Unveiling Nashville’s Resolutions
By Veronica Foster, Communications + Advocacy Manager
10 min read Following 2 months of collecting ideas for resolutions that the community would like to see initiated or accomplished before the end of 2024, the Civic Design Center unveiled the final list of 24 during our January Urban Design Forum.
When it comes to improving quality of life, sometimes it can get discouraging when those pinnacle projects take years to advocate for let alone study, plan, design, and build. Our 24 Resolutions for Nashville campaign is meant to catalyze our advocacy community into action. If we unified on some concrete, actionable goals, what could we accomplish before the end of one calendar year?
The following list outlines our Resolutions along with their scale, recommended locations if applicable, as well as people and departments we need to engage into move them forward. Some of the ideas are quoted directly from community members, while others have been adjusted to reflect our limited timeline.
PARKS
🛝 🌳
PARKS 🛝 🌳
Activate public parks through concessions kiosks and cafes
Recommended Location: Riverfront Park
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Parks
Partner: Nashville Downtown Partnership
For a pilot period, let’s encourage Parks to offer free permits for local vendors to pop-up in parks and build excitement around the activation. When a community member submitted this resolution, they only elaborated by saying, “I just want to buy a coffee and sit in a park.” We think Riverfront Park would be a great pilot, catering to both wandering tourists and train commuters alike, especially activating 1st Avenue when 2nd Avenue is closed for construction. Added tactical urbanism interventions, like moveable chairs, would encourage more people to stay and enjoy the River. In the future, Parks should promote these kinds of projects to make better use of public spaces and generate income to meet their department's needs.
Possible Cart Vendors: Frothy Monkey, Oye Coffee, King of Pops, HiFi Cookies, and more.
upsized playgrounds in parks t0 address the lack of activities for teenagers
Recommended Location: Cedar Hill Park + Mill Ridge Park
Council Member / District: Jennifer Gamble / 3 + Joy Styles / 32
Metro Department: Parks
This resolution comes directly from Nashville youth. While young children get dedicated structures for play, teens are discouraged from playing on them, instead shown to courts and fields to get their energy out. The Nashville Youth Design Team heard from their peers through Imagine Nashville surveying that Cedar Hill Park is “boring,” so in response, they will be hosting a Field Day in March to bring teenage play to the forefront of the conversation. We hope this will be the first step to integrating “upsized” play structures into Parks planning and design.
Additionally, Mill Ridge Park just received a little over $8 million in funding for this coming fiscal year. While this brand new park features a unique play structure, it isn’t necessarily sized for all. We don’t know if the funding has already been mapped out, but this would be a great opportunity to propose spaces for teen-oriented play.
Precedents Include: Parkour structures, tall slides, adventure obstacle courses, and more.
Make a comprehensive BCycle network—returning BCycle stations to parks
Recommended Locations: Kossie Gardner Sr. Park + Riverside Village + Shelby Bottoms Greenway + East Park + Two Rivers Park
Council Member / District: Brandon Taylor / 21 + Emily Benedict / 7 + Clay Capp / 6 + Jeff Gregg / 15
Metro Department: Parks + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Parks and greenways are obvious places to pick up a bike share. In Nashville, where most parks are driving distance from your home, if you would like to bike on a greenway, you might have to own a bike rack for your car to be able to do so safely. BCycle used to have a home in Nashville Parks, but they were removed when the city contract expired and a new contract hasn’t been created. Some BCycle stations could move adjacent to the park from which they were removed, however some were never replaced. For example, we lost the prime connection between Donelson (Two Rivers Park) and East Nashville (Shelby Bottoms).
The statement from Jackie Jones at the bottom of this Nashville Scene article shares some more context. Contact your Council Member to advocate for a new BCycle contract for our parks.
Fully Fund COnstruction for the Future Park at Madison Station Blvd.
Council Member / District: Jennifer Gamble / 3
Metro Department: Parks
While this project came from the community, we are excited to help push this over the finish line. Madison Station Blvd itself, which was only recently completed, is a beautiful example of a hyperlocal Complete Street that would make a great multimodal approach to a new public space. Revitalizing suburbs to have more defined Centers is critical to Nashville’s growth. The designs were already completed by HDLA, but the next step is to fund the construction documents and get to work.
Check out more information about the project here.
