YES! Knoxville is a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2023. Our mission is to ‘advocate for changes in Knoxville that will provide more choices in housing, transportation, and community spaces.’
For too long in America, our daily lives have lacked true choices in how we live, how we get around, and the places we can go to easily and build community. We’re dealing with a crisis in housing, with people unable to afford the types of homes they want in the neighborhoods they love. We’re dealing with a crisis in transportation, with most of us forced to take a personal vehicle and deal with the unnessesary financial burden it takes to own one. We’re dealing with a crisis in belonging, with a severe lack of public, open spaces designed for people to enjoy and create relationships. We believe these three crises are related.
We believe it’s time for a change.
WHO WE ARE
Our existing regulations, codes, and laws prevent our city - like most US cities - from growing and shifting to meet the needs and desires of the residents who live here now, in 2025. These can, and should, be changed. So, whether it’s bringing a greater variety and amount of homes to our neighborhoods, making it easier to get around town in a manner other than a car, or helping to create people-centered places where we can connect with each other, YES! Knoxville seeks to educate on and advocate for more choices for all of us, all over town.
Millennials and Gen Z, which include everyone in their 20s and 30s, are being shut out from affordable homeownership. Older homeowners struggle to downsize. The housing sector is a mess. Most of these issues come from zoning and codes that are stuck in the 1950s. To begin to remedy this, here are:
5 IDEAS FOR BETTER HOUSING
IDEA 1: SMALLER LOTS
Decades ago, ‘shotgun homes’ were utilized as starter homes for many working and middle-class people. Part of what made these homes possible - and affordable - was the size of the lot they were located on. Not only did these smaller lots allow more homes to be built - increasing supply and therefore driving prices down - but the smaller yards were less upkeep for the homeowners, saving them time and money.
While we don’t have to exclusively build shotgun homes on smaller lots, decreasing the minimum lot sizes currently allowed in our codes will allow us to provide more housing and smaller, more affordable homes everywhere.
IDEA 2: ADUS FOR ALL
ADUs are Accessory Dwelling Units, small buildings located within, beside, or behind an existing home. They are vital to providing smaller, more affordable living spaces in town and are often called ‘Granny Flats’ due to the ability for families to host aging grandparents in a space on their property while still giving a sense of individuality and freedom to the one living in the ADU. We currently allow these in Knoxville, but they are too tightly restricted. We need to update our codes to allow more ADUs per lot, allow them on smaller lots, and allow them on lots that have buildings such as duplexes, not just on lots with single-family detached houses.
YES! Campaign: H.O.M.E.
IDEA 3: DUPLEXES ‘BY RIGHT’
Even though nearly 90% of Millennials and over 60% of Boomers want the option for homes like duplexes in their neighborhood, our codes make it nearly impossible to build them. We need to allow duplexes in every neighborhood ‘by right’ and treat them the same as a detached house. This alone has the potential to allow thousands of new homes in the neighborhoods we love.
IDEA 4: TREAT CORNERS AS SPECIAL
Corners are special places; they can both frame the entrance into a street and foster a sense of community at the intersection at which they are located. It is for this reason that many cities and towns formerly had ‘corner stores’ which served as gathering places for those nearby.
We should allow corner lots in our neighborhoods to be slightly more dense and open to commercial uses on the ground floor. This will not only provide a few extra homes in locations naturally best at drawing people in, but give neighborhoods the ‘third spaces’ they need in order to build relationships.
IDEA 5: REMOVE PARKING MANDATES
One of the biggest things holding back the construction of more homes is the fact that Knoxville, like most U.S. cities, requires an arbitrary amount of parking to be provided for most new developments. Removing this requirement and allowing builders and architects to provide the amount of parking that’s right for their project will make it much easier to build more homes.
Americans spend, on average, over 230 hours a year commuting. We spend over $12,000 a year for the ‘freedom’ of owning a car. We face these unfortunate strains because of decades of prioritzing the car as the only way to travel. To begin to fix this, here are:
5 IDEAS FOR BETTER TRANSPORTATION
REBATES
More than 1,000,000 e-bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2022, compared with about 800,000 electric cars. E-bikes make bicycling easier, especially in hilly places like Knoxville, and an e-cargo bike can easily replace a family vehicle for short trips to the grocery store or neighborhood school. Unlike electric cars, the cost of e-bikes is coming down every day. Unfortunately, electric cars have nationwide subsidies while electric bikes do not. Where there are e-bike subsidies, like Denver, they’re wildly popular. If Knoxville is serious about cutting its emissions and providing true transportation choices, it needs to offer subsidies - like rebates - that make these fun and sustainable vehicles available to more of us.
