The Cumberland Region In the Past Decade

A Report to the Region, pg 7 – View the “Report to the Region”, PDF

The Cumberland Region’s population and land development exploded in the 1990’s. Total population increased by 22 percent, a growth of approximately 250,000 residents. This population growth was accompanied by a jump in employment which increased by 38 percent.

In 1990, the Cumberland Region was one of the least congested mid-sized regions but it has now become the most congested area of its size in the country. Between 1990 and 2000, daily per capita driving in the Nashville metropolitan area increased from 30 miles per person per day to 37.5 miles per person per day. Time lost waiting in traffic also increased substantially during the same decade. Longer commutes and time spent in traffic increases the cost of fuel consumption and contributes significantly to air pollution.

One of the greatest challenges the region faces is the continuation of these patterns: lower density development, accelerated land consumption, and increased traffic congestion. A combination of forces is responsible for this dispersal of the population—the preference of many residents to have a house in the country while enjoying job opportunities in the cities, extensive investment in freeways and expressways, and the restrictive zoning practices of many local governments.

Continuation of these practices will result in increasing loss of open spaces and agricultural lands, longer commutes, large amounts of funds required for infrastructure and the possibility that existing cities and towns will decline as growth moves to newly developed land.

The new residents and new jobs brought an unprecedented land development boom to the Cumberland Region. Over 167,500 acres or 5% of the region’s total land area was developed from farms and natural areas into housing, businesses and roads during the 1990s. On average, one acre was developed for every 1.41 persons of population increase. This pattern of growth and reduction of development density has contributed to the current sprawling development patterns evident throughout the region and threatens the distinct character of our cities and towns. The decrease in density also had a significant impact on the region’s transportation network. Due to the spreading out of development, residents of the region traveled further between work, home, school and shopping, and as the population continued to grow, traffic volume increased.

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