Ensure that all our outdoor spraygrounds and fountains are operational
Recommended Locations: Cumberland Park + Watkins Park + Public Square Park + Kirkpatrick Park + Bicentennial Mall Park
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19 + Clay Capp / 6
Metro Department: Parks
Partner: Subcontractor with the ability to fix the spraygrounds and fountains + Tennessee State Parks
We all know it is hot in Nashville in the Summer, so it is essential that we get our public spraygrounds and fountains operational for all to enjoy the sweet relief from the heat. Metro recently posted to their procurement site in order to find a contractor to support this effort. This is our call to action to make sure that happens ahead of the Summer this year.
Submit a Hub Nashville request so we can make sure Metro can’t forget about this.
Transportation
🚏 🚲
Transportation 🚏 🚲
Implement supportive infrastructure for cyclists, especially commercial centers
Recommended Locations: The Mall at Green Hills + Sylvan Supply + Downtown
Council Member / District: Jeff Preptit / 25 + Brenda Gadd / 24 + Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Bike lanes are important for people to feel safe and secure traveling by bicycle, but some people bike regardless of the infrastructure quality. Those people rarely have a place to lock their bikes comfortably. In privately owned commercial areas, it is a risk to lock your bike to a structure without the knowledge of who maintains those areas. Your lock could be cut, and your bike could be removed without your consent. A bike rack is the safest place to lock your bike, but they can be hard to find. Let’s make it a goal to fix that issue!
Submit a Hub Nashville request for bike infrastructure in your area.
Paint a bus only lane in the downtown core
Recommended Location: 3rd and 4th Avenue Queue Jump Lanes
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
The Connect Downtown Draft Action Plan already has a Queue Jump lane on deck for the Downtown core on 3rd and 4th Avenues. With the timeline for Phase 1 to be completed between 2024 and 2026, we think it can get one piece of the puzzle done this year. 4th Avenue from Broadway going South to Lafayette would be a great candidate for a Quick Build dedicated bus lane. The Plan even cites how the City of Boston is developing quick-build bus lanes along their highest frequency train routes.
Let’s follow suit and get some red paint to make it happen with minimal interruptions, and get Routes 52, 55, and 64 moving smoothly through that corridor.
Audit existing downtown wayfinding and update accordingly
Recommended Location: 2nd Ave + Commerce
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Nashville Downtown Partnership
We have noticed some pretty outdated wayfinding in Downtown Nashville, some even pointing to the former location of the old Convention Center. While submitting Hub Nashville requests has effectively gotten incorrect markers removed, they were never replaced with anything. There is still a remaining map at 2nd + Commerce that could use updating. Can these be replaced? What if we went the Smart City direction and created a digital component to Downtown wayfinding? This is a great opportunity for creative problem solving.
Precedents: Big cities like New York City, NY, Houston, TX, and Chicago, IL as well as peer cities, like Raleigh, NC and Minneapolis, MN are all examples of cities that have digital touchscreen kiosks for wayfinding and city information.
Break Ground on a Major Vision Zero Complete Streets Project
Recommended Locations: Dickerson Pike + Main St./Gallatin Pike
Council Member / District: Sean Parker / 5 + Clay Capp / 6 + Emily Benedict / 7
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Tennessee Department of Transportation
Vision Zero is a national movement to eliminate ALL traffic-related deaths and severe injuries. This is a major priority for the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), and we are hopeful that the projects that stem from the Action Plan make a serious impact this year.
Dickerson Pike is one of the deadliest streets in Nashville. Over the last 3 years, we have been putting Dickerson traffic calming at the forefront of the conversation, beginning with the Nashville Youth Design Team’s Glow-in-the-Dark Crosswalk, which was the first tactical urbanism project that we have ever done on a state road. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) staff were inspired by the Nashville Youth Design Team's design and advocacy for the project, and their design kick-started a Complete Streets Project that will be a joint effort with TDOT and NDOT. We would love to see progress made this year on this vision becoming a reality.
In addition to Dickerson Pike, NDOT kicked off another Complete Streets Project for Gallatin/Main St. last year, and this has the exciting opportunity to address Transit Priority Lanes. Let’s keep up the momentum.
