# General plan documents — nashville-tennessee Assembled by OpenPublica from the documents it serves for this government. Each section below is a separate publication by the government; page anchors (``) refer to pages of that section's own source PDF, linked in its heading. **Contains 3 documents.** OpenPublica has pinned these slots for this government: circulation, housing, land_use. That is what we have looked for, not a statement that the government publishes nothing else — a plan element absent here may simply not have been reviewed yet. Last reviewed 2026-08-09. --- ## Land Use — Land Use, Transportation, & Infrastructure - Source: https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/next-volume2-Elements_LUTI.pdf?ct=1759252147 - Pages: 66 - Covers: land_use nashvillenext # A General Plan for Nashville & Davidson County Adopted June 22, 2015 # Volume II: Elements <
> | | Certified per TCA 13-4-202 as a part of the Nashville-Davidson County General Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Commission and including all amendments to this part as of June 22, 2015. | | :--- | :--- | | <
> | Richard Bernhardt | | | Executive Secretary | <
> # Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure # METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION # OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE ### Resolution No. RS2015-256 “BE IT RESOLVED by The Metropolitan Planning Commission that NashvilleNext is approved in accordance with the staff report and recommendations in the staff report with the following amendments: 2; 3; 4; 5; 14; 15; 16; 18; 20; 22a, 22c; 23; 24; 25; 31; 32; and the deferral of 11 areas identified in the Whites Creek area until the August 13, 2015 Planning Commission meeting with the Public Hearing closed. (9-0)” Resolution No. RS2015-256 WHEREAS, Section 13-4-203 of the Tennessee Code, Annotated, authorizes a General Plan “with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with existing and future needs, best promote public health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare, as well as efficiency and economy in the process of development, and identify areas where there are inadequate or nonexistent publicly or privately owned and maintained services and facilities when the planning commission has determined the services are necessary in order for development to occur;” and WHEREAS, Chapter 5, section 11.504 (c) of the Metro Nashville Charter gives the Metro Planning Commission the power to “Make, amend and add to the master or general plan for the physical development of the entire metropolitan government area;” and WHEREAS, Section 18.02 of the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requires that zoning regulations be enacted by the Council “only on the basis of a comprehensive plan prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Commission;” and WHEREAS, the last General Plan, *Concept 2010, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* was adopted in 1992; and WHEREAS, Mayor Karl Dean, seeing fit to update the General Plan, announced on May 22, 2012 that the General Plan would be updated, assigning the task to the Metro Planning Department; and WHEREAS, under the leadership of the *NashvilleNext* Steering Committee and the Community Engagement Committee, the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission worked with stakeholders in Nashville/Davidson County, holding over 420 public meetings and events and soliciting input through online forums, engaging over 18,500 participants in providing public input to update the General Plan; WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, empowered under state statute and the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to adopt master or general plans for smaller areas of the county, finds that the process followed to develop the *NashvilleNext* General Plan included diverse, widespread, and meaningful community participation and substantial research and analysis and therefore finds that replacing the *Concept 2010* General Plan with the *NashvilleNext* General Plan is warranted; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Metropolitan Planning Commission hereby ADOPTS *NashvilleNext, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* in accordance with sections 11.504 (e), (j), and 18.02 of the charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, and Davidson County as the basis for the Commission’s development decisions in the county. <
> James McLean, Chairman Adoption Date: June 22, 2015 Attest: <
> J. Douglas Sloan, III, Secretary and Executive Director # PARTS OF THE PLAN Each part of the plan has a role to play. Some parts are broad and visionary, while others are specific and detailed. This section helps users of the plan understand how the parts fit together and support one another. No part of the plan is intended to stand alone; each can be understood only as working together with the rest of the plan. ## I Vision, Trends & Strategy Volume I presents the role and powers of the plan, key trends and issues that the plan addresses, a summary of the plan’s strategy and approach to the future, and implementation goals and policies. ## II Elements * » Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure * » Arts, Culture & Creativity * » Economic & Workforce Development * » Education & Youth * » Health, Livability & the Built Environment * » Housing * » Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation ## III Communities Nashville’s Community Plans provide history and context for Nashville’s 14 Community Planning Areas, along with community-specific issues, strategies, and sketches of how different places in the community could change over time. Detailed Community Character Maps link the broad, countywide Growth Concept Map to character policies that guide zoning and development decisions. ### Community Character Manual The Community Character Manual provides detailed explanations of the character policies used in the Community Character Maps. ## IV Actions Specific tasks for Metro departments and partners to undertake, within a recommended timeframe. ## V Access Nashville 2040 Volume V is the overarching vision of how transportation works under NashvilleNext. ## Volume II ### Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure ### Contents About the element....................................................................................................... 5 Key ideas shaping this chapter........................................................................... 5 *Land uses*................................................................................................................... *5* *Infrastructure*............................................................................................................ *9* *Condition of Nashville’s Infrastructure*........................................................ *11* *Transportation*........................................................................................................ *16* The Charter of the New Urbanism................................................................ 25 *The region: Metropolis, city, and town*.......................................................... *26* *The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor*....................................... *27* *The block, the street, and the building*.......................................................... *28* Goals & policies....................................................................................................... 29 <
> # LAND USE, TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE ### About the element How land is used, how public and private services support daily life, and how we get around Nashville are central to shaping quality of life in Nashville and creating the future that Nashvillians want. The core purpose of a general plan like NashvilleNext is to improve quality of life for all residents during times of change by creating convenient, equitable, healthy, efficient, and attractive communities for present and future generations. The plan does this by aligning land use regulations with investments in transportation and other infrastructure. How land is used does not happen in isolation from other things the public cares about, such as affordability, sense of community, health, and environmental quality. Generations of planners have learned that addressing land use and infrastructure in isolation from these issues produces irrelevant plans and frustration for the public. ### Key ideas shaping this chapter #### Land uses Land is the defining feature of Davidson County. The county is a specific place, a boundary set down upon the land more than two centuries ago (prior even to Tennessee statehood). While its boundaries have changed little in that time, the way the land is used has changed dramatically. Land use is the activity humans conduct on a particular piece of land. This piece of land is home to a downtown honky-tonk; that piece of land is a farm; another has a store. Land with homes on it—either a tall apartment building or a small house—is called residential. Land used for activities like offices, shops, restaurants, or factories is called nonresidential. Land that is awaiting development may be called vacant, while land that is preserved or serves a recreation function is called open space. How land uses relate to one another is often a source of considerable controversy, particularly as those uses change over time. Generally, most of the attention in these controversies relates to land uses that are or could be incompatible with residential uses (especially single-family homes). Land uses can be incompatible in many ways. Different people respond to potential incompatibilities differently. Most people today agree that polluting industry is incompatible with residential because it has direct health impacts. Similarly, intense noise and light (including noise from car and truck traffic) is also considered incompatible with homes, especially when it occurs overnight. Beyond that, incompatibilities are more subjective, particularly when they offer positive benefits. For example, homes close to major roads with shopping and transit are exposed to more traffic, noise, and light than homes farther away. However, they also offer the benefits of convenience and multiple travel options, such as walking, biking, or transit. Having homes completely removed from these uses generally limits residents to only traveling by cars. Incompatibility often becomes a trade-off between different residents. While many people would welcome more diverse housing options in neighborhoods with amenities, such as neighborhood shopping, a good school, a nice park, or a low crime rate, the current residents of those neighborhoods often object, seeing more or different housing as incompatible because it changes the neighborhood’s character. The form housing takes, rather than the density, is increasingly a concern, as larger, taller single-family homes replace smaller ones. In some cases, these incompatibilities are worked out in the private market. People who prefer more quiet homes choose homes farther from busy areas, while people who prefer convenience, walkability, or transit access live close to those places. In other cases, particularly as nearby land uses change, design of buildings and sites can help smooth transitions. At the same time, these choices are constrained by the resources people have and the options available to them. For example, lower income households have fewer choices in where to live. The market may be inequitable when the only choices available to people of modest means are unsafe, unhealthy, or too costly. Design is central to Nashville’s approach to community planning. Tools like community plans, zoning, and subdivision regulations are increasingly used to protect, enhance, or reflect the character of established places, especially residential neighborhoods. Ensuring that new homes and transitional areas are in character with existing homes can help to accommodate new housing types and reduce conflict between neighbors and developers. These tools also guide both new development and redevelopment to support health and walkability. This does not mean that established places will not change. As changes occur, they are guided by policy and zoning tools that focus on creating compatibility with the existing character. (See the Community Plans in Volume III.) Metro Planning also encourages new development and infrastructure decisions to address community needs and desires for the future. For example, one community may lack retail services, while another lacks open space. One community may lack new investment in homes and shops, while another struggles to maintain affordability amid an influx of new investment. Working closely with communities, planners can help fine-tune regulations, incentives, and investments to achieve these ends. In addition to compatibility and community desires for the future, planners must also respect individual property rights. Homeowners may wish to expand their homes, supplement their incomes by renting out space, or operate a home-based business. Commercial property owners often want to add new offices, storefronts, or additional parking. Oftentimes, property owners are the first to ask for permission to build, develop, or use their property in ways that were not anticipated when regulations were last updated. For example, the decline in the cost of computers, communication, and other workplace tools means a rise in home-based work not anticipated when work primarily happened on paper, face to face, in factories, or on farms. Last, the Planning Department works to ensure the efficient provision of services, identify priorities for public infrastructure investments, and manage the county’s tax base. The three primary tools that the Planning Department and the Planning Commission use to guide changes in land use are community plans, zoning, and subdivision regulations. Community plans (volume III of NashvilleNext) are detailed land use plans that guide development decisions based on the community’s vision for the future. They provide detailed direction for the form and use of neighborhoods, centers, corridors, and open space. Each Community plan includes a Community Character Map, which guides decisions on requests to subdivide land or change zoning. Zoning is a set of regulations that apply two general sets of rules to specific properties: » what kinds of uses are allowed » form regulations like height, bulk, and setback Zoning is used to ensure compatible development occurs in the most appropriate places over time. Subdivision regulations guide how particular parcels can be divided into two or more smaller parcels. Creating smaller parcels can pose health and safety issues, related to access for utilities and public safety (such as firefighters). At the time of subdivision, space is usually reserved for these services to access properties. When larger properties are subdivided into many smaller properties, the subdivision process also involves laying out the street network and reserving space for roads and sidewalks. While access and road connections are good for emergency access and for creating transportation alternatives, residents are often concerned that these connections will bring more traffic, speeding, and people from outside their area. Planners work toward balancing the competing needs of a wide variety of stakeholders to arrive at a common community vision, and to apply sound planning principles that foster sustainable community development and preservation. ### Infrastructure Infrastructure is the part of the built and natural environment that conveys a public service. Infrastructure systems undergird daily life, by providing necessities or keeping us safe. For example, roads, sewers, schools, sidewalks, and parks are all considered infrastructure. Infrastructure is typically capital intensive, meaning that it is expensive to construct and maintain, and difficult to change. Roads, for example, are difficult to re-route. Not only must new roads be constructed, but the pattern of buildings and uses that surround roads are themselves also difficult to move, especially where properties are owned by multiple owners. Some infrastructure is above-ground and visible in our daily lives, like roads and powerlines. Other infrastructure is hidden, removed from daily life (like a water treatment plant), or underground. Infrastructure is costly. Initially, it includes the cost of land, the cost of materials, and the cost of construction. Over time, infrastructure must be maintained or it breaks down and needs repair. If infrastructure falls into disrepair, it can become a health or safety hazard. Typically, larger repairs are more costly than minor maintenance. However, sometimes it is difficult to reach infrastructure for ongoing maintenance. For example, water and sewer lines are underground, covered by roads, sidewalks, private property, and buildings. Infrastructure has a complicated relationship with land use. New infrastructure can attract more intense land uses and new development. For example, lack of sewer service may limit how many homes can be placed on a piece of property. Water pipes, sewers, roads, and rail lines typically have a strong role in shaping where development or redevelopment occurs, and in what form. Other infrastructure follows as development occurs. In newly developed areas, schools and parks are typically built alongside or after new subdivisions are planned. As more houses and people are added, commercial services may follow. All infrastructure can increase or decrease the attractiveness of a place. For example, a park may be added once a place has enough homes nearby ### Figure LUTI-1: Infrastructure needs The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernment Relations assesses infrastructure needs for each county in the state. Below, Davidson County’s needs for 2011–2016 are compared with Metro’s spending on capital improvements from 2008–2012. <
