Headwaters Economics
  • Research
    • Economic Development
    • Equity
    • Natural Hazards
    • Outdoor Recreation
    • Public Lands
    • Tax Policy
  • Community Assistance
  • Tools
  • About
    • Our ImpactPage about Headwaters Economics’ impact, projects, and services
    • Our Team
  • Contact
Search

Tennessee

  • The Knoxville Urban Wilderness Trail System and Baker Creek Preserve Bike Park: A Profile of Users and Physical Activity

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study is listed as the first in a series of Knoxville Urban Wilderness (KUW) health and economic impact reports. This paper details the number of KUW users during 2021. Findings include that the users of the KUW trail system are predominately white, adult males, and that mountain biking, running, and walking are the most… Read more

  • Association Between User-Generated Commuting Data and Population-Representative Active Commuting Surveillance Data—Four Cities, 2014-2015

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    One of the primary concerns about data from GPS tracking apps is that the users tend to be more frequent recreators or commuters and therefore do not accurately represent the actual population. This paper shows that there is a strong correlation between the reported share of people in a neighborhood commuting by active transportation between… Read more

  • The economic impacts and uses of long-distance trails

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    Although visitor spending per day along the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail in western Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina is relatively low, the large number of visitors generates substantial economic impact. However, much of this spending is likely due to the attraction of specific historic sites and not the trail, because relatively few… Read more

  • A Community-Based Approach to Promoting Walking in Rural Areas

    Megan Lawson, Ph.D.

    This study found that in southeastern Missouri, public health interventions to increase residents’ trail use, such as newsletters and fun walks, had no statistically-observable effect on residents’ walking habits or physical activity. A third of those who use the trail report increased overall physical activity levels since they began using the trail, suggesting while that… Read more

Independent Nonpartisan Research

Contact

© 2025 Headwaters Economics, all rights reserved


  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Research
    • Economic Development
    • Equity
    • Natural Hazards
    • Outdoor Recreation
    • Public Lands
    • Tax Policy
  • Community Assistance
  • Analysis Tools
  • About Us
  • Contact
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube