By Nia Smith, Community Design Coordinator

3 min read Fans of public spaces in Bordeaux rejoice over the opportunity to celebrate the engineering marvels of Lock One Park and the Bordeaux Bridge, following presentations at PechaKucha Night Vol. 49

The Civic Design Center is working to improve health and safety in Nashville’s Bordeaux and Haynes neighborhoods through equitable urban planning. The project addresses disparities by enhancing public spaces and transportation infrastructure. Key interventions include revitalizing Lock One Park to provide accessible recreational space, redesigning Trinity Lane into a climate-resilient Green Street, and improving pedestrian and cyclist safety on the Clarksville Pike bridge. These efforts are grounded in community engagement and aim to address historic disinvestment, promote active living, and reduce health inequities in these predominantly Black, underserved neighborhoods. This work is made possible by the TN Dept of Health.

This month we hosted PechaKucha Night 49 in Nashville, with the theme of Bridges, Boats, and Barges! So many great cities orient their activities with the blueways, creating access, parks, and a refreshing experience working with the natural barriers. Nashville has such a rich history and relationship to bridges, boats, AND barges and we felt this would be a great opportunity to highlight the project we’re currently working on with the State.

In the image above, you can see 4 sites called out. To the south, the location of our PKN 49 at Neuhoff’s Boiler Room. A special thanks to the Neuhoff and Monday Night Brewing staff for their fantastic hospitality. Directly north of that is Lock One Park, connected by West Trinity Lane to the Clarksville Pike Bridge. We wanted to use our relationship with PechaKucha Night and the event’s location to make space for conversations about connections across the river.

How parks can engage with Water

A stakeholder and staff site visit to Lock One Park

Once a historic engineering landmark, Lock One Park is amongst the most unutilized and overlooked of Metro Parks’ parcels. The US Army Corps of Engineers built in the lock in the 1900s and it was demolished about 50 years later. Today, the steep stone remains provide a perfect lookout point of Nashville, a long-awaited boat launch, and an opportunity to build a unique neighborhood park.

Remi Lynch, Landscape Planning Associate at the Design Center, shares some ideas for a riverfront park that engages with the river, taking inspiration from familiar parks that celebrate the water. You can hear more about his design ideas and connection to the Lock One Park by listening to his presentation during PechaKucha Night 49: Bridges, Boats and Barges below. There are some design ideas laid out following the audio recording.

Remi’s design encourages the lock to become a boat and kayak launch with plenty of space for a pool. Awnings and shelters make it easier to relax by the river, allowing for multiple functions, like outdoor classes or picnics.

The Cumberland Greenway could connect with the future Pages Branch Greenway, creating access to Lock One Park and the East side.

Who’s ready for some riverfront nightlife? One of the now abandoned buildings near Lock One Park is currently zoned as a nightclub. Could you imagine dancing along the river?

Precedent Images based on Remi’s travels; Left: Copenhagen, Denmark; Right: Phoenix, NY

Bridge should serve Better connections

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial bridge. The Clarksville Pike Bridge. The Bordeaux Bridge. This unassuming, gateway of many names carries over 38,000 vehicles and countless pedestrians everyday. Unfortunately, the bike and pedestrian safety for the bridge is in dire need for improvement.

Airstream, a local cyclist and Bordeaux Bridge enthusiast shares her concerns, love and hopes for the bridge in the audio below. The images in the gallery below are taken by Airstream, of and around the bridge. Some great precedents we found for safer pedestrian access were the High Trestle Trail, a rail to trial project in Iowa, and the Lightpath AKL in Auckland, New Zealand. A really important elements for both sources of inspiration, include great lighting and simplicity in the designs. A future pedestrian bridge or accessway must complement the elegantly simple, utilitarian design of the North Nashville Gateway.