Come see the Plan for Downtown Mobility

Connect Downtown is a joint project of the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT), WeGo Public Transit, the Nashville Downtown Partnership, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to improve mobility and address traffic congestion in the downtown core.

This effort identifies projects, programs, and policies to help us better manage Downtown’s increasing congestion and make it easier for people to get around by all modes of transportation. It looks at traffic and curbside management strategies; transit improvements; walking, rolling, and biking projects; and Vision Zero safety strategies. The goal is to support both current and future Nashvillians, planning for growth and ensuring that Nashville remains a great destination.

Join us to learn about the plan, ask questions, and give feedback to inform the final designs.

Join the Civic Design Center in partnership with J.U.M.P. for an Urban Design Forum with Majora Carter to learn about her work in community development projects across the US that have been successful in combating gentrification and displacement issues.

How can we solve the problem of persistent poverty in low-status communities? Majora Carter will discuss how neighborhoods need a talent-retention strategy, just like the ones companies have. Retaining homegrown talent is a critical part of creating a strong local economy that can resist gentrification. But too many people born in low-status communities measure their success by how far away from them they can get.

Carter, who could have been one of them, returned to the South Bronx and devised a development strategy rooted in the conviction that these communities have the resources within themselves to succeed. She advocates measures such as

• Building mixed-income instead of exclusively low-income housing to create a diverse and robust economic ecosystem

• Showing homeowners how to maximize the long-term value of their property so they won't succumb to quick-cash offers from speculators

• Keeping people and dollars in the community by developing vibrant "third spaces"--restaurants, bookstores, and places like Carter's own Boogie Down Grind Cafe

Getting To This Event

WeGo Public Transit

• 12 Min trip from Elizabeth Duff Transit center Via Route #19 (Albion St & 21st Ave N)

• 18 Min trip from Elizabeth Duff Transit center Via Route #29 (Jefferson St & 21st Ave N)

Parking

• Please park at the current Event Parking area at the rooftop level of Lot K, Garage, located at the corner of 21st Avenue and Meharry Boulevard.  At the rooftop level of the Lot K Garage, is an elevator and stairwell that exists to the ground level.  Upon exiting the Garage, to the left, is a short walk heading to the Kresge Learning Resource Center (LRC Building).  At the corner of 21st Avenue and Albion Street, at the crosswalk, up the hill, leads to the entry of the LRC building - See map below.  To avoid vehicle towing at owner’s expense, All parking lots are decal reserved for employees and students, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm 

ADA Accommodations

• Please contact eric@civicdesigncenter.org if you need any assistance accessing this event.

This event was made possible with grant support from:

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT AND AT CAPACITY*

*Masks will be recommended for the indoor presentation

This Urban Design Forum will focus on the Metro Nashville Planning Department's work, including design and engagement efforts since February 2021, which culminated in a community-driven vision document for the new East Bank neighborhoods. We will showcase some of the Civic Design Center's ideas over the last 20 years, including community visioning from The Plan of Nashville, and hear from Anna Grider, Planning Dept Project Lead. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be available to in-person attendees.

Agenda

• 5:30pm: Doors

• 6:00pm: Presentation

  • Intro and past Civic Design Center Projects: Eric Hoke, Design Director, Civic Design Center

  • A Vision for Nashville’s Next Great Neighborhoods: Anna Grider, East Bank Project Lead, Metro Nashville Planning Department

• 6:45pm: Closing Thoughts and Q+A

• 7:00 pm: Opportunity to provide public feedback

This Urban Design Forum is Part 4 of the Guiding Principles Series

The Civic Design Center will be showcasing our new Guiding Principles for Civic Design with 4 events focusing on the 4 pillars: Representation, Foundation, Preservation, and Expansion. If you missed the first 3, you can read the recaps for Representation, Foundation, and Preservation on our blog!

Expansion: As a community grows tall and expands wide, we must consider these key principles that focus on increased resources for an increasing population. Affordability, density, connection, and active public space are all critical to an evolving place.

Each event will have a panel of 3 speakers who will explore the 3 Principles within their pillar. They will use their own perspective and professional experience to provide precedents in Nashville and beyond that we can look towards as a positive example for city planning. The Design Center will moderate the panel, but all of the events are intended to precede more in-depth discussion between attendees and panelists over drinks. It is a great opportunity to network with like-minded peers and community advocates while also making strides for the implementation of the Principles within our corner of the world.

Become a member to attend the full series for free!

Meet the Panelists

Dominque Anderson, Populace Community Strategy

Dominique Anderson is the Founder | CEO of Populace Community Strategy, where she consults on affordable housing, equitable and inclusive community development, and cultural crisis management. A self-professed, “moneymaking hippies,” she is a passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship, youth entrepreneurship, and empowerment and wealth building, within diverse communities.