> Source: Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernment Relations Report on Infrastructure Needs; Metro Budget Office. to require one. Once there, however, it can make the existing nearby homes more attractive to others. This in turn could encourage them to be redeveloped, bringing in more homes or higher priced homes. In addition to the built environment, the natural environment also serves as infrastructure. For example, while storm sewers are one man-made way to manage rainfall, open space, tree canopy, and native vegetation all help to manage stormwater by infiltrating it into the ground. Similarly, trees improve air quality by pulling pollution out of the air. Plants can also be used to improve pollution in the ground. (For additional information, see the Natural Resources and Hazard Adaption Chapter.) ### Figure LUTI-2: Music City Infrastructure Report Infrastructure is the municipal budget’s “silent killer.” By its very nature, much of it is hidden from public view—out of sight and out of mind. But then the catastrophic events occur—a water pipe bursts in downtown in the dead of winter, a bridge collapses, a pothole suddenly becomes an SUV-swallowing sinkhole. More recent in Nashville’s memory, an unusual weather pattern turned the Cumberland River and its tributaries into a giant, brown swallower of homes and futures. Infrastructure—from roads and bridges to sewer pipes—is expensive. A recent Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations identified the funding need for Metro Davidson County over the next five years at $4.3 billion or $6,876 per person. In 2012, a joint committee of Urban Land Institute Nashville District Council and the American Society of Civil Engineers, Tennessee Section, Nashville Branch, produced the “Music City Infrastructure Report,” (MCIR) that included a comprehensive analysis of potable, waste, and storm water, along with roads, bridges, and bikeways. In addition, the group studied Nashville’s power needs and mass transit as well as parks, greenways, and open spaces. The overall conclusion of the study was that Nashville’s current infrastructure systems are adequate, but that funding is strained and there are significant capacity issues that could impede future growth. Setting infrastructure priorities and funding is vital to keep Nashville on the leading edge of cities in the region and country. *From the Music City Infrastructure Report, 2013* ### Condition of Nashville’s Infrastructure <
> ### Ratings summary The Music City Infrastructure Report utilized a “stoplight” evaluation methodology, which is summarized here. Systems rated red are most in need of investment, while those rated orange, yellow, and green are increasingly well-positioned for the future. In addition to the nine infrastructure systems reviewed in the Music City Infrastructure Report, this chapter includes three additional systems not reviewed, but which serve as important parts of Nashville’s infrastructure: » Urban forest » Streams and creeks » Public art <
> ### Water Two treatment facilities for Metro Water Services have a combined capacity for 90 million gallons of water per day. Metro Water Services has 1,827 miles (64 percent) of water distribution lines that are greater than 40 years old. An additional 746 miles (26 percent) are at least 20 years old, and less than 300 miles (10 percent) are less than 20 years old. <
> ### Wastewater Metro Water Services operates three wastewater treatment facilities. MWS treats approximately 47.3 billion gallons of wastewater every year. In Nashville’s core, much of the existing piping was built in the late 1880s and carries a combination of sewer and stormwater. Wastewater utilities are primarily supported by user rates. <
> ### Stormwater Metro Water Services maintains 4,000 miles of aging storm water drainage structures in the Metro area. The stormwater system is barely adequate and has been plagued by a history of not having a dedicated funding mechanism, despite a new stormwater fee, instituted in 2009. A 2008 study estimated that there is approximately an $85 million shortfall that needs to be made up to address the backlog of projects and services identified. ### Roads Nashville has more than 2,600 lane miles of roadway, with multiple organizations responsible for their planning, funding, maintenance, and operations. Congestion in Nashville increased by 11 percent in just a one-year period ending in 2010. In 2011, 52.7 percent of Davidson County’s lane-miles were in good or better condition, a major drop from the prior year due to the May 2010 flood and harsh winter. ### Bridges Nashville has 1,119 bridges on the public road system. The Tennessee Department of Transportation owns most of these bridges. Metro Nashville owns and maintains 326 of them. Maintenance costs run roughly $6 million to $8 million per year. The available funding for the bridge network has been coming in at roughly half that figure. The accumulated funding deficit could creat financial trouble in the future as bridge traffic volumes increase with population growth. ### Bikeways Nashville has approximately 55 miles of greenways and multi-use paths, 33 miles of bike lanes, and 59 miles of signed bike routes. Nashville ranks fourth in the nation for percentage of Federal transportation funds being used for bikeways. <
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> ## Mass Transit Metro Transit Authority operates multiple bus lines covering the majority of the county, with regional connections in cooperation with the Regional Transit Authority. MTA/RTA also operates the Music City Star, a commuter rail line to Wilson County. Several of Nashville’s top economic competitors including Charlotte, Austin, Denver, and Raleigh have recently invested billions of dollars to modernize their mass transit systems. In a recent survey conducted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization, 83 percent of respondents agreed that mass transit is important for the economy and that regional mass transit would better prepare Nashville for the anticipated growth. <
> ## Parks, Greenways, and Open Space Metro has 115 park locations, 114 playgrounds, 170 tennis courts, six year-round golf courses, multiple athletic fields, more than 37 miles of greenways, swimming pools, community centers, and more than 100 conditioned buildings. In 2010, Nashville had 17 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents. In 2013, we have approximately 12,000 acres of parkland and open space. <
> ## Energy Nashville’s electricity is generated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Nashville Electric Service is responsible for the electricity distribution system, with 91,000 distribution transformers, 233 distribution substations, 5,721 distribution pole line miles, and 66,609 streetlights. NES serves 360,000 customers in Davidson County and portions of six surrounding counties. Residential customers account for 40 percent of kilowatt-hour sales. ## Urban Forest Nashville’s tree canopy is a critical resource. Trees clean the air and water and provide habitat for wildlife. In urban areas, trees create a welcoming streetscape that helps to slow drivers. The shade from trees cools pedestrians, as well as pavement and buildings. The 2010 Tree Inventory found 47 percent of Davidson County was shaded by trees. Unsurprisingly, rural parts of the county like Joelton, Union Hill, Whites Creek, and Bellevue have the highest coverage (over 60 percent of the land). Downtown and North Nashville have substantially lower coverage (5 and 19 percent, respectively). The Inventory also found that another 35 percent of the county had potential for trees. ## Stream Health There are approximately 2,500 miles of streams within Davidson County. Of these, 330 miles have been designated as impaired and placed on the Clean Water Act’s 303(d) list by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Through monitoring, illicit discharge detection, and water quality protection activities, in the last few years over 90 miles of streams have shown improvement and have been in part or fully removed from the 303(d) list. ## Public Art Public art plays a major role in neighborhood placemaking. Nashville’s One Percent for Art Program receives 1 percent of general obligation bond improvement project funds to commission and purchase art. Since Nashville’s public art program began, 40 permanent works of art have been added to the public art collection with several additional large scale projects in the works. Public art fuels creative participation and can facilitate wayfinding, animate gathering places, and tell the visual story of a neighborhood. The map at right shows the distribution of funded projects by Council District. A goal of the program is to spread public art throughout all of Nashville’s neighborhoods and cultural centers; however, there is currently no recurring funding stream for maintenance of the growing collection. <
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> ### Transportation Transportation infrastructure rates special attention. No other form of infrastructure is as clearly linked with land use patterns as the way people move around a city. The relationship between land use patterns (where people want or need to go) and transportation infrastructure (what options are available for getting there) fundamentally shape daily life. Not only does transportation infrastructure open or limit access to different places in Nashville, the infrastructure itself uses a large amount of land (primarily through space for roads and for parking). Transportation, typically traffic and associated impacts, is central to many conflicts over changing land uses. Transportation poses major costs to Nashville residents and businesses. First, the direct cost of transportation is the second largest expense for most American households (nearly 25 percent of income, for Davidson County residents[^p16-1]). This includes the cost of owning or renting a car, gas, insurance, maintenance, and repair, or the cost of transit. #### Figure LUTI-3: Most find it difficult to get around Nashville without a car Nashvillians were asked how easy they found it to get around the city without a car <
> Source: Collective Strength, Nashville Issues Survey (1,009 respondents, June-August 2012) Second, time spent traveling, especially along congested routes, can reduce time available for other activities. The Texas Transportation Institute estimates the cost of congestion at $1,000[^p16-2] per person each year, due to time and fuel costs. Third, time spent in traffic is mentally and physically stressing. People who drive 9,000 to 18,000 miles each year are more likely to have neck and back pain than those who drive less than 3,000 miles each year.[^p16-3] For context, [^p16-1]: Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, Center for Neighborhood Technology. Davidson County figure accessed at htaindex.cnt.org on May 6, 2015 [^p16-2]: Texas Transportation Institute, 2012 Urban Mobility Report [^p16-3]: Human Impact Partners Evidence Base: Transportation & Walkability. Skov T, Borg V, Orhede E. Occupational Environmental Medicine Journal, 1996. 53(5)351-356 **Figure LUTI-4: How to improve transportation in Nashville** Nashvillians were asked to rank three ways of improving transportation in Nashville. <
> Source: Collective Strength, Nashville Issues Survey (1,009 respondents, June - August 2012) the average driver in Middle Tennessee travels 15,000[^p17-4] miles each year. Transportation is also the largest source of air pollution in Nashville. Air pollution contributes to chronic respiratory illness, asthma, impaired lung function, and cancer and heart disease. Fourth, for people living in poverty with no access to a privately owned vehicle (7.7[^p17-5] percent of Nashvillians), transportation can limit their ability to get and keep a job. This makes it more difficult to climb out of poverty and limits businesses’ access to workers. Traditionally, transportation planning has focused on mobility, or the ability to move people and goods through the county quickly. Seen through a mobility lens, congestion is bad because it limits people’s ability to travel and slows them down. The TTI study previously mentioned ranked Nashville the 11th worst region in the country for travel delays due to congestion.[^p17-6] Because density can lead to congestion, considering only mobility tends to spread people and jobs farther apart. Recently, a different approach has emerged. Accessibility is a broader concept that better captures the relationship between land use and transportation. It considers how easy it is for people to access the destinations they need. Instead of time spent in congestion or average speed, accessibility considers the total distance traveled or the number of destinations within a certain distance. ### Accessibility better captures the relationship between land use and transportation by considering how easy it is for people to access the destinations they need. [^p17-4]: Federal Highway Administration, 2009 National Household Travel Survey Tabulation created on the NHTS website at http://nhts.ornl.gov [^p17-5]: Governing Magazine, “Car Ownership in U.S. Cities Map,” calculated using the American Community Survey (2010–2013 2-year estimate) [^p17-6]: Texas Transportation Institute, 2012 Urban Mobility Report #### Figure LUTI-5: Travel mode for commuting to work (2000–2013) <
> Source: U.S. Census (2000); American Community Survey, 1-year estimate (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) Here, density can be a benefit, even if it causes congestion, if it provides more destinations within a short distance. Accessibility also includes other ways to get around a city such as riding mass transit, walking, and biking. ### Travel patterns Transportation includes how people get to all of the different things they need. Data about travel habits is only partly available. Some aspects of travel, like commuting to work, are well-studied, while less is known about other trips throughout the day. In Davidson County, commuting to work accounts for 15 percent of all trips (other work-related trips accounted for another 4 percent of trips). Travel for shopping (11 percent), other purposes such as health care or church (10 percent), and school (6 percent) were the next most frequent reasons for trips. More than half (65 percent) of people taking a trip drove an auto, van or truck; another 18 percent were passengers. Nine percent of trips were walking, 1 percent were by bicycle, and 5 percent were transit (with another 2 percent by school bus). Because it is included in the Census (through 2000) and the American Community Survey (after 2000), commuting to work has the most widely available data. In Nashville, the vast majority (80 percent) of workers drive alone to jobs. Other modes have generally held steady, with slight increases in transit riders and people working from home and a decline in the number of people carpooling. For trips to school (including college students), nearly half of students traveled as a passenger in a car, truck, or van (17 percent drove themselves). One in five students traveled by school bus, but only 2 percent traveled by public transit. More than one in every 10 students walked. The transportation system is also used for moving goods into, out of, and through Davidson County. Three-quarters of all freight in the county is moving through Nashville, rather than starting, ending, or both within the city. More than 80 percent of all freight in Davidson County is moved by truck. ### Figure LUTI-6: Movement of freight With 150 million people within 650 miles of Nashville, it is not surprise that logistics and transportation are major components of Nashville’s economy. The charts below show how freight moves through Nashville by mode and destination. **Total freight by mode** * Truck * Water * Rail * Air < 1% <
> *Source: Transearch Data, from the Nashville Regional Freight and Goods Movement Study Phase 2 (2010)* **Total freight by direction** * Through * Inbound * Outbound * Local <
> *Source: Transearch Data, from the Nashville Regional Freight and Goods Movement Study Phase 2 (2010)* Figure LUTI-7: Different kinds of surface travel <
> ### Freeways A divided highway having two or more lanes for the exclusive use of traffic in each direction and full control of access. The freeway is the only type of highway intended to provide complete “uninterrupted” flow. Bicycle and pedestrian travel is forbidden or discouraged within the immediate right of way. *Examples: Interstates 24, 40, and 65, State Route 155-Briley Parkway, State Route 6-Ellington Parkway, 440 Parkway, etc.* <