Implement a Road Diet on 8th Avenue
Council Member / District: Terry Vo / 17 + Courtney Johnston / 26
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Tennessee Department of Transportation
In 2016, the Greater Nashville Regional Council, formerly the Metropolitan Planning Organization, did a study on the Franklin Pike Corridor. The community engagement process was extremely supportive of a road diet to 3 travel lanes (1 each way, and a center left turn lane), which was meant to improve the multimodal experience on 8th Avenue/Franklin Pike, introducing protected bike lanes, and continuous sidewalks. In 2017, Walk Bike Nashville released a blog that highlighted all of the ways they supported this study’s visions to be implemented. At the time, they were explaining their desire to get this done in conjunction with the 2018 scheduled resurfacing plan. However, it never happened due to constituents’ overwhelming fear about increased traffic at the Wedgewood Ave intersection.
Let’s call to revisit this project. There may be a better solution for that particular intersection that doesn’t disrupt the rest of the Complete Streets design.
Increase frequency of the airport bus to every 18 minutes
Metro Department: WeGo Transit
No one wants to feel cornered into asking a friend or family member for a ride to/from the airport, but with a limited bus schedule and rideshare fees that eliminate affordable airport district pick-ups, you might find yourself feeling trapped at BNA. If the #18 bus became a high frequency route coupled with a strong marketing plan to get people to the bus, there is no doubt ridership would increase significantly, even without a Transit Priority Corridor on Murfreesboro.
Imagine a sign that said, “Take the #18 Bus every 18 minutes to get to Downtown Nashville with just $2 in your pocket.” The campaign could lean into a “starving artist” persona in a really positive way, valuing talent that doesn’t necessarily have a high transportation budget.
Create free ride days to promote transit education
Metro Department: WeGo Public Transit
While it is excellent to see WeGo’s ticketing progress by offering instantaneous transit ticket purchases through the Quick Ticket app, there is a sense of complication with app-based purchasing. If we are going to make this “The Year of Transit for Nashville,” we need to continue to build education around riding it. Being able to board transit without paying on select days eliminates the first layer of hesitation for your very first ride. One way to do this is by creating Free Ride Days on Holidays. Many cities do this to discourage driving on drinking-focused holidays, like New Year’s Eve. In fact, many cities are actually dropping their fares entirely to encourage ridership or making select routes free.
In several cities, I have hopped on the bus from the airport for free. Wouldn’t that be a great follow-up to increasing airport bus service?
Add a Crosstown Bus Route through Antioch
Recommended Location: Connect Antioch to the airport
Council Member / District: Joy Styles / 32 + David Benton / 28
Metro Department: WeGo Public Transit
Partner: Airport Authority
There is simply not enough public transportation going to and from Antioch, and community members often bring up their desire for more transit stops, routes, and connection through their neighborhood. We have also had conversations explaining how this has an impact on access to jobs when the only bus service that does exist only goes Downtown. What if we had a new crosstown route that went from the Music City Star station in Donelson through the airport, through Antioch, then all the way to Green Hills? Antioch would have access to these major districts as amenities and job opportunities.
Contact WeGo Transit if you think this should be a new route.
Tactical Urbanism
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Tactical Urbanism 🚧
Tactical urbanism "face lifts" for buildings in the central business district that are vacant
Recommended Location: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Avenues + Jefferson Street
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Arts + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Nashville Downtown Partnership + J.U.M.P. Nashville
Downtown buildings are often cycling through tenants, which means there is rarely a lack of vacant storefronts. Following the Christmas Day bomb, we were part of a community effort called Let’s Color Nashville, which gathered local artists to paint plywood murals to cover the damage from the blast. We would love to see those pieces resurface and commission more artists for similar projects that enliven empty storefronts. When those empty storefronts are filled, we could repurpose the artwork to a new location that needs love.
artistic crosswalks along Banker's Alley
Recommended Location: Intersections of Banker’s Alley at 3rd and 4th Avenues
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Arts + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Studio 208 + Nashville Downtown Partnership
In Winter of 2018, the Design Center was approached to envision art crosswalks for the midblock crossings that would connect Banker’s Alley across 3rd and 4th Avenues Downtown (Alleyways). It was an effort to signal the route of the art crawl and slow drivers for pedestrian safety. Now that the First Saturday Art Crawl is back, we would love to see this tactical urbanism intervention come to fruition!
Submit a request for a tactical urbanism permit if you would like to take the lead on this effort.
