Gainesville, Georgia is moving to build a network of trails connecting its parks and neighborhoods, a project that could reshape how residents in one of the state's fastest-growing cities get around without a car.

The city posted an RFP for the Gainesville Connector Trails project on June 25, seeking firms to help design the network. Specific mileage and route details have not been publicly released, but the project is intended to close the gaps between existing parks and surrounding neighborhoods.

Gainesville (population roughly 45,000) is the urban core of Hall County, which has grown more than 20 percent since 2010 and now tops 215,000 residents. That growth has strained infrastructure built for a much smaller city and sharpened questions about which neighborhoods benefit from public investment. About 45 percent of Gainesville's residents are Hispanic or Latino, a share among the highest in Georgia, largely tied to the region's poultry processing industry. Advocates have long pointed out that older, denser neighborhoods where many of those residents live often have the fewest safe routes to parks.

The trail push sits at the intersection of several pressures city leaders are navigating at once. Economic developers want walkable amenities to compete with peer cities like Athens and Alpharetta for remote workers and employers. Public health advocates point to Georgia's persistently high rates of obesity and diabetes and see trails as a proven intervention. And residents across the city have consistently ranked trail connectivity near the top of priorities in parks planning surveys.

Gainesville has been laying groundwork for expanded trail infrastructure for several years, including a concept called the Highlands to Islands Trail that would eventually connect downtown to Lake Lanier. The city has previously tapped federal Transportation Alternatives Program funding through the Georgia Department of Transportation for sidewalk and bicycle projects, and both the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission have flagged the Gainesville area as a priority for active transportation investment.

The critical question going forward is which neighborhoods get connected first, and whether routes will reach the areas that currently have the least access. The city has not yet announced a project timeline or budget.