What if we reframed our relationship with water in Nashville, so we were less concerned about crossing it and more focused on experiencing it?

When you think about waterways, what do you think about? Your mind might jump to rivers and canals that were often used to transport goods from one place to the next. When something is a “-way” off any kind, it brings about the thought of movement; for instance, “roadway” or “greenway” are commonly used. We have also released publications using the term “blueway”, specifically related to recreational transport, more similar to a greenway in concept.

During this event, we are going to hear from an urban planner who has been working on a fellowship here in Nashville for the last 6 months. Her name is Hixhaz Njuria and she hails from Albania where much of her work has been around waterways in the capitol city of Tirana and the surrounding areas. Hixhaz will use her objective eye to expand on our kayak station concepts by way of activity centers along the River, since access to the waterfront should always be more equitable. She will go further to reframe our minds regarding other waterways, like creeks within neighborhoods, that connect to the Cumberland River.

Riverfront development is a very hot topic in Nashville right now. Between the city’s exploration of what to do on the East Bank and Oracle’s greatly debated River North campus, the focus is mostly around the Downtown core and adjacent neighborhoods. We are excited to hear more about how we can expand water access in creative ways, and then encourage people to stick around with activities.

Learn more about Hixhaz Nurja, Design Fellow

Hixhaz Nurja is an architect and urban planner with over 5 years of experience in the private and public sector. She holds a master degree in urban planning from the Polytechnic University of Tirana.

In last 4 years she has been part of the team involved in the designing of 7 General Local Plans in Albania and 5 Detailed Local Plans for Areas of Special Impotance and National Protected Areas. During these time she has lent herself to assist in the designing process on urban planing which directly affects the said communities in a strategic way, by solving some their economic and territorial challenges.

Her professional career reflects her strong interest in the relationship between communities in the planning process. Hixhaz strongly believes that urban design is the instrument for developing a sustainable local economy. More importantly by working hand in hand and an in inclusive manner with communities, enables for their voice to be heard and serve their interests best.