Shaping the Healthy Community: Urban Plan

URBAN PLAN

THE H E A LT H Y COMMUNITY

URBAN LIVING What a difference a few decades make. From the 1950s until the 1980s, the word “urban” usually found itself saddled with negative connotations. Thus the Urban Institute, founded in 1968 by a blue-ribbon commission appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to address problems such as decay, poverty, and crime thought to be endemic to the “inner city.”

National preference trends support the urban form of redevelopment. A 2011 survey by the National Realtors Association found that 58 percent of respondents favor neighborhoods that have stores and other businesses within walking distance of houses to a housing-only community that requires driving to access goods and services. These trends are reflected in US Census Bureau data released in June 2012, which show that urban growth is surpassing suburban growth in more than half of the country’s largest cities, a marked shift from the past century. In Nashville, urban population increases have almost caught up with suburban growth: from July 2011 to July 2012 urban areas grew by 1.2 percent versus 1.5 for suburban ones.

The change in lifestyle preferences, especially among the young millennials and retiring boomers, has fueled this shift in the tide of growth and resulted in safer and cleaner urban areas with more amenities in the form of restaurants and retail.

Urban Community Basic Characteristics For planning purposes, urban areas share many of the following characteristics: • Development patterns and population of greater density than those in suburban and rural zones • Intermingled land uses

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Multiple housing types, sizes, and prices that enable socio-economic and age diversity (residents can “age in place”) Convenient access to public transportation Walking distance to neighborhood commerce

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Good pedestrian and bike connectivity Active and passive open space and recreational facilities

Analysis and Strategies If Nashville is to grow over the next twenty years in a manner that is economically and environmentally sustainable, the city will need to develop more compact commercial and mixed-use residential areas that are walkable and connect easily to mass transit. Traditional urban design is the model for this type of development, not only for infill in the urban zone, but also for underutilized properties along the historic pikes in the suburbs.

Neighborhood Design and Development Health-Promoting The grid of streets in urban areas is inherently more pedestrian friendly than the suburban cul-de-sac/arterial combination. This is in part because an interlocking network offers multiple ways to get from place to place, so walkers and cyclists can choose less busy thoroughfares. The grid also slows vehicular traffic. Stop signs, signals and crosswalks, trolleys or buses pausing to discharge or take on passengers, cars slowing at intersections to turn at right angles, drivers scouting for an on-street parking space, all serve to equalize the playing field for walkers.

Other urban design characteristics also encourage walking. The small lot sizes typically found in urban areas better enable the minimum density necessary to support local retail and public transit The mixture of land

uses, with corner stores, neighborhood commercial centers and housing over retail, enables daily necessities like food, shops, and jobs to be located nearby. Dwelling in close proximity promotes interaction among neighbors, increasing the social health of communities.

Health-Defeating Light, noise, and air pollution occur in urban neighborhoods located adjacent to interstates and commercial corridors and centers. Noise pollution has become a particular issue for residents living near outdoor venues featuring special events and music.

Strategy: Strengthen Urban Form Continue the intensification of redevelopment within existing urban neighborhoods and plan for new neighborhoods in appropriate locations within the suburban transect zone that utilize the urban form.

In Visualizing Density, authors Julie Campoli and Alex S. MacLean state, “Depending on the extent of the developed area and road network, densities of fewer than six units per acre are often too high for the carsonly approach, but too low to support alternatives, resulting in a transportation limbo between urban and rural.”

And according to the “Transit Oriented Development Fact Sheet” published by the CRCOG, “the absolute minimum residential density required to support regular, on-street bus service is about 6 to 8 units per acre, on average, for a transit corridor. For express bus service with exclusively pedestrian access minimum average densities for the corridor should be about 15 units per acre.”

Revitalize aging urban industrial and commercial areas with a mix of uses to create vital civic centers for surrounding communities.

Create opportunities within neighborhoods for new businesses, public event and meeting spaces and residential housing.

Design and implement a network of “Living Alleys” for urban areas. Such alleys can become avenues to greater residential density and feature green infrastructure to mitigate runoff, which can contribute to water pollution.