BIKE BOXES
Part of creating a culture of true transportation options means installing infrastructure that makes something like riding a bike safer and more noticable. One needed item to make cyclists safer and more noticed is something called a ‘bike box’. These are green boxes painted at intersections (before a stop bar and after a crosswalk) that give cyclists space to merge from a bike lane and turn left. They should, be default, be at any intersection where a bike lane exists. Installing these boxes at intersections are a small but important step to normalizing commuting by bike, and they are a great example of cost-efficient infrastructure.
YES! Campaign: B4
IDEA 4: MICRO-MOBILITY EQUITY
Knoxville’s micro-mobility program offers the use of e-scooters and e-bikes for short-term use and gives people a great alternative to driving short distances. But the program is hard to access for low-income people and those without credit cards or smartphones. These households could benefit by having access to the micro-mobility devices to get to work and school, and for running errands. The City should work with entities like KCDC and micro-mobility vendors to find ways to support access to e-bikes and e-scooters for our neighbors that need it the most, so they have affordable options for transportation.
IDEA 3: BIKE & BUS BUDGET INCREASES
Compared to cities of our size (and some smaller), the amount of money dedicated in our annual budget to things like public transit and bike infrastructure is woefully small. For example, in 2015 we budgeted $285,000, or $1.40 per capita, to bike infrastructure. However, Charleston, SC - with 60,000 fewer residents - had a bike budget of $3.1 million, or $25.72 per capita. We must dedicate more money to these things to give us a true choice in transportation.
IDEA 5: REVIEWING INTERSECTIONS
Small changes in things like the timing of traffic signals are low-cost intersection improvements that can make it more comfortable and convenient to cross the street, and which increases safety. We need a city-wide systematic review of our intersections and a plan to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. A focus on fast, low-cost safety measures, like ‘leading pedestrian intervals’ (LPIs) - which allow pedestrians to cross before cars can move - and longer walking times for people crossing the street, go a long way in making our city safer for people walking, which will encourage people to want to walk.
A 2024 poll from the American Psychiatric Association found that 30% of adults experience loneliness at least once a week, and 10% are lonely every day. One reason for this is a lack of places to gather and build community. To combat this epidemic, here are:
5 IDEAS FOR BETTER PUBLIC SPACES
IDEA 1: ARTISTIC STREETS
We know the benefits of public art: it makes people happier, instills civic pride, and boosts the economy. One key benefit of public art that is often understated, however, is its ability to gather people together and build community. We also know that when art is applied on asphalt in areas like crosswalks and intersections, it slows drivers down and makes it much safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Taking entire blocks or stretches of streets and installing murals serves not only to bring people together but sends a strong signal to us when we are in a car - this is a place for people, so drive slowly and safely. This is one of the lowercost ways to create public spaces for everyone, regardless of where in town they live.
IDEA
2:
CAR-LITE STREETS
Many cities are embracing the concept of ‘car-lite’ streets - streets that allow specific types of vehicles, like emergency services or delivery trucks, or only allowing vehicles during certain times - as a way to reclaim space for pedestrian use and build community. One specific - and popular - use of these streets can be found in Paris, where streets near schools are shut down to vehicles during key hours when children are present. As well, many streets have reduced car space to plant trees, install playgrounds, or just give space for residents to exist without the fear of fast traffic near where they live or work. Carlite streets are a perfect way to make temporary, flexible pedestrian spaces around town.
YES! Campaign: P.L.A.C.E.
IDEA 4: REMOVE STREET PARKING
One of the most creative things that came from the pandemic was a reimagining of urban space in an effort to safely gather and support local businesses. On-street parking spaces became an expansion of the sidewalk and outdoor dining thrived in their place. Then, for some reason, even though spaces normally taken by one personal vehicle for hours at a time had become a public spaces capable of serving a dozen or more people, we removed them and killed the notion that anything but cars could be there. This was a bad move. Removing even a handful of parking spaces in key areas can create extra places for us to build community and support local businesses.
IDEA 3: CREATE MORE CAR-FREE SPACES
Knoxville is blessed to have Market Square, a massive historic pedestrian plaza at the heart of our city. It brings joy to so many and is one of the few places in town where we can just ‘be’, without the expectation of being a consumer. Few American cities, especially of our size, have such an asset. We are grateful, but we deserve even more. Every neighborhood needs a car-free area for people to enjoy, regardless of its size.
