2007 and can be viewed at Openlands' site.

Downstate Greenways
The progress northeastern Illinois has achieved serves as an excellent model for other metropolitan areas, counties and communities in the state. To transfer this successful, partnership approach to downstate Illinois, the Program  administers a program to encourage greenway and trail planning "downstate." 

To kick off this program, the Division sponsored the Governor’s Workshop on Greenways and Trails (1995). The Greenways Program provides financial and technical assistance for regional greenway and trail plans. Plans have been completed for Bloomington-Normal, Boone/Winnebago Counties, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Freeport, Henry/Rock Island Counties, Kankakee, Metro-East, Mercer/Rock Island Counties, Menard County, McLean County, Peoria, Quad Cities (Illinois portion), Rockford, Sangamon County, Springfield, Southern Illinois, Quincy and Whiteside County Plans are underway throughout the state. Several other communities are in the initial stages of planning.

The current phase of the program to provides financial and technical assistance for community, county, multi-county and interstate greenway and trail plans. For this phase of the program, targeted areas are communities over 10,000 population and counties that have not participated in DNR-assisted northeastern Illinois or downstate metro-area greenway and trail planning.