Legacy Parks Foundation enlisted the aid of the ETCDC and volunteer adviser, Sean Vasington, ASLA to help them identify the existing green spaces in South Knoxville and develop potential connections between these amenities.  

ETCDC mapped over 1,000 acres of greenways, trails, parks, Civil War sites, and other public amenities and then developed potential future connections between those areas. Since this visioning process, the Urban Wilderness has created an exceptional recreation and historic corridor for experiencing the special character-defining assets of Knoxville. There are currently over 50 miles of trail connecting multiple parks and cultural sites within the Urban Wilderness. The vision is to expand Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness to fully connect the recreational, cultural, and historic assets from Alcoa Highway on the west, to the Head of the Tennessee River at Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area on the east, and I.C. King Park on the south.

This plan was highlighted at the 2009 Mayor’s Luncheon and has provided a roadmap for any future development south of the river to ensure that public green spaces are and remain of primary importance for the citizens of Knoxville and Knox County.