> ### Arterials A major thoroughfare that is vital for moving people and goods and feeds into the interstate and freeway systems. In a city, wide sidewalks are common for pedestrians and bike lanes may be a provided for bicycling. *Examples: Gallatin Pike, West End Avenue, Dickerson Pike, Hillsboro Pike, Nolensville Pike, Lebanon Road, State Route 96, etc.* <
> ### Collector Streets Intended to balance access and mobility considerations by serving through movement as well as access to land. Collectors connect traffic on highways and arterials to local streets and adjacent land. In a city, sidewalks are common and bike lanes or a shared road marking may identify a bike route. *Examples: Belmont Boulevard, Paragon Mills Road, Jones Avenue, etc.* <
> ### Local Streets All other streets are generally considered to be local. Local streets typically support direct access to homes and are generally designed for slow speeds to safely allow for other neighborhood activities like walking and biking. *Examples: Woodyhill Drive, Albion Street, Briarwood Drive, Morton Mill Road, etc.* ### Figure LUTI-8: Pedestrian and bicycling level of service on major roads Level of service shows the walking condition on shared roadways. These conditions include presence of walking and biking facliities, separation from traffic, and overall traffic volume and speed. *Source: The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, 2015* <
> ### Pedestrian Level of Service | | | |---|---| | **A** | Usually seen where there are large buffer areas with trees, at least 5 foot sidewalks, low traffic volumes, and moderate to low speeds. | | **B** | Usually seen where there are 5 foot sidewalks, moderate buffer areas with trees sometimes, moderate traffic volumes, and moderate to low speeds. | | **C** | Usually seen where there are sidewalks present, sometimes small buffer areas, moderate traffic volumes, and moderate to low speeds. | | **D** | Seen sometimes with sidewalks or a shoulder, no buffer moderate to high traffic volumes, and moderate to high speeds. | | **E** | Usually seen where there are no sidewalks or buffers, lane widths of 12 feet or less, moderate to high traffic volumes, and moderate to high speeds. | | **F** | Usually seen where there are no sidewalks or buffers, lane widths of 12 feet or less, usually high traffic volumes, and moderate to high speeds. | ### Bicycle Level of Service | | | |---|---| | **A** | Usually occurs where there are bike lanes or wide paved shoulders, moderate traffic volumes, and low to moderate speeds. | | **B** | Usually occurs where there are wide shoulders, moderate traffic volumes, and moderate to low speeds. | | **C** | Usually occurs where there are wide outside lanes, low to moderate traffic volumes, and low to moderate speeds. | | **D** | Usually occurs where lane widths are at least 12 feet, no/ narrow shoulders, moderate to high traffic volumes, and low to moderate speeds. | | **E** | Usually occurs where lane widths are 12 feet or less, no shoulders, moderate to high traffic volumes, and moderate to high speeds. | | **F** | Usually occurs where there are no shoulders, lane widths of 12 feet or less, usually high traffic volumes, and moderate to high speeds. | ### Streets and roads Nashville’s road and street network is a diverse set of infrastructure, from narrow two lane roads to highways with six or more lanes. Each kind of road allows or limits different modes and speeds of travel. Here, roads and streets refer to the entire space for transportation and supportive infrastructure within the public right of way. This can include medians, bike lanes, and sidewalks, as well as travel, parking, and turning lanes. The presence, size, and relationship between these features invite different modes of travel and the users of those modes. » Auto and truck traffic » Transit riders » Bicyclists » Pedestrians and people with mobility aids, such as wheelchairs ### Rail Davidson County’s dominant rail operator, CSX, primarily moves freight to the south, west, and north, between Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Louisville, and Memphis. Radnor Yard and three smaller terminals are major rail facilities for freight in Nashville. Sixty trains per day are routed through Radnor Yard. Smaller rail operators run lines within Tennessee to the west and east. A number of spurs connect freight destinations (such as DuPont’s manufacturing facility in Hadleys Bend) to the rail system. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s 2003 comprehensive rail plan calls for the creation of a Basic Freight Rail Connector, running from Nashville to Knoxville, to compete with truck traffic on I-40. Nashville’s only commuter rail service, the Music City Star, runs between downtown and Wilson County three times each morning and afternoon, with a fourth trip Friday evenings. The Music City Star is one leg of the region’s mass transit system which is planned to expand along other major routes to adjacent counties. It may include additional commuter rail lines, bus rapid transit, or light rail. <
> ### Air The Nashville Airport Authority manages two airports. The region’s primary freight and passenger airport, Nashville International Airport, serve 79 counties within 100 miles of Nashville, reaching beyond Middle Tennessee into Kentucky and Alabama. John C. Tune airport is a smaller general aviation reliever airport located in west Nashville. It primarily serves corporate and personal aircraft. Nashville International Airport was built in 1937, and has been expanded multiple times since then. It primarily serves passenger flights (71 percent of all flights), followed by general aviation (25 percent), military (2 percent), and cargo (1 percent). Sixteen airlines enplaned more than 11 million passengers in 2014. ### Water The Cumberland River is Nashville’s primary waterway, providing Davidson County’s drinking water, environmental amenities, economic activities, scenic views, recreation opportunities, and travel. Most transportation on the Cumberland River is freight service. Most incoming freight (such as coal, minerals, and steel for automotive manufacturing) is transferred to truck and then delivered to destinations within 30 miles of the river. The small amount of outbound freight (4 percent of all waterborne freight) is primarily aggregates like sand and gravel that are mined close to the river. ### Bridges and overpasses Nashville has 1,119 bridges on public roads, mostly owned by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Metro Nashville owns 325 of them, including the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. Most of these 1,100 bridges are in a “state of good repair” (81 percent in Nashville, compared with 75 percent nationally).[^p24-7] [^p24-7]: Music City Infrastructure Report, 2013. The Urban Land Institute Nashville and the American Society of Civil Engineers (Tennessee section). # CHARTER OF THE NEW URBANISM & NASHVILLE’S RESPONSE ### The Charter of the New Urbanism The Charter for the New Urbanism provides a compendium of community building principles that have proven their importance over thousands of years of city development. NashvilleNext acknowledges the importance of these principles and utilizes them as a foundational framework for this plan. The Congress for the New Urbanism views disinvestment in central cities, the spread of placeless sprawl, increasing separation by race and income, environmental deterioration, loss of agricultural lands and wilderness, and the erosion of society’s built heritage as one interrelated community-building challenge. We stand for the restoration of existing urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions, the reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, the conservation of natural environments, and the preservation of our built legacy. We advocate the restructuring of public policy and development practices to support the following principles: neighborhoods should be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions; urban places should be framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice. We recognize that physical solutions by themselves will not solve social and economic problems, but neither can economic vitality, community stability, and environmental health be sustained without a coherent and supportive physical framework. We represent a broad-based citizenry, composed of public and private sector leaders, community activists, and multidisciplinary professionals. We are committed to reestablishing the relationship between the art of building and the making of community, through citizen-based participatory planning and design. We dedicate ourselves to reclaiming our homes, blocks, streets, parks, neighborhoods, districts, towns, cities, regions, and environment. We assert the following principles to guide public policy, development practice, urban planning, and design: ### Nashville’s Response to the Charter Nashville recognizes that complete and successful communities are built with an understanding of interrelationships between history, ecology, geography, demographics, and human decisions. The best communities respect development that is sustainable, creates properly located walkable mixed use neighborhoods, and provides opportunities for all people to live in neighborhoods that best support their lifelong needs and desires. The elements of the Charter of the New Urbanism have been key components of Nashville’s planning culture since 2000. They have been proven to be successful in improving the built environment and expanding choices and opportunities. They are woven into the goals, policies, and actions of the NashvilleNext plan and form the foundation for environmentally appropriate and sustainable development patterns. ### Response to ### “The Region” NashvilleNext acknowledges and celebrates the role of Metropolitan Nashville within the larger region—as the economic, cultural, and civic center of the state. Nashville/Davidson County is inextricably linked to the adjacent counties and serves as the heart of the entire Middle Tennessee region. Decisions made in Nashville affect and influence regional prosperity, environmental stability, demographic acceptance, air and water quality, cost of living, and quality of life. Likewise, decisions made in outlying counties also impact Nashville. Nashville’s economic strategies, openness to intergovernmental cooperation, housing policy, and physical planning must reflect regional thinking. Nashville assumes its responsibility to work cooperatively work with our regional partners in developing an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable region. Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County is made up of sensitive and unique environmental networks and areas, developed centers, and diverse neighborhoods. Areas exist which clearly should be the focus for new infill development to spur economic reinvestment, repair urban fabric, capitalize on existing infrastructure and service investments, and reclaim underinvested areas. By focusing energies within Nashville’s existing developed areas over peripheral expansion, Nashville can conserve environmental resources like water and energy, and promote preservation of regional qualities that enhance the long term prosperity of the entire region. Where expansion is necessary, new development should be organized as coherent places with an integrated mix of jobs and housing. ### The region: Metropolis, city, and town 1) Metropolitan regions are finite places with geographic boundaries derived from topography, watersheds, coastlines, farmlands, regional parks, and river basins. The metropolis is made of multiple centers that are cities, towns, and villages, each with its own identifiable center and edges. 2) The metropolitan region is a fundamental economic unit of the contemporary world. Governmental cooperation, public policy, physical planning, and economic strategies must reflect this new reality. 3) The metropolis has a necessary and fragile relationship to its agrarian hinterland and natural landscapes. The relationship is environmental, economic, and cultural. Farmland and nature are as important to the metropolis as the garden is to the house. 4) Development patterns should not blur or eradicate the edges of the metropolis. Infill development within existing urban areas conserves environmental resources, economic investment, and social fabric, while reclaiming marginal and abandoned areas. Metropolitan regions should develop strategies to encourage such infill development over peripheral expansion. 5) Where appropriate, new development contiguous to urban boundaries should be organized as neighborhoods and districts, and be integrated with the existing urban pattern. Noncontiguous development should be organized as towns and villages with their own urban edges, and planned for a jobs/housing balance, not as bedroom suburbs. 6) The development and redevelopment of towns and cities should respect historical patterns, precedents, and boundaries. 7) Cities and towns should bring into proximity a broad spectrum of public and private uses to support a regional economy that benefits people of all incomes. Affordable housing should be distributed throughout the region to match job opportunities and to avoid concentrations of poverty. 8) The physical organization of the region should be supported by a framework of transportation alternatives. Transit, pedestrian, and bicycle systems should maximize access and mobility throughout the region while reducing dependence upon the automobile. 9) Revenues and resources can be shared more cooperatively among the municipalities and centers within regions to avoid destructive competition for tax base and to promote rational coordination of transportation, recreation, public services, housing, and community institutions. ### The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor 10) The neighborhood, the district, and the corridor are the essential elements of development and redevelopment in the metropolis. They form identifiable areas that encourage citizens to take responsibility for their maintenance and evolution. 11) Neighborhoods should be compact, pedestrian friendly, and mixed-use. Districts generally emphasize a special single use, and should follow the principles of neighborhood design when possible. Corridors are regional connectors of neighborhoods and districts; they range from boulevards and rail lines to rivers and parkways. 12) Many activities of daily living should occur within walking distance, allowing independence to those who do not drive, especially the elderly and the young. Interconnected networks of streets should be designed to encourage walking, reduce the number and length of automobile trips, and conserve energy. 13) Within neighborhoods, a broad range of housing types and price levels can bring people of diverse ages, races, and incomes into daily interaction, strengthening the personal and civic bonds essential to an authentic community. 14) Transit corridors, when properly planned and coordinated, can help organize metropolitan structure and revitalize urban centers. In contrast, highway corridors should not displace investment from existing centers. 15) Appropriate building densities and land uses should be within walking distance of transit stops, permitting public transit to become a viable alternative to the automobile. 16) Concentrations of civic, institutional, and commercial activity should be embedded in neighborhoods and districts, not isolated in remote, single-use complexes. Schools should be sized and located to enable children to walk or bicycle to them. 17) The economic health and harmonious evolution of neighborhoods, districts, and corridors can be improved through graphic urban design codes that serve as predictable guides for change. 