Peter Harnik, the author of a book documenting the history of the United States’ rail trails will speak at Town Hall Seattle tonight (May 23) along with Katy Ricchiuto from Lid I-5 and Tyler Vasquez from Cascade Bicycle Club.

The event starts 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall’s Wyncote NW Forum space. Sliding scale tickets are $5–$25.

Harnik’s 2021 book “From Rails to Trails: The Making of America’s Active Transportation Network” chronicles the work it took to build a nationwide movement to preserve abandoned rail corridors by transforming them into biking, walking and sometimes horse-riding trails. It also explores “what the continued creation of rail-trails means for the future of Americans’ health, nonmotorized transportation networks, and communities across the country.”

The talk at Town Hall will connect the reuse of rail corridors with modern attempts to repurpose freeway spaces, such as the vision behind building a lid over I-5 where feasible through Seattle. The Lid I-5 vision could reconnect neighborhoods and turn a place currently best to be avoided into a destination.

More details from the event listing:

Come to learn how Seattle — and the nation — can repurpose old transportation corridors to improve the environment, reduce energy use, and help curtail climate change. Author and film producer Peter Harnik will tell the history of the rails-to-trails movement and the critical role played by the state of Washington and Seattle’s Burke-Gilman Trail. Afterward, there will be a description of the exciting campaign to construct a park lid over Interstate 5 and complete rail trails on the east side of Lake Washington.