Dr. Kim Walker, Abundant Life Adventure Club

Dr. Kim Walker is an occupational therapist and co-founder of Abundant Life Adventure Club, a Nashville-based wellness lifestyle company that helps Black professionals and entrepreneurs prioritize wellness through community, outdoor adventures, and group travel to live abundantly. As a wellness expert, her core mission is to revolutionize the way Black people practice self-care. Featured in Essence, Yahoo News, and USA Today, Abundant Life Adventure Club’s transformational nature experiences, retreats, and workshops have inspired many to live a healthy, mindful, and active lifestyle.

Lindsey Ganson, Walk Bike Nashville

Lindsey Ganson joined the staff of Walk Bike Nashville in April 2019 as Director of Advocacy & Communications after serving on the Walk Bike Nashville board. Prior to joining the Walk Bike Nashville staff, Lindsey was an Account Supervisor at MP&F Strategic Communications, where her clients included the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Metro Nashville Planning Department’s Transportation Demand Management program. She also led MP&F’s client team for the multi-year public outreach efforts for nMotion, the 25-year strategic plan of WeGo/the Nashville Metro Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee.

Before moving to Nashville in 2014, she was the Chief Operating Officer of Transportation Alternatives in New York City, where she led grassroots campaigns to improve transportation policies. She also served as chief of staff of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and as a manager of NYC & Company, New York City’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau. A Brooklyn native, Lindsey holds a Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University.

What are the Guiding Principles for Civic Design?

What are the Principles all about? What are they prioritizing when it comes to urban planning and design? The Principles all specify a major theme to strive towards when it comes to the growth of our communities. Each Principle also has a set of adaptable goals that outline some concrete actions we recommend for community and design stakeholders. These Principles are based on the Design Center’s original “10 Principles” from the community-based Plan of Nashville. Check out the Principles here and commit to using them as a guide for your work.

Below are the principles that will be discussed for this event:

• Supply housing options for diverse incomes and lifestyles that complement the neighborhood.

• Expand park and greenway systems to be comprehensive and interconnected.

• Celebrate streets as places that address neighborhood needs and facilitate community interactions.

RSVP for Expansion Below

This Urban Design Forum is Part 3 of the Guiding Principles Series

Missed Parts 1 and 2? Read the Recaps for Representation and Foundation and then RSVP below!

The Civic Design Center will be showcasing our new Guiding Principles for Civic Design with 4 events focusing on the 4 pillars: Representation, Foundation, Preservation, and Expansion.

Preservation: Following Foundation, we must always consider Preservation of our natural environment and promotion of good civic design. We must make sure that there are standards in policy and zoning to protect these elements, but those standards must be adaptable if they no longer benefit or represent the community.

Each event will have a panel of 3 speakers who will explore the 3 Principles within their pillar. They will use their own perspective and professional experience to provide precedents in Nashville and beyond that we can look towards as a positive example for city planning. The Design Center will moderate the panel, but all of the events are intended to precede more in-depth discussion between attendees and panelists over drinks. It is a great opportunity to network with like-minded peers and community advocates while also making strides for the implementation of the Principles within our corner of the world.

Become a member to attend the full series for free!

Meet the Panelists

Mekayle Houghton, Cumberland River Compact

Mekayle Houghton is Executive Director of the Cumberland River Compact - a regional environmental organization that addresses the root causes of water pollution and environmental degradation through action, education, and collaboration. She serves on multiple boards including River Network and the Tennessee Solar Energy Association. She earned a Bachelors and Masters degree from the University of Chicago. She and her husband have four sons and have called Nashville home for 20 years.

Dee Patel, The Hermitage Hotel

Dee Patel is Managing Director of The Hermitage Hotel, running all company facets and spearheading strategic direction of the iconic hotel. Patel was named General Manager in 2014 and then Managing Director in 2019, the first female to serve in both roles in the hotel’s 112-year history. Under her leadership, The Hermitage has garnered numerous accolades, including the designation as a National Historic Landmark, the only hotel in the state to hold this distinction.

José González, Conexión Américas

Jose is one of the co-founders of Conexión Américas, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building a welcoming community and creating opportunities where Latino families can belong, contribute, and succeed. He was instrumental in the building of Casa Azafrán, the nonprofit collaborative at the gateway to Nashville's International District that houses Conexión Américas and nine other partners.

What are the Guiding Principles for Civic Design?

What are the Principles all about? What are they prioritizing when it comes to urban planning and design? The Principles all specify a major theme to strive towards when it comes to the growth of our communities. Each Principle also has a set of adaptable goals that outline some concrete actions we recommend for community and design stakeholders. These Principles are based on the Design Center’s original “10 Principles” from the community-based Plan of Nashville. Check out the Principles here and commit to using them as a guide for your work.

Below are the principles that will be discussed for this event:

• Prioritize design that alleviates impact on the environment’s natural resources.