18) A range of parks, from tot-lots and village greens to ballfields and community gardens, should be distributed within neighborhoods. Conservation areas and open lands should be used to define and connect different neighborhoods and districts. ### Response to “The Neighborhood, District, and Corridor” The neighborhood is the foundational building block for livable cities. In past years, health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and the maladies associated with social alienation have become a normal response to a built environment that does not allow or encourage walking or facilitate human interaction. The young and the elderly of Nashville, especially, have been left behind by an urban form that necessitates driving long distances. NashvilleNext proposes strategies to bring more of the activities of daily living within walking distance based on a framework of accessible transportation alternatives including transit and bicycle systems. The core of this framework links neighborhoods and districts through reinvestment and revitalization of corridors into mixed use environments. Providing choices in mobility and encouraging walkability helps in meeting the needs of all population groups and will support healthier lifestyles. Building complete places that provide access to work, play, and shopping options also enable neighbors to connect and will help create and retain close-knit communities. ### Response to “The Block, Street, and Building” NashvilleNext celebrates the block, street, and building by recognizing the importance that they play in building a community that provides opportunities and choices for all. The plan encourages block patterns that provide mixed-use opportunities where appropriate, but context sensitive redevelopment where established patterns exist. The plan acknowledges the essential and critical role of streets as the lifeblood that either enables, discourages, or prevents social interaction and economic vitality. The street network and the characteristics of our streets and the transportation system that relies on our streets and rights of way are the most critical element in determining the future of Nashville. NashvilleNext accepts that “...the design of cities begins with the design of streets.” To make a good city, you need good streets, and that means where people want to be. Streets need to be safe and comfortable, they need to be interesting, and they need to be beautiful. They need to be places. NashvilleNext builds on recent policies by clearly changing the way streets have been planned and designed by returning the design of streets to provide equal opportunities for all modes of transportation and creation of a public realm worthy of Nashville’s aspirations. NashvilleNext understands the importance of the design of our buildings and public spaces. Well-designed buildings, that recognize their context, create great spaces and add significantly to the quality of life of a community and neighborhood. The plan revives the idea that additions to the built-environment must be functional and long-lasting but also delightful and attractive. NashvilleNext recognizes that design matters. ### The block, the street, and the building 19) A primary task of all urban architecture and landscape design is the physical definition of streets and public spaces as places of shared use. 20) Individual architectural projects should be seamlessly linked to their surroundings. This issue transcends style. 21) The revitalization of urban places depends on safety and security. The design of streets and buildings should reinforce safe environments, but not at the expense of accessibility and openness. 22) In the contemporary metropolis, development must adequately accommodate automobiles. It should do so in ways that respect the pedestrian and the form of public space. 23) Streets and squares should be safe, comfortable, and interesting to the pedestrian. Properly configured, they encourage walking and enable neighbors to know each other and protect their communities. 24) Architecture and landscape design should grow from local climate, topography, history, and building practice. 25) Civic buildings and public gathering places require important sites to reinforce community identity and the culture of democracy. They deserve distinctive form, because their role is different from that of other buildings and places that constitute the fabric of the city. 26) All buildings should provide their inhabitants with a clear sense of location, weather and time. Natural methods of heating and cooling can be more resource-efficient than mechanical systems. 27) Preservation and renewal of historic buildings, districts, and landscapes affirm the continuity and evolution of urban society. ## Goals & policies **Goals** set broad direction for the plan by applying the Guiding Principles to NashvilleNext’s seven plan elements. They identify, for each element, what NashvilleNext is trying to achieve. **Policies** extend goals by providing more detail. They give more direct guidance on community decision making, without specifying which tools to use. (Identifying and adopting which tool is a job for actions and implementation.) As implementation occurs, if one particular tool is rejected by the public, the policy guidance remains. **Actions** (Volume IV) are short-term steps to carry out these Policies and achieve these Goals. The plan is structured so that the Action plan is updated the most frequently. During the annual update process, actions can be removed if accomplished or if they were deemed infeasible. Removing an action because it’s infeasible leaves the overarching Policy in place. During the update, the Planning Department would seek to identify alternative ways of accomplishing the policy. ### How this element is different The Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure (LUTI) element is structured differently than the other elements in NashvilleNext. This element is primarily built around the Growth & Preservation Concept Map, which shows, at a broad, county-wide level, where different kinds of investments and regulations are appropriate. This gives the other elements geographic context for their goals and policies. What does geographic context mean? Consider Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation: this element calls for both preservation of open space as well as improvements to transit service and increasing density. Where each of these happens in the county is critical to Nashville’s success. The Growth & Preservation Concept Map provides this guidance. LUTI matches the Growth & Preservation Concept Map with Goals that lay out what the map is intended to achieve. However, this element rarely provides its own policies to implement the Goals; instead, it relates Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure Goals to Policies in other elements that carry out the goal. ### Related plans With a strong commitment to annual updates and review, the General Plan is able to play a key role in providing coordination between other agencies and plans. It helps other departments understand long term goals and how their work shapes that, even if they must focus on short term needs that are out of step with the long term plan. For example, the long term vision for transit is to build a high capacity transit network operating along major corridors, with few deviations from those corridors. In the short term, MTA needs to conduct its operations to connect to riders, who may not live along those major corridors. Eventually, MTA operations should merge with the long range vision, but it will take time to build the infrastructure and housing to support the high capacity network. Thus, Element chapters highlight related plans when discussing NashvilleNext Goals & Policies. Much of what Nashvillians want for the future goes beyond what Metro can achieve on its own. Partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, and the private sector are critical. » MTA Strategic Plan » MPO Regional Transportation Plan 2040 » Strategic Sidewalk and Bicycle Plan » Parks & Greenways Master Plan » Partnership 2020 » Arts Commission Strategic Plan ### LUTI Goal 1 New commercial and residential growth improves the quality of life for Nashvillians by supporting their vision for Nashville’s future. NashvilleNext’s six other plan elements provide topical policy direction and action steps to achieve the future Nashvillians have supported through this plan. This element — Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure — works differently. It unites those elements by identifying where policies from the other elements are related to land use, transportation, and infrastructure. The community’s vision for the future is conveyed by the Growth & Preservation Concept Maps. The goals below link to various components of the Growth & Preservation Concept Maps. The Growth & Preservation Concept Map reflects Nashvillians’ vision for how Nashville should grow in the future. It identifies a green network that provides access to nature, requires environmental protection, and preserves natural resources. It also identifies and preserves the physical character of rural, suburban, and urban areas. Smaller and larger activity centers accommodate most future growth, improve public spaces, support transit, provide walkable areas close to most parts of the county, and sustain economic activity. The locations of these centers are generally where centers and mixed use areas were identified in prior Community Plans. In some cases, the Concept Map will propose more intense centers than were identified previously. Infill development should be encouraged along transit and multimodal corridors in between and immediately around activity and employment centers. The Concept Map also identifies a network of more frequent and reliable transit service. These routes should be more direct, with fewer stops. The most heavily used routes will be identified for high-capacity transit running outside of traffic. The Goals below show how Policies from other elements frame how Nashville grows in the future, what places are preserved, and how changes in land use, transportation, and other infrastructure are coordinated to improve the quality of life for all Nashvillians. These goals also provide greater detail on how the Concept Map brings together competing concerns into an overall framework for making land use and transportation decisions in the future. # Figure LUTI-9: The Growth & Preservation Concept Map <
> | Centers | Green network | Neighborhood | High capacity transit corridors | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | ![orange circle] Tier One | ![green circle] Green network | ![yellow circle] Neighborhood | ![thick dark blue line] Immediate need | | ![gold circle] Tier Two | ![light green circle] Open space anchor | ![tan rectangle] Transition | ![thin blue line] Long-term need | | ![pale yellow circle] Tier Three | ![dotted green circle] Missing an anchor | ![grey circle] Special impact area | ![grey arrow] Regional connection | ### LUTI 1.1 Invest in the near term in the places identified by the Growth & Preservation Concept Maps as most critical to shape or manage demand in order to create mixed income communities that support a healthy environment, strong neighborhoods, high-capacity transit, walkability, and a prosperous economy. #### Volume III: The Community Plans Nashville's 14 community plans have guided development decisions since 1988. These plans were the starting point for the NashvilleNext process and the Growth & Preservation Concept Map. In 2008, the Metro Planning Department reorganized its approach to community plans. The guiding document for plans prior to 2008, the Land Use Policy Application, delineated land uses and density characteristics. However, it was unable to capture nuances in the character of different parts of the county. These nuances were often central to residents' concerns about new development. The new approach focused on the current and proposed character of different parts of the county and lessened the focus on density. It used a new tool called the Community Character Manual. The CCM was adopted by Planning Commission in 2008. All 14 plans have been updated alongside the creation of NashvilleNext. The 2015 updates bring all plans into a consistent format that more fully relies on the guidance of the Community Character Manual. The Community Character Policy Maps have each been updated to align with NashvilleNext. In updating these maps, planners sought to adhere to community input from each plan's last update. Planners also incorporated feedback from each community in response to re-zoning and plan amendment requests. Finally, throughout NashvilleNext, community members have provided input on proposed changes. The Growth & Preservation Concept Map and the Community Plans have different roles. The Concept Map guides decisions over the course of 25 years and beyond. The Community Plans have shorter planning horizons, looking ahead only five to 10 years. Because of this, they need not incorporate all growth that could occur through 2040. Regular Community Plan updates can provide better guidance for development as it plays out in the coming decades. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 3.6 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 3.1 » NR 3.2 » NR 3.4 ### Related policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 1.2 » BE 1.1 » BE 2.1 » BE 2.4 » BE 2.6 » BE 3.2 » BE 3.5 » BE 3.6 Housing » H 1.1 » H 1.3 » H 3.1 » H 3.2 » H 4.2 Education & Youth » EY 4.1 » EY 4.4 Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 1.3 » EWD 2.1 Arts, Culture & Creativity » ACC 1.2 » ACC 2.1 » ACC 2.3 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 3.1 » NR 3.2 » NR 3.3 » NR 3.4 » NR 4.1 » NR 4.3 # LUTI goal 2 Nashville strives to ensure that all communities share in the county’s prosperity and enjoy a high quality of life. ### Be Nashville Achieving the vision from NashvilleNext will mean reflecting and respecting the rich diversity of cultures in Nashville while welcoming newcomers. We remain a welcoming city when we celebrate our cultural richness and pursue initiatives that benefit all Nashvillians. New Nashvillians add to our richness and enhance our culture, places, and economy. ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods All neighborhoods are safe, affordable, and welcoming to Nashvillians, regardless of background, ability, or income. The plan carefully uses infill, transitional areas, and centers to create opportunities for residents to join and contribute to communities across the county. Our homes, workplaces, parks, and public spaces support wellness by design and in construction. ### Expand Accessibility Meaningful transportation choices improve quality of life, reduce the cost of living, and make daily life easier for people who do not want or cannot afford a car. An efficient, effective transportation system gets people from homes to jobs, school, and services. Better alternatives also allow more Nashvillians to make walking and other physical activities a daily part of life, improving their health. ### Create Economic Prosperity Employment centers are coordinated with the transit system to provide more ways for people to get around the county. This gives residents more access to job openings, training programs, or school options. Getting more people into the workforce makes Nashville more competitive for economic growth. Small businesses thrive in centers and along corridors throughout the county. The diversity of Nashville’s places supports our diverse economic base. These places are ready for investment across different sectors and prices. This supports a range of jobs across different skill levels and incomes. ### Advance Education Nashville’s neighborhood schools provide a high quality education, while students from across the county have genuine access to different kinds of school curricula and focus. Our carefully created neighborhoods that are affordable across income levels help to reduce concentrated poverty and disadvantage, so that all children have access to educational opportunities. Doing so will relieve the school system from trying to create integrated classrooms from unintegrated neighborhoods. ### Champion the Environment A healthy environment and access to greenspace are available across the county to all communities. Parks, public places, and open space are culturally relevant to and supportive of nearby communities. Unwanted land uses are not concentrated in one area or near one community. ### Policies #### LUTI 2.1 Engage affected communities when making long-term land use decisions, with particular attention to communities vulnerable due to residents’ lack of time or resources to participate, historic or current discrimination, or other barriers to participation. #### LUTI 2.2 Create mixed income communities that support good health and access to quality educational opportunities by maintaining affordability in gentrifying areas and incorporating affordable and workforce housing when new development occurs across the county. #### LUTI 2.3 Ensure jobs, education, and training opportunities are located close to transit service, in centers, or in high-need areas. #### LUTI 2.4 Build a complete, efficient transportation system that gives Nashvillians access to work, housing, cultural activities, and other needs throughout the county and region. #### LUTI 2.5 Recognize and reflect Nashville’s cultural diversity and diverse needs when delivering programs or building, improving, or maintaining infrastructure, the built environment, or access to public art. #### LUTI 2.6 Ensure all communities have access to parks, green areas, cultural amenities, and recreation opportunities that support mental and physical well-being. #### LUTI 2.7 Support efforts to improve equity throughout Middle Tennessee. ## LUTI goal 3 Nashville conserves its natural resources in order to mitigate floods and other natural hazards, ensure clean air and water, raise food locally, provide outdoor recreation, and preserve the culture and character of Davidson County. On the Growth and Preservation Concept Map, the Green Network shows large, countywide natural resources and environmental features. It includes parks, rural areas, floodplains, and steep slopes. It also shows key water features: the Cumberland River; the Harpeth River; Old Hickory, Radnor, and Percy Priest Lakes; and Browns, Mansker, Mill, Richland, Seven Mile, Stones, and Whites Creeks. We protect these for their beauty and because they mark this part of the country as unique. We treasure these places because they keep us healthy and active. We prevent or reduce development on or near them because it places people and property in harm’s way. We preserve them because they provide a vital good or service. These features frame Nashville’s future by identifying what parts of the county should remain natural or rural. The Open Space Network shows a more detailed breakdown of these features. They are incorporated into Community Character Maps through Conservation (CO) Policy. ### Be Nashville Part of what makes Nashville special is the diversity of places in the county. From the bends of the Cumberland to the hills of Joelton and the Warner Parks, Nashville contains the kinds of places that have vanished from most other major cities. Keeping a connection to the land helps remind us of who and where we are. ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Nashville’s park system should bring green space into every neighborhood. Parks and greenways provide room to roam and exercise, for people of all ages. They also give communities a place to come together. Protecting the floodplains and slopes that weave throughout our neighborhoods provides green spaces that help keep Nashvillians physically and mentally healthy. However, limiting development along and within features such as these also keeps our neighborhoods strong by keeping them safe. Staying out of the floodplain and off of steep slopes reduces the risk of harm to people and property by natural disasters, which can disrupt our lives and communities. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 2.5 » BE 2.1 » BE 2.6 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 4.1 » NR 4.2 » NR 4.3 » NR 5.2 ### Figure LUTI-10: The Open Space Network Slopes and terrain <
