The Emerald Ribbon is the 10-mile segment of the Jordan River corridor within Salt Lake City limits. It is at the heart of both Salt Lake City’s Westside neighborhoods and the ecology of the entire Salt Lake Valley. While the surrounding neighborhoods are rich in both cultural and ecological diversity, they have suffered from historic disinvestment and habitat deterioration that threaten the health of the Emerald Ribbon today. The neighborhoods along the Emerald Ribbon experience the highest levels of social vulnerability in Salt Lake City.
The Emerald Ribbon Action Plan is a unique opportunity to address past harms, bring the corridor to life, and better meet the area’s needs in both cultural and natural realms. Building on a framework of Nature, Culture, and Care, the Action Plan explores opportunities at the intersection of ecological health and human well-being. Through conversations and engagement with hundreds of residents and stakeholders, consistent themes in community priorities emerged, including better connectivity, the need for more community-driven activation, improved safety and cleanliness, and more thoughtful human engagement with the natural environment. Merging community input with research on the site’s natural and cultural context, connectivity, activity, and maintenance and operational capacity presents rich opportunities to transform the future of the corridor for generations to come.
In 2022, Salt Lake City voters approved the SLC Parks Bond, dedicating $9 million to improvements on the Jordan River Corridor. The Emerald Ribbon Action Plan, spearheaded by the newly formed Public Lands Department and led by Agency in partnership with Siglo Group and University Neighborhood Partners, will determine how to prioritize future investments on the river to best meet the community’s needs.
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