• Recognize historic and socially significant distinctions in community design.

• Promote community-supported, local economies to be equitable and sustainable.

RSVP for Preservation Below

Event now on MARCH 7th! This will be a hybrid event, but all panelists will be in-person. Zoom link sent on morning of event.

This Urban Design Forum is Part 2 of the Guiding Principles Series

Here’s a Recap of Part 1: Representation in Civic Design

The Civic Design Center will be showcasing our new Guiding Principles for Civic Design with 4 events focusing on the 4 pillars: Representation, Foundation, Preservation, and Expansion.

Foundation: When it comes to designing communities, there are some foundational elements that set its residents and visitors up for success. When these Foundation principles are overlooked, it would require great effort to instill these components into the development culture after the fact.

Each event will have a panel of 3 speakers who will explore the 3 Principles within their pillar. They will use their own perspective and professional experience to provide precedents in Nashville and beyond that we can look towards as a positive example for city planning. The Design Center will moderate the panel, but all of the events are intended to precede more in-depth discussion between attendees and panelists over drinks. It is a great opportunity to network with like-minded peers and community advocates while also making strides for the implementation of the Principles within our corner of the world.

Become a member to attend the full series for free!

Meet the Panelists

Mary Roskilly, AIA, Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design

Mary Roskilly is a Principal and Partner at Tuck-Hinton Architecture & Design, a Small and Women Owned business located in Nashville that is known for creating many of the region’s most iconic buildings. She joined the firm in 1994 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Architecture. She has been involved in the design of several prestigious projects that have impacted Nashville - Music City Center, Country Music Hall of Fame, Frist Art Museum, and Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall.

Hemalatha Gokhale, MD

Hemalatha Gokhale is a recently retired physician who oversees the MDHA community garden, Farm in the City. After 20 years with Radiology Alliance in Nashville, the focus of her second act is on urban gardening and sustainability. She is passionate about improving the mental and physical health of city dwellers by cultivating a community focused on reconnecting with the land and with each other.

After growing up in Nashville, she earned an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and MD from New York University. In addition to a physician and gardener, she is a wife, mother, grandmother, avid traveler, and Civic Design Center Board member.

Jessica Dauphin, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee

Jessica Dauphin is an accomplished nonprofit professional and TEDx Speaker who believes individual freedoms are directly tied to one's access to mobility. That means public transit is essential.

Dauphin was appointed to the Nashville MTA Board, is in the Leadership Middle Tennessee class of 2022, and is on the board of Transit NOW Nashville. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Middle Tennessee State University.

What are the Guiding Principles for Civic Design?

What are the Principles all about? What are they prioritizing when it comes to urban planning and design? The Principles all specify a major theme to strive towards when it comes to the growth of our communities. Each Principle also has a set of adaptable goals that outline some concrete actions we recommend for community and design stakeholders. These Principles are based on the Design Center’s original “10 Principles” from the community-based Plan of Nashville. Check out the Principles here and commit to using them as a guide for your work.

Below are the principles that will be discussed for this event:

• Organize community plans with sightlines that feature landmarks and natural assets to improve functionality and civic identity.

• Provide health-promoting features that respond to neighborhood attributes.

• Develop an equitable and desirable transportation infrastructure.

RSVP for Foundation or the Full Series Below

Event is now online only for the general public.

This Urban Design Forum is Part 1 of the Guiding Principles Series

The Civic Design Center will be showcasing our new Guiding Principles for Civic Design with 4 events focusing on the 4 pillars: Representation, Foundation, Preservation, and Expansion.

Representation: A community cannot exist without people and their unique perspectives. Therefore, the most basic principle in planning and design must encompass the representation of those identities.

Each event will have a panel of 3 speakers who will explore the 3 Principles within their pillar. They will use their own perspective and professional experience to provide precedents in Nashville and beyond that we can look towards as a positive example for city planning. The Design Center will moderate the panel, but all of the events are intended to precede more in-depth discussion between attendees and panelists over drinks. It is a great opportunity to network with like-minded peers and community advocates while also making strides for the implementation of the Principles within our corner of the world.

Become a member to attend the full series for free!

Meet the Panelists

Edward Henley III, Pillars Development

Edward Henley III, the founding principle of Pillars Development and the current chair of ULI Nash, has over a decade of real estate development and construction management experience. This has positioned him well for Nashville's continuing boom in the real estate and construction industry with expertise in ​owners' representation, project management, planning and consulting as well as a passion for Community Engagement. Edward is prolific in his civil service not only sitting on multiple local boards—which includes the Civic Design Center—as well as serving the city's interest as an appointed committee member for multiple Mayor initiatives. Edward is extremely dedicated to bringing the benefits of economic development to urban communities with smaller scale mixed use development and affordable housing as a way to combat the negative effects of disinvestment, as well as gentrification.