> #### Slopes & Terrain Legend | | | | | | | | | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | <
> | Water Bodies | <
> | Centers | **Priority Corridors** | **Slope** | **Terrain** | | | <
> | Anchor Parks | | | <
> Immediate need | <
> Over 20% | <
> | High | | <
> | Floodplain Areas | | | <
> Long-term need | | <
> | Low | | <
> | Wetlands | | | | | | | ### Figure LUTI-11: The Open Space Network Tree canopy <
> #### Tree Canopy Legend | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Water Bodies | **Priority Corridors** | | **Centers** | **Tree Canopy** | | | Anchor Parks | | Immediate need | | | 1 - 20% | | | Floodplain Areas | | Long-term need | | | 21 - 40% | | | Wetlands | | | | | 41 - 60% | | | | | | | | 61 - 80% | | | | | | | | 81 - 100% | ### Expand Accessibility Our greenway network becomes a key part of Nashville’s transportation infrastructure, serving as key bicycling routes away from auto-heavy streets. ### Create Economic Prosperity Nashville’s rural areas should be an important part of our local economy, providing local food and supporting a network of local food processors and sellers. Our natural amenities contribute to quality of life for current residents and draw new residents, who bring new talent, skills, and perspectives to Nashville. New models of economic development acknowledge that new and expanding businesses follow talented workforce, and tomorrow’s workforce is interested in a location due to quality of life. ### Champion the Environment These natural, working, and recreation places help all of Nashville’s environment work better. They clean our water and air, and cool the city. Open spaces with natural vegetation absorb rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff during heavy storms. ### Ensure Opportunity for All Environmental protections, clean air and water, and healthy land should not be concentrated in one part of town or within one community. Throughout the 20th century, low-income communities and communities of color have received more than their share of unwanted land uses, such as landfills, and fewer protections for environmental quality. Nashville should ensure that all places in the county are healthy and support healthy lifestyles for their residents. # LUTI goal 4 Nashville’s neighborhoods provide residents with a choice of places to live, preserving neighborhood character and history while accommodating housing choices across income levels, interests, ages, abilities, and races or ethnicities. On the Growth and Preservation Concept Map, Neighborhoods are predominantly residential parts of the city. Many of these include small pockets of other land uses, such as small, local-serving commercial areas and centers or civic uses like schools, churches, or small parks. Nashville’s neighborhoods all have distinct characteristics—how buildings relate to one another and the street, how tall they are, and sometimes a consistent architectural style. The Community Character Manual (Volume III) identifies three broad types of character: rural, suburban, and urban. It also recognizes there is considerable variation within these three types. The Transect Map shows where these character areas, along with centers, downtown, and districts, are located throughout the county. Nashvillians cherish their neighborhoods, and wish to see what they love about them preserved. However, a growing and increasingly diverse population with cultural, social, and demographic differences poses a challenge. Even without changing the buildings, a neighborhood can change substantially over time. Small homes that once held families may become attractive to young workers, living alone or with roommates. Families continue to look for larger and larger homes, with more rooms. Finding tools that allow neighborhoods to accommodate these changes without losing their essential character will continue to be a key goal for Nashville. ## Be Nashville Nashville’s neighborhoods, ranging from the vibrant, LEED-certified skyscrapers of the Gulch to the rural quietude of Union Hill, will continue to evolve. As they do, their fundamental character should not be lost. If all of Davidson County grows to have the same character, we have lost something important to Nashville. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 1.1 » BE 5.4 Housing » H 1.1 » H 1.2 » H 1.3 » H 1.5 » H 2.1 » H 2.2 » H 3.1 » H 4.1 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 5.2 Arts, Culture & Creativity » ACC 2.3 Education & Youth » E&Y 4.4 » E&Y 4.5 Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 2.2 ### Figure LUTI-12: The Transect Character areas in Davidson County <
> **Transects Legend** | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | <
> | Centers | **Priority Corridors** | <
> | T1 Natural | <
> | T5 Center | | | | <
> Immediate need | <
> | T2 Rural | <
> | T6 Core | | | | <
> Long-term need | <
> | T3 Suburban | <
> | D District | | | | | <
> | T4 Urban | <
> | W Water | ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Nashvillians are changing—there are more of us, more of us are older, and we have a wider variety of backgrounds and needs. Because of this, the kinds of places we want to live are changing. We cherish our different neighborhoods, and wish to preserve them, even as we ourselves are changing. We must find ways to preserve the basic, and varied, character of our neighborhoods, even while accommodating the changing needs of our population. ### Expand Accessibility Within each neighborhood, diverse housing options support transit, walkability, and bikeability. The exact form of buildings and how roads accommodate transit users, walkers, and cyclists will vary based on the character of the neighborhood. Generally, however, it will be easier for residents to use active, healthy ways of getting around. ### Create Economic Prosperity Strong neighborhoods allow people across all income levels to find a safe, welcoming place to live in Nashville. This affordability and the distinctive character of our neighborhoods help us attract and sustain our workforce across different skill levels and economic sectors. ### Advance Education Our neighborhoods should welcome families with children, whether they are looking for a yard to play in or trading that yard for a smaller home closer to a walkable school and park. Our neighborhoods should also support children in learning about the world outside of school, by having safe and welcoming places to roam and explore. ### Champion the Environment Our neighborhoods should provide access to green spaces and parks. They should also make it easy to live a more sustainable lifestyle. In addition, encouraging growth in dense, walkable centers reduces the need for clearing and building on undeveloped land at the edge of the city. ### Ensure Opportunity for All Strong neighborhoods should be accessible to everyone in the community. Neighborhoods that are strong now should work to find graceful ways to accommodate a diversity of residents. Neighborhoods that have deteriorated due to public and private neglect should receive re-investment. Doing so will make them more attractive to people across a range of income levels. To prevent displacement, these neighborhoods will need new tools, to maintain affordability, encourage integration of old and new residents, and ensure that all residents benefit from improvements to the neighborhood. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 1.2 » BE 1.3 » BE 2.4 » BE 3.5 Housing » H 2.2 » H 3.2 Arts, Culture & Creativity » ACC 2.1 » ACC 2.2 » ACC 2.3 » ACC 2.5 » ACC 3.1 Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 1.1 » EWD 1.2 » EWD 1.3 » EWD 2.1 Education & Youth » EY 2.7 » EY 2.8 » EY 4.1 ## LUTI goal 5 Nashville’s neighborhoods include mixed-use, walkable centers, commercial districts, and corridors that fit within their context and character and offer housing affordable across a range of incomes. Current housing and land use trends shaping Nashville point to an increased demand for walkable centers that support high-capacity transit service: downsizing seniors, young adults who seem more open to transit and smaller homes while also having less access to homeownership, more non-white Nashvillians, safer cities, and a more competitive school system. Walkability—along with a strategy of re-investing in existing Nashville neighborhoods, centers, and corridors—offers other benefits as well. Daily physical activity is higher in walkable neighborhoods, and time spent traveling by car goes down, resulting in improved health. A denser, more compact city preserves more of Nashville’s natural features that contribute to our unique beauty and keep us healthy and safe. However, Nashville has very few complete walkable neighborhoods. Because demand overwhelms supply, only a small number of people who would like to live in these kinds of places can afford to. To deal with this, the Growth & Preservation Concept Map proposes two general solutions. First, new homes should be added where complete, walkable neighborhoods exist now. Second, Nashville should coordinate some portion of infrastructure investments in centers with appropriate development entitlements to make more places in Nashville walkable, while also encouraging the market to add new homes, workplaces, and shops. The first key strategy to accomplish this is to invest in common, public parts of neighborhoods: parks that anchor and are integrated into mixed use areas, as well as the streetscapes that connect individual buildings to sidewalks and roads. Building design, shade trees and native plantings, ample sidewalks, public art, and other tools create welcoming public places. Second, expand Nashville’s transit system, including its service frequency, to align with these walkable centers and corridors. Providing an attractive, competitive alternative to driving reinforces the value of density in appropriate locations throughout the county. Third, develop a flexible toolkit that allows new development to be separated from its parking while minimizing overflow parking into surrounding neighborhoods. Parking poses multiple problems for affordable, walkable neighborhoods. First, it can be a significant cost, particularly when builders shift from surface parking to structured or underground parking. That cost is exacerbated when regulations require building half a parking deck—developers must either overbuild for parking (a cost they cannot recapture) or seek additional entitlements. Second, parking poses costs to the walkable form and environment that Nashvillians desire: curb cuts, parking lot entrances, and surface lots make walking less safe and comfortable. Greater flexibility can allow for more off-site parking, better support for shared parking, better use of on-street parking, and an integrated residential parking program. Fourth, walkable centers should include a mix of active uses that bring a variety of people through them across different parts of the day. These should include jobs and employers that keep the center active during the day. However, civic uses, public services, and cultural amenities should also be located within these centers, especially schools that provide a focal point for the entire community. ### Be Nashville Centers and commercial areas help give definition to different parts of town. They help Nashville be Nashville by letting Donelson be Donelson and Bordeaux be Bordeaux, rather than letting all parts of Nashville blur together in homogeneity. The physical and cultural distinctiveness of all of our communities should be celebrated. ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Centers have close ties to their surrounding neighborhoods. They serve as places where the community comes together for basic needs, shopping, work, schools, or festivals. They also help to connect different neighborhoods together. Nashville currently has a small number of thriving centers. These have become victims of their own success, as wealthier households bid up the price of housing in and near these centers. By creating more walkable centers like this, we may reduce how much each center becomes overpriced. ### Expand Accessibility Centers and mobility corridors provide the density of people and access to jobs necessary to support frequent, high capacity transit. They also expand mobility by providing more places that support walking and biking. ### Create Economic Prosperity Most jobs are encouraged to locate in centers, so that they are more readily accessible by transit. Metro invests and regulates land uses to maintain a supply of places where businesses can start, grow, or move to, in line with broader community goals. ### Advance Education Community schools located in centers provide local and countywide access to high quality education, as well as social services that support families. Centers should be places where families feel safe to walk around and meet their daily needs. ### Champion the Environment Generally, centers are located on large, already developed areas (sites that are generally currently developed at low densities, with large surface parking lots). By redeveloping these sites more intensely and encouraging the introduction of housing and employment uses, centers improve the environment by reducing the need to develop vacant land; provide more modern, energy efficient homes and workplaces; and supporting alternatives to travel by car. ### Ensure Opportunity for All Centers are key to creating mixed income neighborhoods, seamlessly integrating market-rate homes affordable at different income levels with homes for people who cannot afford market rates. By creating more walkable neighborhoods, we reduce the sharp increases in home prices that places like 12 South and East Nashville are experiencing. When centers are located in places that currently have a large number of low- and moderate-income households, the existing affordability should be preserved so residents are not displaced. Shopping and services in centers should also reduce the cost of living by, for example, placing homes close to grocery stores and other healthy food options. ### Policies #### LUTI 5.1 Invest in the built environment in and around centers to improve quality of life and attract private investment. The built environment includes gray infrastructure (such as buildings, streets, sidewalks, parking, sidewalks, and water and sewer pipes), green infrastructure (like trees, parks, and landscaping), and placemaking (such as urban design, public art, gateways, or creative signage). #### LUTI 5.2 Create mixed income communities by encouraging more market-rate housing at lower price levels, preserving affordable housing in gentrifying neighborhoods, and creating new affordable homes when new market-rate homes are built. #### LUTI 5.3 Provide jobs, transit access, groceries, schools, child care, parks, cultural amenities, and other daily needs within centers. Align social services, health care, workforce development opportunities, and other critical services within centers. #### LUTI 5.4 Use Metro services and programs and private community-building efforts to build relations between old and new residents. