Nashville: Place Making Through In-fill & Corridor Development

In Case Studies, Davidson, Publications, Quality Growth, Resource
0

Quality Growth Case Study

Written by Kasey Talbott, 2010

Using a grant from the Rose Institute, Metro Nashville-Davidson County is studying the conversion of major transportation corridors marked by sprawl development to more complete streets designs including: street enhancements, bike lanes, green and previous surfacing, design codes and more.

View the Nashville Case Study, PDF

Background

In October 2009 the City of Nashville became one of only four recipients in the country to receive the Daniel Rose ULI fellowship, which allowed Nashville the opportunity to transform an underdeveloped area of the city. Originally the idea was to have a broad infill project in a specified district, but as Alexia Poe, Director for the Mayor’s Office of Economic & Community, explained, it wasn’t that easy.

“We realized quickly that in order to have an impactful project we were going to have to focus on a couple of small, but key areas.”

The Nashville ULI study decided to focus on two such corridors – 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South – as transferrable models. These corridors were chosen based on their historical and cultural areas and for the challenges it presented. In addition, the neighborhoods between these corridors were examined to determine tools and techniques to encourage appropriate infill development.

Collaborative Leadership

Thanks to the fellowship, experts from the Urban Land Institute visited Nashville for over a week to help conduct stakeholder input meetings and create a new vision for the corridors. The ULI group noted that downtown Nashville’s unusual wheel-andspoke street pattern reflects the city’s early history as a regional center with connections to surrounding towns. However, development along the spokes
transitioned into auto-driven sprawl, and corridors became throughways rather than destinations, resulting in a development pattern oriented to the car. Commercial uses with expansive parking and intense signage designed to attract drivers took precedence over pedestrian facilities; it was determined that this pattern is not an asset to the neighborhoods that flank these corridors.

Visioning and Consensus

Based on community input meetings the study was able to determine recurring visions themes for the future development of these two corridors.

Provide complete transportation options with choices for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and individual autos
Support surrounding neighborhoods with housing and services in a pedestrian-friendly environment
Encourage infill to utilize existing infrastructure and maximize transit opportunities
Are feasible and doable given the existing and evolving economic realities

Program Action

With the vision themes discovered the Nashville MPO began to consider transforming the current underutilized, auto-centric condition to a new, more sustainable urban condition, but before going further certain questions must be answered.

Do market, financing, and cultural trends point toward compact, mixed-use development—or not?
What are the specific obstacles to appropriate development in the study area?
Which stakeholders should be tasked with what specific actions to improve the investment environment along these corridors and infill areas?

Current Status

To date, Nashville has utilized planning and zoning strategies to reinvigorate its corridors, and is interested in evaluating these tools and considering additional tools such as capital investments and economic development strategies to answer these questions.