Lauren Fitzgerald, J.U.M.P. Nashville

Lauren Fitzgerald (she, her, they, love) is a cis-gendered Black womxn from the south. She is a wearer of many hats; aunt, daughter, sister, friend, theatre artist, Finer Woman, Director of Creative Strategy for Strategize 619, Managing Director for the Intercultural Leadership Institute, and the Executive Director for the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership (JUMP).

Lauren earned a degree in Theatre and Africana Studies from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Her work passion is at the intersection of culture and social justice. This has led her to work on several cross sector projects that include real estate, workforce development, and research work in the cultural economic sector. Lauren loves seafood, hates bigotry, believes in the color yellow and fights for social and economic justice.

Ashley Bergeron, The Studio 208

Anyone who knows Ashley, knows her passion for connecting people. Since photography has been a passion for Ashley her whole life, she gets to work in her creative passion each day. Ashley delights in meeting people from all walks of life, she gets to learn about them, asks questions, and helps them be comfortable in front of her camera. Her specialties include professional portraits, children and family portraits, and boudoir and pinup photography.

Ashley helps connect business owners, building owners and artists for public art murals. She took the passion of connecting and elevating artists one step further by opening an invite only gallery and art showroom to highlight some of the leading artists in the country. The Studio 208 opened the doors with a first show featuring Ian Ross from San Francisco, celebrating his new mural in the Gulch, part of The Nashville Walls Project. The majority of artists represented by The Studio 208 are locally based.

What are the Guiding Principles for Civic Design?

What are the Principles all about? What are they prioritizing when it comes to urban planning and design? The Principles all specify a major theme to strive towards when it comes to the growth of our communities. Each Principle also has a set of adaptable goals that outline some concrete actions we recommend for community and design stakeholders. These Principles are based on the Design Center’s original “10 Principles” from the community-based Plan of Nashville. Check out the Principles here and commit to using them as a guide for your work.

Below are the principles that will be discussed for this event:

• Follow planning, design and development processes that are grounded in community involvement.

• Strengthen the unique identities of neighborhoods that reflects their people, history, and culture.

• Integrate diverse expressions of public art into buildings and community spaces.

RSVP for Representation or the Full Series Below

Church Street Park activation has been going well! We are so excited for the future of this amazing Downtown public resource. We hope you will consider joining us for a visioning session about the future of the park.

For the Church Street Park Visioning forum, the Design Center and ASLA will be set up under tents at the park and have maps and vision boards where everyone can give their feedback and sketch what they would like to see at the future park. Come chat with the designers who will take your ideas and help sketch out some additional visions for the park!

To honor the 100 year anniversary of the 19th Amendment in the month of August, the Civic Design Center will be hosting an Urban Design Forum focusing on women in the design profession. The event will highlight the stories and lives of women designers in architecture, landscape architecture, design education and development. Their voices and skills have impacted cities, communities, people, and so much more.

This format of this event will be an online panel conversation moderated by Tifinie Capehart, Vice President of the Civic Design Center’s Board of Directors, and will host architects and designers; Jhennifer Amundson, Kim Hawkins, and Valarie Franklin.

Speakers:

Tifinie Capehart (Moderator + Civic Design Center Board Vice President) - Realtor®, Land Use Consultant  | Urban Studies Adjunct, TSU

Jhennifer Amundson - Ph.D., Dean, O'More College of Architecture, Art, and Design, Department Chair and Professor, Architecture

Kim Hawkins - ASLA, Founding Principal, Hawkins Partners, Inc. Landscape Architects

Valarie Franklin - AIA, NOMA, NCARB, Senior Associate / Architect + Client Relationship Manager, Moody Nolan

This past month was the 4th anniversary for the release of our book, Shaping the Healthy Community: The Nashville Plan. A lot of factors influence what makes a "healthy" community, from encouraging the use of public transit physical mobility to healthy food accessibility. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, more factors have been brought to light, like safety of our homeless population and whether or not air pollution has affected susceptibility to the virus.

Health emergencies can also be exacerbated by natural disasters. Tennessee was doubly affected first with the Nashville tornado and then the Chattanooga tornado. The people who experienced any damage or loss of power to their homes have been in a vulnerable situation during the outbreak.

On Wednesday, May 27th, we are excited to welcome the co-authors of Shaping the Healthy Community, Gary Gaston, and Christine Kreyling, to moderate a discussion on adapting to health emergencies in terms of healthy environment factors, community engagement, and city planning.

Panelists include:

Leslie Mehann - MPA, AICP:  Director of Office of Primary Prevention for the Tennessee Department of Health and;

Dr. Sanmi Arriola -   former Deputy Health Director of Metro Public Health Department in Nashville and current Director of Health and Environment in Johnson County, TN.

Edward Henley - Principal & Project Executive at Pillars Development, LLC.

Eric Hoke - Design Director, Civic Design Center