IDEA 5: BLOCK PARTIES
Block parties were once a staple of neighborhood life in American cities of all sizes. The simple closing of an intersection or a block for a few hours was an amazing way to create a temporary pedestrian plaza and allow neighbors to gather and enjoy one another’s company. This is something that needs to come back, and often. The City should make it as easy as possible to close down residential streets and intersections for neighborhood events. Everything from reducing the cost, cutting red-tape, and providing resources for neighborhoods that want to do these things should be a priority demanded by all of us.
Some ideas don’t neatly fit into one of our other three categories, or maybe they fit into multiple. Or maybe we simply ran out of room on the pages before. Nevertheless, they are ideas that we believe are worth sharing, so here are:
5 OTHER IDEAS FOR A BETTER CITY
IDEA 1: SAFER CITY SPEED LIMITS
Knoxville has already reduced the default speed limit on unmarked local streets to 25 MPH as part of Vision Zerothe initiative to end traffic fatalities and serious injuries - but there are still streets in the city with dangerously high speed limits. Small increments in speed make a huge impact on safety, especially where people are walking and bicycling. A victim struck by a car going 30 MPH has a 10% risk of dying. At 40 MPH, that risk jumps to 60%. This is part of what contributes to the nearly 38,000 people killed by car violence in America each year. The City should make 35 MPH the maximum speed limit on any city-controlled street, and also look closely at bringing speed limits lower where it’s appropriate
IDEA 2: MORE CONVIENENT MEETING TIMES
If we truly want to build a Knoxville for everyone, we need to ensure that, as much as possible, everyone is able to participate in our system. As it stands, several City Boards, Committees, and Commissions, including the Planning Commission - the second most powerful body in the city after City Council when it comes to our built environment - meet at times that heavily favor people that are retired or who have flexible schedules. Ensuring that important meetings are hosted at times that are accessible for the average working citizen is a common-sense step to democratize how we plan our future.
YES! Campaign: R.A.I.S.E.
IDEA 4: BIKE VALETS
Do you love going to big festivals and events but dread trying to find parking? Us too! Bicycling can be a great alternative, but you want to know that your bike will still be there for the ride home. A bike valet is secure bicycle parking that is supervised at all times, so that you can park your bike knowing it’s safe and secure. We need to create a local culture that values safe and convienent bike parking as much as we do vehicle parking, and bike valets are a great way to begin that cultural shift. Our city is blessed to have wellattended events, from Big Ears to Brewfest to Tour de Lights; event planners should make as much convienent bike parking available as is feasible for their attendees.
IDEA 3: DEMAND HIGHER STANDARDS
Every city has codes and regulations they must follow when it comes to building infrastructure. Everything from the installation of a stop sign to a bike lane has stipulations directing what can be done. But we deserve better than the bare minimum. Other cities have better infrastructure because they force themselves to build better, and so should we.
IDEA 5: KEEP HISTORY IN CHECK
Like many Americans, we want to do all we can to protect historic buildings. Too often, however, historyespecically a place’s ‘historic character’ - is invoked as a method to prevent things like multi-family housing from being built, even if the new building is built on an empty lot. As much as possible, let’s save existing historic buildings, but let’s also demand that our city be allowed to grow and change. Just because one block historically had only two story, detached homes on it should not prevent a three story triplex from being built today. We must build for our current needs, not restrict ourselves with what was built for the people of the past. We can do this while preserving the historic buildings already here.
5 BIG IDEAS FOR 2050
Twenty-five years can see massive changes in a city. Knoxville now is better than in 2000, and we want it to be better in 2050 than it is now. Here are some big ideas we can achieve by then, if we set our minds to it.
IDEA 1: DAYLIGHT FIRST CREEK
When James White Parkway was built, we buried most of First Creek, a waterway adjacent to our downtown that should have been valued for the recreational and economic asset that it is. In the next 25 years, we need to remove the large, under-utilized, and unnessary interstate-sized road from this area and ‘daylight’ First Creek, creating a new urban waterway that can serve both as a public green space next to our downtown and as a new economic driver for local businesses and homes to be built beside. San Antonio has its famous River Walk; we deserve to have one too. Let’s create this new linear park district in downtown.
IDEA 2: FIX HENLEY & SUMMIT HILL
One of the most tragic and short-sighted movements of the 1900s - which sadly continues today - was the construction of massive highway-sized roads near and through our center-cities. These roads prioritized speeding cars over the safety and comfort of people on the street and created unnecessary barriers between parts of towns where none existed before. The future will consist of righting this wrong and downsizing such roads to be smaller, more walkable, charming streets and boulevards. They will have wider sidewalks, bike lanes, room for transit, greenery, and be places people want to be, not just drive through. This should be the future of roads like Henley Street and Summit Hill Drive.