In the United States, cities such as Chicago and San Francisco have developed alley programs that focus on converting these service corridors into streets hospitable to residential and social uses. Ten years ago the city of Vancouver in British Columbia launched a pilot program for “greening” several of its alleyways to transform them into multipurpose lanes.

As Brian Hutchinson reported in Van-

couver’s National Post, “Asphalt paving was removed and replaced with “structural grass,” rigid plastic honeycomb cells sprinkled with ordinary lawn seed and nurtured into green swaths. Concrete strips were embedded on two sides, creating a durable driving surface. Permeable brick pavers were installed in driveways and at the lane way entrances; these allow rainwater to infiltrate between their joints and into the ground, reducing runoff, the bane of municipal storm sewer systems. The grassed lane ways are cooler than asphalt in summer and they don’t emit the dreaded “off-gassing.” These alleys-turnedlanes have become living quarters and places where neighbors socialize.

Install built and natural infrastructure to mitigate light, air, and noise pollution for residents living in close proximity to urban interstates.

Transportation Health-Promoting Urban communities have a high level of transportation connectivity via a network of streets and sidewalks that serve automobiles, public transit, cyclists, and pedestrians. A street grid mitigates traffic congestion because vehicles can disperse through multiple routes to reach destinations. Bus service in the urban zone is usually more frequent due to the typically higher ridership levels.

Health-Defeating Traffic congestion on major roadways accessing downtown, especially near junctures with interstates, contributes to air pollution.

Because bus routes converge at downtown’s Music City Central transit facility, riders traveling to destinations outside the core must often transfer, adding to their travel time. Such commuters may choose to drive, which lessens their physical activity and increases air pollution.

The limited number of dedicated bike paths within the city discourages cycling in urban areas, especially where there are high levels of traffic and congestion. Existing bike lanes are not buffered from vehicular traffic. Storm grates with vertical slots parallel to the curb—so-called “bike killers”—trap tires, send cyclists flying over the handlebars, and engender lawsuits against the city. Limited safety education for both cyclists and motorists contributes to dangerous conditions.

Strategy Enhance the multi-modal transportation experience: public transit, automobiles, cycling, and walking.

Expand frequency of transit service in highly urban areas. Continue to implement more connector routes.

Implement Nashville’s first dedicated lane bus rapid transit (BRT) line Implement multi-modal Sundays on prominent streets in Nashville to promote cycling, walking, rollerblading and build community interaction on a city-wide scale.

Walkability and Pedestrian Safety Health-Promoting Sidewalks are abundant in urban areas; progress has been made towards the installation of pedestrian safety signage in some neighborhoods. Access to parks at both the neighborhood and regional scale through the greenway system provides urban residents with active transportation options as well as opportunities for exercise.

Increased numbers of pop-up farmers’ markets, community gardens, and artisanal food shops, as well as stores and restaurants that feature locally grown and produced foodstuffs, have cropped up in Nashville’s urban areas. The Healthy Corner Store Initiative, launched as a part of the Community Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) federal grant to the Metro Health Department, has begun to address the availability of fresh produce in small convenience stores. Organizations such as Second Harvest, Nashville Food Project, and Nashville Mobile Market work to bring healthy food options, diet awareness, and cooking education to urban areas.

Health-Defeating While sidewalks are frequently present in the urban zone, some neighborhoods in the zone still lack them, and existing sidewalks may be poorly designed, too narrow and exposed to vehicular traffic for safety Many urban areas also lack adequate pedestrian safety infrastructure: human-scale lighting, clearly marked crosswalks, and pedestrian signage.

Limited access highways and their interchanges present pedestrians in urban neighborhoods with challenging barriers to safety and connectivity. The noise and air pollution that characterize these highways also make walking unpleasant.

Fresh produce is unavailable or can be difficult to locate in urban areas known as “food deserts.” In place of healthy foods, these neighborhoods often feature a plethora of relatively cheap, calorie-dense (high fat and sugar) food options at fast food franchises, convenience stores, and gas stations. Residents in higher density multi-family housing may not have access to plots in which to grow their own food.

Strategy Fresh, Healthy Food for Everyone Connect people to food resources within their communities, with food deserts a particular target.

Make the grocery store a building block in community planning.

Introduce pedestrian-priority signalization for crosswalks throughout Nashville’s urban areas.