Turn the ugly overpasses into "Gates of the City"
Recommended Location: Secret Sidewalk, the end of Alabama Avenue under I-40
Council Member / District: Brenda Gadd / 24
Metro Department: Arts + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
This has long been a dream of the Civic Design Center, so when we saw this resolution come through from a community member, there was no doubt that we wanted to highlight it. In our book, Moving Tennessee Forward (2010), we have an entire section on revitalizing bridges of all types. It’s all about who owns and manages the bridge types as to how difficult implementing these gateway treatments would be. At the end of 2022, when Broadway Bridge was being redone by TDOT, they were extremely strict about the design, so our proposed visions and explanation of the successful efforts for the Demonbreun Bridge over a decade ago did little to convince the team to revisit their ideas.
For this Resolution to be successful, we are going to focus our efforts on the Secret Sidewalk project under the I-40 bridge. We hope that we can one day work more closely with TDOT and rail partners to create beautiful gateway treatments all over the city.
Create artistic public space under Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
Recommended Location: 2nd Avenue under the Seigenthaler Bridge
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Arts + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Studio 208 + Nashville Downtown Partnership + The District
The area under the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge has long been underutilized, and we have proposed a few different styles of activation to reclaim this public space since 2013! It is a prime location that sees a lot of passersby from Music City Star riders or those who regularly take the stairs to and from the top of the Bridge. However, there is currently no visual interest and no reason to spend time there. In Reclaiming Public Space (pg 39), a University of Tennessee Knoxville student proposes an outdoor market concept under the Seigenthaler Bridge. In Connecting the Dots (pg 34-35), we propose creative art installations that reference flood levels of the past and emphasize the importance of activating shaded areas Downtown.
The Greenway also passes underneath the Bridge, so one great Precedent to site is the Gulch Greenway under the Church Street Bridge, with mural by I Saw the Sign.
quick build intervention that makes the Clarksville Pike bridge safer
Recommended Location: Clarksville Pike Bridge between Bordeaux and North Nashville
Council Member / District: Kyonzté Toombs / 2
Partners: Nashville Youth Design Team + Tennessee Department of Transportation
Bridges tend to be a sore spot in Nashville for pedestrian comfort. The Clarksville Pike Bridge is not the only bridge that should be addressed; there are many bridges operated by Metro and the State that need multimodal interventions. We are very hopeful about Woodland St bridge improvements due to the NDOT East Nashville Spokes Project! Improving the Clarksville Pike Bridge could also be a great connection for Bordeaux residents to walk or bike to the up-and-coming North Nashville Transit Center. We know what you are thinking… it would be easy to get discouraged about this Resolution because this bridge is owned by the state. However, as I mentioned earlier, TDOT was highly supportive of youth ideas. While the Resolution came form an adult, this design came from the Nashville Youth Design Team. What if the Clarksville Pike Bridge had pink painted sidewalks and bike lanes?
The only route to accomplishing this Resolution may be rallying behind the youth’s ideas.
Increase Pet-Oriented Amenities like boxes dispensing free waste bags downtown
Recommended Locations: 2nd Ave and Commerce + 2nd Ave and Banker’s Alley + 12th Ave and Pine St
Council Member / District: Jacob Kupin / 19
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partners: Nashville Downtown Partnership + Mars Petcare
In 2017, it was estimated that 4,000+ dogs resided in Nashville’s downtown core (more dogs than children!). For Mars Petcare’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ City Certification Program’s first project, downtown was Metro’s top priority area for pet resources and amenities. By 2020, in partnership with Mars Petcare, Nashville Downtown Partnership and Civic Design Center, Metro added 14 Pet Waste Stations with free waste bags as gentle encouragement for people to be responsible pet owners. Today, only 1 Waste Station remains. They were removed or damaged for various reasons—from construction to the Christmas Day bomb.
The Nashville Downtown Partnership’s Annual Report for 2023 states that 17,630 residents live Downtown, and with nearly 20,000 more units coming, that number will double, or even triple - along with the number of pets. That doesn’t even include the 78,000 people who work Downtown and may bring their pets to work! It is clear that pet-friendly amenities are needed to help keep Nashville welcoming and clean for pets, pet parents and non-pet owners alike.
Policy
📃 👩🏻⚖️
Policy 📃 👩🏻⚖️
Pass Dedicated Funding for Transit in November 2024
Metro Department: Mayor’s Office
We have seen the press. It’s clear that a Transit Referendum would be most successful during a Presidential election year, and that means 2024 is an incredibly great time to make it happen. Mayor O’Connell stated in our Mayoral Forum last June that he was committed to securing dedicated funding for transit in his first year stating, “This is the biggest missing ingredient for success as a city and you can count on me to both lead the effort and get it done in my first term.” It seems unlikely that the Mayor would pass up the opportunity to align with this election cycle.
