Malden River Greenway Plan

Background: The Malden River, once a meandering tidal stream, was channelized in the late 19th century to accommodate industry including companies such as GE. The three cities of Malden, Medford, and Everett turned their backs on the once beautiful river and many residents forgot about it. By the 1920s, most of those companies had left and it was not until the turn of this century that redevelopment began with the efforts of Preotle,  Lane, and Associates at Rivers Edge. Preotle set the standard for fabulous public access and environmental mitigation for shoreline development. The Greenway Plan that Preotle helped fund is helping to change people’s minds about the Malden River and bring people to the waterfront. What was once a fragmented and inaccessible edge is gradually becoming a central open space shared by three cities. Less than a fourth of the 4½ miles was accessible to the public when planning began.  An additional half mile of access path has been added since then with another half mile in design.