IDEA 3: EVERY BUS IS FIVE MINUTES AWAY
True transportation freedom can only come when it’s safe and convienent to travel in something other than a personal vehicle. For public transit, that means having extremely reliable frequency. Currently, only a small number of our bus routes have anything close to being considered a high enough frequency to make them a valid alternative to driving, and even those routes only come every 15 minutes.
Through extra transit funding we can redesign our city to include things like bus-only lanes and shelters at every stop, which will make our system not only frequent, but desirable. By 2050, every route in Knoxville can have the gold-standard of service: a bus coming to every stop, every 5 minutes.
IDEA 4: DOWNTOWN IS PEOPLE-FOCUSED
Car-dominated downtowns are so 1950. The downtown of 2050 will put people first, and will do so by providing a massive increase in pedestrian-only spaces. Did you know that, by area, the largest car-free, pedestrian only space in our city isn’t downtown? It’s actually West Town Mall. Our historic city center deserves to have at least the same amount of people-focused space as the suburbs, and arguably more.
Several downtown blocks and streets have the potential to become pedestrian plazas like Market Square. From all of Market Street to the 100 and 400 Blocks of Gay to Central Street and Jackson Avenue in the Old City, the future of downtown has less cars and far more space for people.
IDEA 5: MAKE KNOXVILLE A 15-MINUTE CITY
The ‘15-minute city’ is an old concept with a modern name. The idea is simple: we should build our cities so that everything we can think of in our daily lives - from work to schools to grocery stores to dentists to churches to gyms - can be reached within a 15-minute commute in something other than a personal vehicle, ideally by walking or biking. By focusing on simple steps like greatly densifying housing along our main corridors to allowing mixed-use, multi-family buildings in all of our neighborhoods, we can create a city in which we are no longer forced to drive, saving us money, stress, emissions, space, and sanity. It allows us true freedom in the housing we choose to live in, the way we travel around town, and the public spaces where we can go to build community. Knoxville’s future is one that looks, ironically, a lot like its past.
WE SAY YES!
YES! Campaigns
The ideas within this booklet are just twenty-five examples of the many ways we can improve Knoxville. We encourage you to get involved with us or donate to us and help make them a reality. The five campaigns highlighted in the colored boxes are our current focuses and the ones we are actively recruiting volunteers and advocates for. Scan the QR codes to visit the campagin pages on our site and learn how to be involved specifically in that work. When we work together, we can accomplish great things.
H.O.M.E. HELPING OUR MISSING MIDDLE EXPAND
Currently, ‘missing middle’ housing - such as duplexes - isn’t allowed in most areas of town. HOME seeks to change that by updating our zoning codes to allow ‘by right’ the construction of duplexes which, for many many decades, were legal everywhere. It’s one of the quickest ways to combat our housing crisis, increase housing choices, and protect the affordable character of our neighborhoods.
B.U.I.L.D. BETTER UTILIZATION IN LAND DEVELOPMENT
One of the easiest ways to allow more housing in our city is to update our codes so property owners can better utilize their land to build more on it. We currently require arbitrary minimum levels of onsite parking, regardless of the context. BUILD seeks to change our codes so that property owners can make decisions about how much parking is needed for their project, on a case-by-case basis.
B.4. BETTER BUDGETS FOR BIKES & BUSES
To reduce our emissions, as well as the financial stress of owning a vehicle, we must make it safe and convienent to travel through town by bike and bus. We need an increase in our annual budget for proper bike infrastructure, more greenways, and more frequent bus service. Until this happens, we will never truly have the freedom to choose where we want to go in the way we want to.
P.L.A.C.E.
PEDESTRIAN LINKAGES AND COMMONS EXPANSION
Community is built most easily in ‘third spaces’, places other than our homes or offices; often public gathering spaces like pedestrian streets or plazas. Historically, these places were called “The Commons”. Everyone deserves a place like this, and the ability to safely walk there, near their home; it is crucial to building strong and connected neighborhoods.
Most of our bike lanes do nothing to protect cyclists and often pedestrian infrastructure like crosswalks is treated as an afterthought. We must re-evaluate our culture of building what is ‘minimum acceptable by code’ and build better infrastructure. Other cities are building better and the only thing preventing us is political will and public demand.