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 1.1 » BE 1.2 Housing » H 2.1 » H 2.2 » H 3.2 ## LUTI goal 6 Nashville uses housing infill along mobility corridors to provide more housing choices that support walking and transit use and to transition gracefully between residential neighborhoods and more intense mixed use and commercial centers and corridors. The Growth & Preservation Concept Map identifies areas for transitional and infill development close to activity centers and high capacity transit corridors. Generally, these will be smaller scale but still higher density homes. In some places, small commercial uses may also help form the transition. In addition to creating a better urban form, transitional areas can provide a buffer between active corridors and centers and quieter neighborhood interiors. By allowing more small-scale residential density, transitional areas also help more people live close to centers and corridors, while using building types that are less costly. Transitional and infill areas provide guidance for review and updating Community Plans’ Community Character Maps (Volume III) to identify appropriate places for these uses. The Community Plans provide an opportunity to balance the countywide interest in allowing a greater mix of housing types close to centers and corridors with very localized issues like neighborhood character and topology. ### Be Nashville Transitional areas help bring places that are developed at different scales together gracefully, improving the sense of place in Nashville. Careful attention to these transitional areas can help to unify more intense centers and corridors with their surrounding neighborhoods. ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Infill and transitional areas contribute to a more diverse housing stock, which can be built at a lower cost, without disturbing the character of the core of these neighborhoods. ### Expand Accessibility This diversity in housing stock is placed close to mobility corridors, increasing the number of people served by transit or able to walk and bike to daily needs. ### Ensure Opportunity for All By supporting market mechanisms to provide more housing opportunities across income levels in more places, moderate income households have more choices in where to live. Subsidized housing for people with very low income also benefits when more market rate housing is affordable at lower and moderate incomes, reducing the demand for public subsidies. ### Access Nashville 2040 For more information on transportation plans, see Volume V of NashvilleNext, called Access Nashville 2040. ### Making Complete Streets the Metro Standard Complete Streets are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all road users, no matter who they are or how they travel. They give people meaningful choices in how they access social and economic activities around Nashville. In recent years, Nashville has worked to adopt policies that will ensure that our streets are planned, designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to provide safe access for all people. The NashvilleNext policies and action items reinforce that Metropolitan Government will uphold Complete Streets as the standard. Transportation investments will serve all people who use our streets. Projects will meet needs voiced by the community and trends Nashville is facing. Transportation planning and urban design will strive to make streets more livable by encouraging more social interaction, mixing together a variety of land uses to serve a broader range of daily needs, and balancing access to those needs. Our streets are used for more than just moving vehicles—they must contribute to Nashville’s quality of life by enhancing access, prosperity, equity, health, and safety. By putting people first, Nashville’s complete streets will create a livable, vibrant city with meaningful transportation choices. ## LUTI goal 7 Nashville residents have safe, meaningful transportation choices within their neighborhoods for commuting to work, meeting daily needs, and getting to all of the places Nashvillians want to go throughout the county. Nashvillians need meaningful transportation choices to get where they need to go throughout the county. Over the past 50 years, Nashville’s street network has grown rapidly. Oriented primarily to cars, this has left infrastructure for other ways of getting throughout the county lacking. Looking to the future, the street network will continue to be a vital asset for Nashville. However, it will be increasingly important to adapt it to better support other users: pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders. Expanding and implementing the current Complete Streets policy will be critical as more places in Nashville look to become more walkable, with higher densities and more mixed use areas. A high capacity transit system is the key organizing framework for making these changes. Increased transit service should expand along with increases in density. Places served by transit should not be the only places that become more walkable in the future, but they will be a substantial part of it. Coordinated investments—better transit service, sidewalks and bike lanes to get there, and streetscape improvements to make transit-supporting centers more welcoming—are critical to manage Nashville’s anticipated growth while improving quality of life for existing residents. ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Providing more transportation choices will require safer streets, with slower traffic. These choices can also reduce the cost of transportation for households that wish to own fewer cars and improve the quality of life in Nashville’s neighborhoods. ### Expand Accessibility Much of Nashville’s extensive roadway networked is overburdened with traffic during peak travel times. While the economic vitality that draws people to particular places is important, congestion is frustrating, unhealthy, and bad for the environment. Adding more roads or lanes is an expensive, short term, and increasingly infeasible solution. A longer term solution requires Metro to use its existing right of way more efficiently, giving more people more choices in how to get to the places they need to go. Transit, walking, and biking all provide healthier alternatives to travel by car. Making Nashville more accessible requires more than just roads, buses, and sidewalks. It requires land uses that support different transportation patterns, as well as more connections between places. ### Create Economic Prosperity Economically prosperous places draw a crowd—whether they are busy shopping districts or bustling downtown office complexes. The crowds that prosperity draws can limit economic vibrancy if they limit people’s ability to get around. Providing more ways to get around, particularly in the busiest areas, increases economic prosperity for our community as a whole and increases economic opportunities for those with the least means. ### Advance Education Transportation shapes the lives of young people and students. A complete transportation system provides them with reliable, affordable ways of getting to school, increasing school attendance and performance. As Nashville’s middle and high schools increasingly move toward providing more choices and specialization, having meaningful transportation choices increases the ability of students to attend their schools of choice. This is especially important when parents do not own a car or work shifts that make it difficult to drive their children to another part of the county. A complete transportation system can also give students more opportunities for daily physical activity and give them more flexibility in participating in sports and cultural activities outside of school hours. ### Champion the Environment Middle Tennessee is close to having unacceptably high levels of air pollution. Alternative modes of transportation can reduce the amount of pollution we put into the air. In addition to being good for the environment, this also reduces the incidence of diseases like asthma and lung cancer. ### Related Policies Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 2.1 » BE 3.2 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 3.4 Education & Youth » E&Y 2.8 » E&Y 4.1 » E&Y 4.4 Housing » H 1.3 » H 4.2 ### Ensure Opportunity for All Households struggling with the cost of car ownership also face the toughest choices in where to live, where to work, how to get their kids to school, and how and where to do their shopping. By coordinating where homes affordable to a range of incomes are located with transit-supportive, walkable, and bikeable neighborhoods, we can reduce some of the burden faced by aging seniors, lower income families, immigrants, people with disabilities, students, and many others. #### Improving sidewalks and bikeways in Nashville » **Centers:** Prioritize projects that support walkability and transit access in centers identified in the Growth & Preservation Concept Map and fill in gaps that the private sector is unlikely to address through the redevelopment process. » **Coordination:** Incorporate recommendations from the Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s Connectivity Study, Public Works’ Downtown Multimodal Mobility Study, and the Planning Department’s Major and Collector Streets Plan. » **Pedestrian Safety:** Eliminate preventable pedestrian injuries and deaths through engineering and design that prioritizes pedestrian safety, educational initiatives for all road users, and enforcement of existing laws that protect vulnerable road users. » **Maintenance:** Equip Metro Public Works and Metro Parks with the equipment, staffing, and funding necessary to ensure that bikeways and greenways are free of debris and functional. » **Design:** Embrace proven street design tools such as NACTO’s Urban Street Design Guide that incorporate green infrastructure, street furniture, public art, and other things that create an inviting streetscape. » **Context Sensitivity:** Create design guidance for bicycle and pedestrian facilities that is sensitive to a site’s underlying character and land use, recognizing that a “one size fits all” approach will produce unfavorable results and unnecessary costs. » **Protected Bikeways:** When appropriate, build bikeways that are physically separated from automobile traffic to improve cycling comfort and safety for people of all ages and skill levels. » **Neighborhood Greenways:** Outfit strategically identified local street corridors with traffic calming measures that maintain access for all road users but prioritize local and active transportation, such as curb extensions, road diets, diverters, and roundabouts. » **Bikeshare:** Integrate bikeshare locations into identified Centers, High Capacity Transit Corridors, MDHA housing, and new or redeveloped Metro Government facilities to provide Nashvillians with transportation choices and help transit riders complete the last mile of their trips. » **End of Trip Facilities:** Create incentives or tax credits to encourage developers and employers to provide end of trip facilities like showers, lockers, and secure indoor bike parking. » **Encouragement:** Support Safe Routes to School programming and community events that encourage people to take advantage of active transportation. ### Figure LUTI-13: The Major & Collector Street Plan The Major and Collector Street Plan (MCSP) outlines the vision for major and collector streets in Nashville to ensure that these streets serve the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers in a manner that is sensitive to the context of the street and the land uses on the street. As Community Plans are updated, the MCSP may be updated to reflect changes in the vision for the street. To see the current MCSP, go to **http://maps.nashville.gov/mcsp/**. <
> **Major and Collector Street Legend** | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | <
> Potential Multimodal Freeway Corridor | <
> Planned Arterial-Boulevard | <
> Local Street | | <
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> Collector-Avenue | <
> Planned Local Alley | | <
> Arterial-Parkway Scenic | <
> Planned Collector-Avenue | | | <
> Arterial-Boulevard Scenic | <
> Downtown Local Street | <
> Ramp | | <
> Planned Arterial-Boulevard Scenic | <
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> Planned Downtown Alley | | **Centers** | | | | :--- | :--- | | <
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> | Tier 3 | **Figure LUTI-14: Pedestrian generators** This map shows which parts of the county have the most potentially walkable destinations. Because it was developed to help prioritize new and replacement sidewalks, it reflects only the destination and route, and not whether sidewalks are currently present. <
> **Pedestrian Generator Index Legend** | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | <
> | Centers | **Priority Corridors** | | **Pedestrian Generator Index** | | | <
> | Water Bodies | <
> | Immediate need | <
> | High : 65 | | <
> | Anchor Parks | <
> | Long-term need | | | | | | <
> | Schools | | Low : 0 | Figure LUTI-15: Bikeways <
> ### Bikeways and Greenways Legend | | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **....** | Protected Bikeway | **▬** | Buffered Bike Lane | **▬** | Greenway, Paved | **Centers** | | **....** | Bike Lane | **▬** | Bike Lane | **▬** | Greenway, Unpaved | **█** | Tier 1 | | **....** | Signed Shared Route | **▬** | Signed Shared Route | **▬** | Mountain Bike Trail | **█** | Tier 2 | | **....** | Bike Boulevard | **▬** | Wide Outside Lane | **▬** | Park Trail | **█** | Tier 3 | | **....** | Greenway or Multi-Use Path | | | | | | | # Figure LUTI-16: Greenways Map <
> ### Map Legend | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | ![green dashed line] | Greenways Master Plan | | | | ![solid green line] | Trails Completed | ![light blue square dotted line] | Future Trail Development | | ![solid brown line] | Unpaved Trails | ![solid light green line] | Community Planned Greenways | | ![orange square dotted line] | Trails Coming Soon | ![thin brown dashed line] | Bike Lanes # LUTI goal 8 Nashville thoughtfully locates special impact areas in a manner that acknowledges the need for, and benefit from, special impact areas, while seeking to protect the safety of all nearby residents. Special impact areas include intense industrial areas, airports, landfills, and other uses that should be kept separate from homes. The Growth & Preservation Concept Map recognizes current special impact areas (including places zoned, but not used, for intense industrial uses). It does not identify new locations for these areas. ### Create Economic Prosperity While noxious uses and intensive facilities should not be mixed with residences, they are often important parts of the community, providing jobs or necessary services. Identifying places for them to locate, in an equitable fashion, ensures that they can continue to serve our county’s needs. ### Ensure Opportunity for All Historically, noxious uses have often been concentrated in minority or low-income neighborhoods. Special care should be taken to ensure that these uses are kept away from all neighborhoods, and that new concentrations of locally unwanted land uses do not occur within or near vulnerable communities. In addition to recognizing the importance of environmental justice in making decisions about these kinds of uses, public engagement, with special efforts for hard to reach communities, is also vital. ### Related Policies Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 1.2 Housing » H 1.2 Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 2.2 » BE 4.2 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 2.1 » NR 4.1 » NR 4.2 » NR 4.3 ### Related Policies Arts, Culture & Creativity » ACC 1.4 » ACC 4.1 » ACC 4.4 Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 1.2 » EWD 2.2 Education & Youth » EY 2.5 » EY 2.6 » EY 4.2 » EY 4.3 » EY 4.4 Housing » H 4.2 Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 1.2 » BE 2.1 » BE 2.2 » BE 2.5 » BE 2.6 » BE 3.1 » BE 3.2 » BE 3.3 » BE 3.4 » BE 3.6 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 1.1 » NR 1.4 » NR 1.5 » NR 2.1 » NR 3.1 » NR 4.1 » NR 4.3 ## LUTI goal 9 Nashville will have safe, adequately maintained, and intentionally planned infrastructure. Too often, infrastructure is hidden from public concern until it gets to the breaking point. When it fails, lives and property may be threatened. Daily life and work are disrupted, and resources must be immediately committed to repairing or rebuilding. Inadequate or unavailable infrastructure also shapes how and where new development occurs. Limiting sewer access in rural areas will help preserve their undeveloped character. Older infrastructure must be updated to maintain health and safety. However, optimizing utilities for future demand is an important part of managing growth and maintaining quality of life in Nashville. ### Ensure Opportunities for All Infrastructure affects everyone in the county. It shapes the opportunities available for residents, employees, and visitors. When functioning and well-maintained, it keeps us safe and healthy. Adequate infrastructure, appropriate to its context, is critical to allow all communities in Nashville to thrive. ### Expand Accessibility Infrastructure creates access. Two places may be close together, but without a route—a road, a bikeway, a sidewalk—connecting them, they be as well as be inaccessible. Similarly, places that are far apart can be convenient if linked by transportation. Online tools increasingly collapse distance as well. Online access makes many services instantly accessible from across the county; fast and in some cases same day delivery make physical things nearly as accessible. Planning for infrastructure for online access is critical to overcoming the digital