BOOM
Better relationships between big buildings is one way the design and function of Nashville’s core is getting better. Here are a few other ideas that would help: • Approach infrastructure in a more holistic way — As growth progresses and large projects “meet” each other more frequently, there are opportunities to think more smartly about how basic services can be tweaked in a dense, built-out core. Lesh says one such chance is rainwater runoff. Traditional construction methods crown roads in the middle and run all collected water out via sewers to treatment plants miles away. But future road projects could at times go in the opposite direction and include bioswales, channels designed to collect and filter water — sometimes through a vegetated median or curb extensions — before it passes into the local water table. And as cities build more complete streets that include hard buffers separating cars from bicyclists and pedestrians, the opportunities to build such bioswales — and reduce the stress on existing infrastructure — also increase. • Think about lower-cost housing in unconventional spaces — Development at the pace Nashville’s core has seen comes with a high price in terms of affordability. Rapidly rising land prices push developers to target higher-end buyers, and even buildings with spaces set aside for lower-rate units don’t have enough of them to make a dent in the need for that product. But, Lesh says, enterprising types could find opportunities in “quirky, oddball sites” in or near The Gulch, Pie Town or SoBro. He is studying for clients a 5,000-square-foot site too small for a large project as well as another home to a cell phone tower. Even in today’s scorching market, such properties are being skipped over, he says. But they are relatively cheap and could thus better lend themselves to workforce housing projects with smaller units. • Look for “small” transit options — High land prices inevitably breed denser development, which improves walkability and, Hawkins says, will lay a stronger groundwork for the building of a stronger public transit system. But where most people might think of buses or light rail when the word transit comes up, Hawkins says smaller options should be included in such discussions. “We need to do a better job recognizing that the blurring of lines expands to public spaces, too,” she says. “Greenways can be part of the transition solution. They’re not just about recreation.” Picture bike lanes in the heart of downtown connecting to greenways that lead to nearby residential communities such as Wedgewood-Houston, Germantown and even MetroCenter, which is getting more apartment options. With appropriate forethought and proper integration, a scenario of an e-bike rider getting to and from work (and likely passing a few grocery/dining stores along the way) in 20 minutes is no longer fanciful — or dangerous.
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FALL 2021 | NASHVILLEPOST.COM
Evolving principles Almost two decades after publishing The Plan of Nashville, the Civic Design Center is revisiting some of its core ideas
ublished in 2005, The Plan of Nashville was a major community engagement project facilitated by the Nashville Civic Design Center that brought people together to dream big for the future of Nashville’s development. During that process, consensus emerged around 10 principles to guide public policy, development practice, urban planning and design. While these principles were focused on the Nashville area, they are universal in intent. The principles have shaped much of the last 20 years of the nonprofit’s work. One in particular has taken center stage in the Civic Design Center’s recent advocacy efforts: “Re-establish the streets as the principal public space of community and connectivity.” Why the streets? Most community members don’t think of the street as a public space like we do parks and playgrounds. But they are public resources we pay for yet rarely get to enjoy as more than thruways for vehicles. To better live and breathe that principle, the Design Center has been hosting PARK(ing) Day in Nashville since 2012. PARK(ing) Day is a global event — this year’s will be Sept. 17 — that advocates for more usable public spaces by taking over
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GARY GASTON, NASHVILLE CIVIC DESIGN CENTER
metered parking spots and installing parklets for one day. With the help of this local advocacy, the sidewalks on Lower Broadway have been expanded and Church Street Park was saved from a land swap. Now, the Design Center is aiming to help transform Second Avenue following the Christmas Day explosion that devastated much of the historic district. Nearly two decades after publishing The Plan of Nashville, CEO Gary Gaston and his team say their work has helped accomplish the intent of the original streets principle. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, they are adapting its language — and those of other principles from the plan — to go further. The new streets principle will look to “celebrate the streets as places that address neighborhood needs and facilitate community connections” — sentiments and desires echoed elsewhere in this package of stories and illustrations.
The Design Center team is evolving all of its guiding principles to adapt to how Nashville’s public spaces have changed since 2005. The group will celebrate its 20th anniversary at its annual luncheon Nov. 5. Find out more at civicdesigncenter.org.
ERIC ENGLAND