Mitigate the disruptive impact of interstate highways.

Use traffic calming tactics in areas where pedestrians and automobiles intersect. Such tactics include crosswalks with pedestrian signage, as well as narrower lane widths, which decrease drivers’ perceptions of their own safety and thus slow speeds. Another approach is the reduction in the number of permissible “right on red” automobile turnings at intersections with heavy auto traffic. While drivers are legally required to come to a complete stop before turning and must yield to pedestrians, many do not, and ticketing of violators by traffic police is minimal to non-existent.

Housing Health-Promoting Housing stock in urban areas typically offers an assortment of types, sizes, prices, and options of renting or owning. This variety helps ensure diversity of residents and helps them age in place. Urban housing development has flourished in Nashville over the past decade and is being built at greater densities.

Health-Defeating The popularity of urban neighborhoods was evident in Metro Nashville’s 2013 property tax reappraisal.

Residential values have risen 14 percent since 2009 in the 37206 zip code of East Nashville, the highest increase in Davidson County. While such escalations validate the urban quality of life, they can also have unintended negative consequences.

Strategy Build and preserve homes for everyone Encourage affordable housing infill development within urban communities, especially on sites near public transit. Incentives for developers in other cities include density bonuses, as well as reduced permit and user fees. Charlotte, North Carolina, restricts its use of such strategies to census blocks with average home values above the city’s median to keep low income housing from overwhelming neighborhoods that already have a lot of it.

Emphasize the preservation of historic architectural character in the restoration or development of moderately priced housing stock, to help such buildings fit into the neighborhood context and not stand out as “affordable.”

Redevelop or renovate public housing complexes to include a mix of uses and affordability levels. The variety in cost alleviates the concentration of poverty among residents that has been so detrimental to social stability in public housing. The mixture of uses should be planned to make daily needs a walkable proposition.

Create communities that enable “aging in place,” defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.

Parks and Open Space Health-Promoting A wide variety of parks sizes and recreation amenities can be found in urban neighborhoods: pocket parks, regional parks and greenways, community centers, sports fields, and community gardens.

GreenBikes, a Metro program that began in 2010, offers free use of touring bicycles, helmets, and locks at eight community centers throughout the city, as well as at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center and the Music City Star Riverfront Station.

The locations are directly linked to 94 miles of greenways and 133 miles of on-road bike lanes and shared-use bike routes. Bikes may be checked out at one station and returned to any other during operating hours. Riders may obtain a free membership online or at bike stations with a proof of identity and current address.

Health-Defeating There is insufficient tree coverage in many urban neighborhoods, which has a negative impact on health. Trees remove pollutants from the air; release fresh oxygen; absorb stormwater and reduce flooding; cool air temperatures, reducing energy costs and countering the heat island effect; and provide shade for walkers.

Urban trees, however, require significant maintenance to grow and prosper. Irrigation and regular upkeep are necessary for urban trees to survive to maturity. Cuts in the budgets of the Public Works and Parks Departments have limited the city’s ability to grow its tree canopy. Lacking a concerted effort by private property owners and developers of new infill to plant trees to shade the public rights-of-way, canopy coverage will continue to decrease.

Strategy Target tree planting initiatives, both public and private, in urban communities that have insufficient tree canopy coverage.

Continue to connect open spaces to urban areas to increase recreational and commuting opportunities.

Increase environmental education.

Include consideration of the total ecosystem in urban policy and planning to create natural ways to reduce the negative impact of buildings and runoff.

Develop a plan for traffic calming Second and Fourth Avenues South to enable a more pedestrian friendly environment.

The reordering of traffic engineering priorities is a major need many urban neighborhoods in order to increase walkability for residents, and demote the emphasis on vehicular through traffic.

Perform a road diet on streets with on-street parking, buried utility lines, landscaping, and new lighting to create a pedestrian friendly “main street� for the neighborhood.

Continue infill development on vacant lots that incorporates mixed income housing as well as retail and business spaces. Rehab or redevelop neglected and condemned properties.

This publication was created by:

Provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods and services that supports economic prosperity in Tennessee.

Founded in 2000, the Nashville Civic Design Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to elevate the quality of Nashville’s built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all.

June 2016