divide. ### Create Economic Prosperity ### Foster Strong Neighborhoods Infrastructure undergirds daily life at home and work. It is taken for granted until a disaster disrupts daily life through flooding, power outages, or water main breaks. More and more, life relies on clean water, pristine natural areas, and telecommunications. ### Advance Education Providing genuine access to Nashville’s proliferating opportunities in school, from pre-K to our colleges and universities, requires meaningful transportation choices. Like other things today, schools and lifelong learning provide broader opportunities when paired with universal broadband access to eliminate the digital divide. Still, schools, libraries, community centers, and other facilities continue to support children, youth, and families in their neighborhoods. ### Champion the Environment We recognize that natural areas and greenery are vital infrastructure for keeping daily life pleasant and for remaining resilient in the face of natural hazards. Natural areas soak rainwater into the ground, reducing flooding and keeping streams and creeks healthy. The urban forest cools buildings, reducing energy use, as well as outdoor spaces like sidewalks and parks, making them more pleasant. ### A Smart Cities Council Smart cities seek to leverage new technology and data sources to improve the functioning of the city. A Smart Cities Council should oversee incorporation of new technology into Metro operations. In particular, the council should 1) take an inventory of existing smart city assets including “gaps and overlaps,” 2) seek to better leverage existing investment in smart city technology, 3) pragmatically assess commercially available technology to fill identified gaps, and 4) address emerging trends and technologies (e.g. smart buildings and connected vehicles). The Smart City Advisory council should include sub-councils to address the following: 1. Smart transportation including parking, transit, traffic management, connected vehicles 2. Smart water including waterway management, storm water, wastewater, and freshwater supply 3. Smart public safety 4. Smart energy (supply-side) including electric and natural gas utilities, renewable energy policies 5. Smart buildings 6. IT and connectivity 7. City-wide integration of 1 – 6 Ultimately, the creation of a Smart City Advisory Council should result in citizen-centric improvements to livability, efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency. ### LUTI Policy 9.1 Provide regular reports on the condition of Nashville’s infrastructure and the cost of repair, upgrades in new infrastructure. ### LUTI Policy 9.2 Create infrastructure plans that are in line with community goals and growth strategies, recognize lifecycle costs of new infrastructure, and maximize and maintain existing infrastructure investments. ### LUTI Policy 9.3 Recommend expansions to the Urban Services District over time to include all areas identified as T3 Suburban or more intense. ### LUTI Policy 9.4 Limit sewer extensions and expansions into areas identified as T2 Rural Agriculture, Countryside, or Maintenance on Community Character Policy maps. <
> ### Figure LUTI-18: Water infrastructure improvements <
> **Sanitary/Clean Water Nashville** * Areas to improve * Areas to limit sewer extensions or expansions **Stormwater** * Areas to improve **Water projects** * Water improvement projects * Water improvement areas **Centers** ### Figure LUTI-19: Library infrastructure needs <
> #### Library needs | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | $\bigcirc$ | Special programming | **R** | Rebuild or relocate | $\Box$ Rebuild/relocate general area | | $\bigcirc$ | Remain in service | **N** | New library | $\Box$ New library general area | #### Centers <
> ### Figure LUTI-20: Fire station improvements needed <
> **Fire Stations** * ○ No change * ○ Replace * ● New/replace station * □ Potential area for new station **Tier** * ■ Centers Figure LUTI-21: Access to parks by service area and walkable distances <
> ### Park Serviceable Area ■ All Parks ■ Serviceable Area to Mini Parks < 1/4 Mile □ Serviceable Area to Schools < 1/4 Mile ◤ Serviceable Area to Neighborhood, Community, and Regional Parks < 1/2 mi ## LUTI goal 10 Recognizing its status as the center of a thriving region, Nashville embraces coordination with surrounding cities and counties to ensure greater prosperity and well-being for all. ### Be Nashville Nashville is the “brand” of Middle Tennessee. Actions that keep Nashville unique are vital to maintaining the region’s success. ### Expand Accessibility Increasingly, life for Tennesseans in the Greater Nashville region does not recognize city or county lines. Most workers in the region cross a county line to get to their workplace. As more workplaces locate in suburban counties, more Nashvillians will make a reverse commute. Managing our transportation system efficiently is crucial to the region’s success. ### Create Economic Prosperity Nashville’s economy is tightly entwined with the rest of the region. We share key economic sectors in health care, advanced manufacturing, shipping and logistics, and others. We shared our talented pool of workers, who choose among all of the communities of Middle Tennessee when finding a place to live. ### Advance Education The region also shares 18 higher education institutions, offering a wide variety of course offerings. ### Champion the Environment Natural features meander through the region, without regard for political boundaries. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Cumberland River, which connects southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee to the Mississippi River. The river is one of our ultimate shared resources. Progress has been made in preserving natural features across the region, but more steps—including linking green spaces across the region—are needed. **Related Policies** Health, Livability & the Built Environment » BE 4.2 Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation » NR 5.1 Economic & Workforce Development » EWD 1.2 (blank page) --- ## Circulation — The Access Nashville 2040 transportation plan - Source: https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/next-volume5-AccessNashville2040c.pdf?ct=1759252926 - Pages: 132 - Covers: circulation - **Transcription findings were recorded for this document;** check figures against the source. nashvillenext # A General Plan for Nashville & Davidson County Adopted June 22, 2015 # Volume V: Access Nashville 2040 <
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> Certified per TCA 13-4-202 as a part of the Nashville-Davidson County General Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Commission and including all amendments to this part as of June 22, 2015. Rickhel Bernhardt Executive Secretary (blank page) # METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION # OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE ### Resolution No. RS2015-256 “BE IT RESOLVED by The Metropolitan Planning Commission that NashvilleNext is approved in accordance with the staff report and recommendations in the staff report with the following amendments: 2; 3; 4; 5; 14; 15; 16; 18; 20; 22a, 22c; 23; 24; 25; 31; 32; and the deferral of 11 areas identified in the Whites Creek area until the August 13, 2015 Planning Commission meeting with the Public Hearing closed. (9-0)” Resolution No. RS2015-256 WHEREAS, Section 13-4-203 of the Tennessee Code, Annotated, authorizes a General Plan “with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with existing and future needs, best promote public health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare, as well as efficiency and economy in the process of development, and identify areas where there are inadequate or nonexistent publicly or privately owned and maintained services and facilities when the planning commission has determined the services are necessary in order for development to occur;” and WHEREAS, Chapter 5, section 11.504 (c) of the Metro Nashville Charter gives the Metro Planning Commission the power to “Make, amend and add to the master or general plan for the physical development of the entire metropolitan government area;” and WHEREAS, Section 18.02 of the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requires that zoning regulations be enacted by the Council “only on the basis of a comprehensive plan prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Commission;” and WHEREAS, the last General Plan, *Concept 2010, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* was adopted in 1992; and WHEREAS, Mayor Karl Dean, seeing fit to update the General Plan, announced on May 22, 2012 that the General Plan would be updated, assigning the task to the Metro Planning Department; and WHEREAS, under the leadership of the *NashvilleNext* Steering Committee and the Community Engagement Committee, the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission worked with stakeholders in Nashville/Davidson County, holding over 420 public meetings and events and soliciting input through online forums, engaging over 18,500 participants in providing public input to update the General Plan; WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, empowered under state statute and the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to adopt master or general plans for smaller areas of the county, finds that the process followed to develop the *NashvilleNext* General Plan included diverse, widespread, and meaningful community participation and substantial research and analysis and therefore finds that replacing the *Concept 2010* General Plan with the *NashvilleNext* General Plan is warranted; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Metropolitan Planning Commission hereby ADOPTS *NashvilleNext, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* in accordance with sections 11.504 (e), (j), and 18.02 of the charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, and Davidson County as the basis for the Commission’s development decisions in the county. <
> James McLean, Chairman Adoption Date: June 22, 2015 Attest: <
> J. Douglas Sloan, III, Secretary and Executive Director # THE NASHVILLENEXT PLAN Each part of the plan has a role to play. Some parts are broad and visionary, while others are specific and detailed. This section helps users of the plan understand how the parts fit together and support one another. No part of the plan is intended to stand alone; each can only be understood as working together with the rest of the plan. ## I Vision, Trends, & Strategy Volume I presents the role and powers of the plan, key trends and issues that the plan addresses, a summary of the plan’s strategy and approach to the future, and implementation goals and policies. ## II Elements » Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure » Arts, Culture & Creativity » Economic & Workforce Development » Education & Youth » Health, Livability & the Built Environment » Housing » Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation ## III Communities Nashville's Community Plans provide history and context for Nashville's 14 Community Planning Areas, along with community-specific issues, strategies, and sketches of how different places in the community could change over time. Detailed Community Character Maps link the broad, county-wide Growth Concept Map to character policies that guide zoning and development decisions. ### Community Character Manual The Community Character Manual provides detailed explanations of the character policies used in the Community Character Maps. Community Plan Areas: | | | | :--- | :--- | | Antioch-Priest Lake | Joelton | | Bellevue | Madison | | Bordeaux-Whites Creek | North Nashville | | Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory | Parkwood-Union Hill | | Downtown | South Nashville | | East Nashville | Southeast | | Green Hills-Midtown | West Nashville | ## IV Actions Specific tasks for Metro departments and partners to undertake, within a recommended timeframe. ## V Access Nashville 2040 Volume V is the overarching vision of how transportation works under NashvilleNext. # CONTENTS **ACCESS NASHVILLE 2040 ............................. 7** Why Access? .............................................................7 How is Access Nashville organized? ........................9 Background: Transportation in Nashville....... 10 **NASHVILLENEXT &** **THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ........................... 21** **GROWTH & PRESERVATION** **CONCEPT PLAN ............................................. 22** Access Nashville’s Transportation Vision ....... 24 Complete Streets ................................................... 31 Completing the Trip Stories ................................. 32 Case Study: Dickerson Pike ................................. 43 **IMPLEMENTING ACCESS NASHVILLE .... 47** Who is responsible for Nashville’s Transportation Network? ...................................... 47 How a Transportation Project Moves from Idea to Implementation ................................ 62 **ACCESS NASHVILLE** **REPORT CARD ................................................. 64** **21ˢᵀ CENTURY CITY** **TRANSPORTATION** **SOLUTIONS ..................................................... 71** Why Developing An Exceptional Walking Environment Is Important .................................... 72 Why Creating A Robust Biking Network Is Important ............................................ 75 Why Creating Dedicated Mass Transit Lanes Is Important .................................. 78 Why Managing Travel Lanes Is Important ..... 81 Why Completing Strategic Connections Is Important .................................... 84 Why maintaining existing transportation infrastructure is important .................................. 85 Why achieving zero deaths on Nashville streets is important .............................. 86 **NASHVILLE’S 21ˢᵀ CENTURY** **TRANSPORTATION** **FRAMEWORK PLAN ....................................... 90** Walking Network ................................................... 91 Bicycling Network ................................................ 102 Mass Transit Network .......................................... 112 Streets Network ................................................... 114 **TRANSPORTATION** **NETWORK PLANS ......................................... 124** **NEXT ACTION STEPS .................................... 128** <
> # ACCESS NASHVILLE 2040 Access Nashville is a comprehensive framework for the city’s multimodal transportation network to support Nashville’s quality of life and manage growth, development, and preservation through the year 2040 and beyond. Access Nashville provides a coordinated roadmap for the development of the entire transportation network over the next 25 years. It provides a set of Accessibility Principles, Implementation Strategies, Strategic Initiatives, and a shared Evaluation Framework that allow agencies to collaborate and coordinate around the community’s desired transportation vision. ### Why Access? Accessibility is the ability to reach goods, services, activities, and destinations. People walk, bike, drive, carpool, and take mass transit to get to jobs, services, and other activities. Access is the ultimate goal of most trips. Accessibility affects where you go, what you do, whom you know, your household costs, and your opportunities for education, employment, and recreation.[^p7-1] Throughout the region, access determines one’s opportunity to engage in social and economic activities. Policies that promote mobility—moving people and goods more quickly—for one group of people instead of access for all are inherently unfair. Because we all share in the costs of building and maintaining our transportation network, it is inequitable to favor people who drive over those who access activities by walking, biking, or taking transit. Our transportation network must be accessible to all people living, working, or visiting Nashville—both now and in the future. Increasing mobility does not always improve accessibility. As automobiles became more common in Nashville, the city managed mobility by designing streets to favor people driving cars over those who walk, bike, or take transit, without critically examining all of the factors that affect how people get where they need to go. In order for the city’s transportation network to remain relevant to the changing needs and growth of the city, our toolkit of transportation solutions must also change and grow. Today, many Nashvillians find it difficult to access activities in Davidson County without a car. At the same time, residents express a desire to make communities more walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly. Throughout ### What is multimodal transportation? Multimodal transportation describes the various options or transportation modes such as walking, bicycling, taking the bus, and driving, and the connections among modes. Someone who bicycles to their bus stop, loads their bike on a bus, takes the bus into downtown, and walks their bike to their office has used three modes of transportation—bicycling, taking the bus, and walking. Their multimodal trip into work should be seamless between the different transportation modes. ### What is active transportation? Active transportation describes walking and bicycling for transportation purposes. Sometimes these transportation modes are referred to as non-motorized transportation options. Active transportation is often a component of multimodal transportation trips. <