If the announcement is made officially, we will be going full force on community education and advocacy. We hope you’ll join us.
Pass a new sidewalk ordinance that can withstand legal challenges and help build the sidewalk network we all deserve
Council Member / District: All Council Members + Districts
Metro Department: Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
In a city that has major gaps in the sidewalk network, it was disappointing to see the sidewalk ordinance that passed in 2017 face lawsuit allegations last year. The ordinance required that property owners on or near busy roads either build a sidewalk on their property for public use or pay a fee into a sidewalk construction fund to receive a building permit. The “sidewalk to nowhere” issue is what instigated the initial lawsuit. Why should one property owner have to build a sidewalk that doesn’t connect to anything? Our response would be that one piece of a sidewalk could be the path for funding sidewalk connections to that initial portion. However, our word doesn’t hold up in court.
We would love to support a Metro Council member willing to sponsor a bill for a new ordinance that can withstand these legal loopholes. If you are a Council Member interested in championing this bill, we are here to help!
Overhaul the zoning code to address the housing crisis
Council Bill Sponsors: Quin Evans Segall / At-Large + Rollin Horton / 20
Council Member / District: All Council Members + Districts
Metro Department: Planning + Planning Commission
It is simple. Our zoning code is 25 years old… 25 years ago, the Civic Design Center didn’t even exist yet! Nashville has changed dramatically when it comes to the wants and needs for housing density, and we have been making great policy strides already, including eliminating minimum parking requirements that would allow developers in the Urban Zoning Overlay to put more money towards units rather than parking. In our Mayoral Forum, we asked whether the candidates thought Nashville needed to update its zoning code to increase housing density. While Mayor O’Connell hoped to address it when he was on Council, he was very much in support. Much to our excitement, Council Members Evans Segall and Horton have already filed bills that will begin to address this issue, highlighting Missing-Middle Housing specifically.
We encourage you to email your Council Member if you align with this Resolution.
Identify innovative, pet-friendly transitional housing for people currently experiencing homelessness
Council Member / District: All Districts + Burkley Allen / At-Large
Metro Department: Office of Homeless Services
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels around the country were converted to private transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness. In Nashville, there are a number of underutilized or vacant Metro-owned properties that could be low-hanging fruit to convert to transitional housing resources. Human shelters, transitional and affordable housing that exists rarely allow pets, and can create a deterrent to accessibility or desirability for those who do not want to be separated from their pets.
The first step to activating underutilized spaces is finding and cataloguing them. If you know of underutilized buildings or property in your neighborhood, email your local Council Member and At-Large Member Burkley Allen. Another step we can take is advocating for shelters, transitional and affordable housing that already exists to take steps towards becoming welcoming to pets as well as their people. What are those organizations’ barriers for becoming pet-friendly or having pet-friendly options? Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Pass a policy that requires our trash company to replace receptacles off sidewalk—Don’t block the sidewalk
Council Member / District: All Districts
Metro Department: Metro Water Services + Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure
Partner: Platform Waste Solutions, Waste Pro and Waste Management; TN Disability Coalition
Sometimes it seems like sidewalks in Nashville are few and far between, so this doesn’t feel like an important Resolution to those who don’t put their trash out near a sidewalk. This becomes a much greater accessibility concern when you actually have sidewalks. While neighbors in wheelchairs or neighbors who take strollers out for a walk can navigate easily around trash cans on residential streets without sidewalks, that simple task of leaving your house becomes nearly impossible on trash day if you have a sidewalk. Even if residents leave their trash/recycling cans in their driveway or on the grass adjacent to the sidewalk, our waste companies have little care where the can is returned. Children walking home from the elementary school a block away in my neighborhood are forced to navigate these barriers on a high-speed Pike, and I can’t imagine the added challenge navigating the barriers in a wheelchair or with a stroller.
Platform Waste Solutions’ contract will be up at the end of this year. It seems like the perfect opportunity to negotiate a policy for how the company replaces cans for the sake of accessibility.
This is a simple list identifying our Resolutions and their context. In order to keep it as short as possible, we opted for links to more information rather than visual depictions of problems, precedents, and more. Throughout the year, we intend to dive deeper into some of these issues with more long-form blogs. If you are interested in expanding on your own experience and how you intend to support the completion of specific Resolutions, please reach out to me directly. Otherwise, post comments below to engage in a dialogue with the community!