> **Buses are just one component of a multimodal transportation network.** [^p7-1]: Victoria Transport Policy Institute’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Encyclopedia http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm84.htm ### Factors Affecting Access[^p8-1] Many of the strategies identified in Access Nashville address factors affecting access. » **Demand** – amount of mobility and access people choose » **Mobility** – distance and speed of travel » **Accessibility options** – number and quality of access options like walking, bicycling, transit, or ridesharing » **User information** – availability of reliable information on accessibility options » **Integrated destinations** – the degree to which a place is linked to transportation modes » **Affordability** – cost of transportation relative to income » **Mobility substitutes** – telecommunications and delivery services that replace physical travel » **Land use** – density and mix of uses which may impact accessibility » **Design** – elements that make up a street such as car lanes, sidewalks, trees, building placement, or another travelway » **Network connectivity** – directness of travel between destinations » **Transportation management** – ways to increase the transportation network efficiency » **Inaccessibility** – sometimes there is value in limiting access the NashvilleNext process, residents ranked walkable neighborhoods and improved mass transit as top priorities for Nashville’s future. Nashvillians also want to consider new ways to fund essential transportation improvements. To successfully implement NashvilleNext, our city must identify and fund projects that improve access for people who walk, bike, and take transit. ### Figure 1: Sidewalk Questions Where do Nashvillians most want new sidewalks? How much additional do they think households should pay for them? <
> ### Figure 2: Preferences for improving transportation If you had to decide on an overall strategy for improving transportation in Middle Tennessee, which of the following would be your first, second, and third priority: <
> Source: Nashville Issues Survey (2012) [^p8-1]: Todd Litman, 2014, Evaluating Accessibility for Transportation Planning: Measuring People's Ability to Reach Desired Goods and Activities - http://www.vtpi.org/access.pdf ### How is Access Nashville organized? 1. Access Nashville describes local accessibility issues and trends. To plan for the future, it is critical to understand how our transportation network evolved, basic assumptions impacting the viability of today’s transportation network, how getting around the city is changing, and why people travel. 2. Access Nashville outlines a Transportation Vision for Nashville/Davidson County and Accessibility Principles to strive for in creating a multimodal transportation system that meets the city’s current and future needs. 3. The overarching strategy is creating Complete Streets—streets that are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all road users, no matter who they are or how they travel. Complete Streets give people meaningful choices in how they access social and economic activities around Nashville. 4. Access Nashville identifies responsible stakeholders and their roles, to explain which agencies are involved in the city’s day-to-day planning, operations, and maintenance of the transportation system and the importance of each in implementing the NashvilleNext vision. 5. Access Nashville recommends an Annual Access Nashville Report Card and lists multimodal indicators that allow our residents and local leaders to assess our transportation network. Baseline data is presented and will be used to evaluate future progress. The many stakeholders that plan, build, manage, and maintain our transportation network can use this shared Evaluation Framework to work toward a collective impact that will be more meaningful than any individual effort in improving accessibility. 6. Access Nashville provides strategies that increase access through specific initiatives. These initiatives are inter-related because we can no longer assume that people will use only one mode of transportation to access daily needs in the future. The initiatives are linked to, and put into action, the Accessibility Principles. The relationship between the various transportation modal plans are described, followed by modal Framework Maps for Nashville’s 21^st Century Transportation Network. 7. Finally, Access Nashville outlines immediate next steps to respond to community concerns heard during NashvilleNext. These next steps are closely tied to the Land Use, Transportation, and Infrastructure (LUTI) Element found in Volume II and its Action Items. ### Five issues frame the future of transportation in Nashville: 1. Nashville's street network is mostly built. Acquiring new rights-of-way is very challenging. 2. The city's transportation network must reflect what is appropriate for Nashville. 3. Nashville is the region's population and employment hub, so Middle Tennessee residents need to connect to Nashville and get around in multiple ways as part of the regional transportation network. 4. Nashville's street network is evolving into a multimodal transportation network and should accommodate all modes and people. 5. Nashville's multimodal transportation network evolves as walkable centers grow. <
> Nashville's street network is more efficient with transit service and bike lanes. ## Background: Transportation in Nashville Five issues frame the future of transportation in Nashville. Any attempt to improve Nashvillians’ ability to access social and economic activities in Nashville must address these key issues. ### 1. Nashville’s street network is mostly built. Acquiring new rights-of-way is very challenging. Nashville has a fairly extensive street network of interstates, freeways, arterial-boulevards, arterial-parkways, and collector-avenues that are identified in the city’s adopted Major and Collector Street Plan (MCSP). Local streets, which are still being built as new subdivisions are created, supplement the primary streets. The right of way, or land on which Metro or the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) maintains streets, its sidewalks, bikeways, and streetscaping, is also extensive and requires regular maintenance. Acquiring new right-of-way is challenging as Metro and TDOT will often have to work with numerous property owners along a given street because of development throughout the area. Maximizing efficiencies within the existing street system and right-of-way will be essential in the future. In Davidson County, transportation maintenance improvements are funded in several ways. Metro Public Works operates a paving program and is responsible for installing sidewalks and bike lanes on local streets, collector-avenues, and arterial-boulevards. Public Works’ projects are funded annually through the Capital Improvements Budget from the City’s General Fund. About 86 percent of the General Fund revenue comes from property taxes, sales taxes, and grants. Gas tax revenues also contribute to the General Fund, among other revenue sources. TDOT has jurisdiction over state highways, interstates, and larger arterials. TDOT’s budget is funded through state and federal sources, including user fees, which have declined in recent years as Tennesseans choose to own more efficient cars and drive less, and also federal transportation funds allocated via a series of short-term transportation bills. Historically, federal transportation legislation has covered funding for nearly five years. In recent years, Congressional gridlock has forced the use of these short–term bills and extensions making it extremely difficult for local transportation agencies and state DOTs to plan future needs without funding certainty. At both the state and city levels, maintenance backlogs overwhelm the amount of revenue generated by these sources, and generating new revenue through additional taxes is politically unpopular. Large-scale, new roads and highways require Metro or TDOT to acquire large swaths of land for costly right-of-way; such projects are no longer feasible given today’s financial constraints. Despite these challenges, street connections are still needed, and some streets may be widened along with multimodal improvements. Generally, however, in the upcoming decades, the city and state transportation agencies can no longer expand the street network at the same pace as it did from the 1900s to the 1980s. The city must maintain the current street network, make strategic connections, and provide more travel options on the existing network in the future. The illustrations on the next pages show the typical estimated cost and approximate lifespan of transportation infrastructure within existing right-of-way. One example shows multimodal elements near 21ˢᵗ Avenue at Wedgewood Avenue in Hillsboro Village, and the other location is near Ninth Avenue North at Church Street in downtown. ## 2. The city’s transportation network must reflect what is appropriate for Nashville. In most of Davidson County and Middle Tennessee, land uses are not dense. The character of our region’s built environment has developed initially without sewers over hills and forested lands, often resulting in neighborhoods that are typically disconnected from surrounding land uses. This disconnected, low-density development pattern is a barrier to frequent transit service and walkability. People who live in, work in, and visit Nashville want a robust transit network that links connected, walkable neighborhoods. To provide more frequent transit service and expand walking and biking options, the city must strategically increase density where appropriate. The geology and geography of the Middle Tennessee region makes the construction of subway-type mass transit systems difficult. The hard bedrock and preserved, forested hills of the region make underground transit cost-prohibitive. Nashville can study the transportation strategies <
> The typical neighborhood street in Nashville is wide with no sidewalks. # How much for this streetscape? <
> **Bus Shelter** $7,500 each Lifespan: 20 years **Street Light** $10,000 each Monthly cost depends on LED or conventional bulb Lifespan: 50 years **Signalized Intersection** $306,456 for full intersection with pedestrian signals $8,000 per year to operate Lifespan: 20 years **Street Sign** $253 each Lifespan: 15 years **Street Tree** $1,820 each Lifespan: 7 years in a tree well **Crosswalk** $913 for one leg of crosswalk; $3,652 for 4 legs intersection Lifespan: 5 years **Heavy Duty Bus** $650,000 each $355,947 over lifespan to maintain $115.01 per hour to operate Lifespan: 12 years **Bikeshare Station** $56,448 to install $2,303 monthly to operate Lifespan: 5 years for a bike **Figure 3: The cost of some transportation components near 21ˢᵗ Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue** # How much for this streetscape? <
> Pedestrian Signal $575 each Lifespan: 20 years Health Benefits from bicycling Priceless Increases Lifespan: +10 years Sidewalk and Stormwater Infrastructure $350 for one foot; $1,452,000 for one mile $7.11 to maintain one foot Bike Box $3,500 Lifespan: 5 years Bench $2,250 each Urban Travel Lane $1,860,276 to build one lane mile $251,302 to mill and resurface one lane mile Lifespan: 60 years Bike Lane $130,000 per mile 5% of build cost to maintain Lifespan: 5 years Figure 4: The cost of some transportation components near Ninth Avenue North and Church Street of peer cities to determine what types of transportation will address our accessibility challenges, but a rapid transit solution appropriate for Atlanta or Oakland may not be feasible in today’s Nashville. The selection of transit modes is one part of an important conversation that residents will have with city leaders as Nashville expands access to the transportation system. ### 3. Nashville is the region’s population and employment hub, so Middle Tennessee residents need to connect to Nashville and get around in multiple ways as part of the regional transportation network. Transportation issues extend beyond city and county boundaries into the surrounding region. Nashville’s thriving, diverse communities, employment centers, and housing choices form the economic hub of Middle Tennessee. Population and employment projections show Nashville’s continued importance as the economic center of the region, even as adjacent counties grow. Connecting more people to jobs through Nashville’s multimodal transportation network will be important to linking Middle Tennessee communities together. Figure 5 shows the number of commuters who cross county lines for work. A significant number of residents travel into Davidson County and Williamson County; however, there are people moving across all of the Middle Tennessee counties. <
> Figure 5: Number of Workers Commuting County to County ### 4. Nashville’s street network is evolving into a multimodal transportation network and should accommodate all modes and people. Transportation modes—walking, biking, riding transit, or driving—are the different ways that people get around Nashville. A multimodal transportation network is more accessible, efficient, and equitable than one that works for only one mode. Outside of the urban core, Nashville’s transportation network has developed under the assumption that most people will drive to access daily activities, goods, and services. Residential neighborhoods were built without sidewalks, roads were not designed to address the needs of bicyclists, and the bus system has primarily served people traveling to downtown and those who lack other transportation options. These transportation conditions were the result of sprawling development patterns, and have contributed to congested roadways, traffic fatalities and injuries, high obesity and diabetes rates, and negative biases about transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Although some residents benefit from a transportation network that prioritizes car travel, all residents can benefit from an equitable, multimodal transportation network. When the individual needs of each mode are addressed comprehensively, the transportation network as a whole will function better and serve more Nashvillians. Nashville’s transportation network is evolving as more people choose car-sharing, bicycling and bike-sharing, walking, and transit. The rapid development of new technologies such as ride sharing apps, driverless cars, electric vehicles, and e-bikes can make existing facilities more efficient in ways that were not envisioned in the past. As we age, our transportation needs change, so older adults may need other mobility and accessibility options to complete their trips. The average transportation costs in Nashville absorb about 23 percent of income. Combined with housing costs, 50 percent of one’s income can easily be used for housing and getting around the region. Designing the transportation network for all people and all modes will be critical to Nashville’s future to address our changing population’s needs and to also reduce transportation costs. It took from the 1900s to the 1980s to develop the extensive street and highway network that exists in the region today. Nashville’s multimodal transportation network will also take time to evolve. <
> Dickerson Pike is a major transit corridor and does not comfortably accommodate pedestrians. <
> Figure 6: According to the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing and Transportation Affordability Index, on average in Nashville/Davidson County, 50 percent of income is spent on housing and transportation needs. ### 5. Nashville’s multimodal transportation network evolves as walkable centers grow. NashvilleNext’s Growth and Preservation Concept Plan identifies Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors where population and employment density should increase. Figure 9 shows as these areas evolve, their transportation network should also evolve to complement and support the growth. A corridor with low population densities and one or two neighborhood centers can support only sporadic bus service. In these areas, traffic congestion may be low, making it unlikely that a bus will offer faster travel times. Walking may be inconvenient because services are far apart. Corridors like this provide mobility, but they do not emphasize access. More frequent transit service becomes viable as the corridor redevelops with more services, more housing, and more centers that function as hubs for employment, and services/retail for surrounding neighborhoods. Walking and biking become more convenient when services are located closer to one another and to nearby homes. Over time, the centers begin to function as a complete community, and the corridor becomes a significant route connecting centers. Once development patterns change to support denser housing options and denser employment, more services are generated to meet the needs of nearby residents and workers, buildings evolve with more height, and dense corridors and centers emerge. At this point, permanent transit service like bus rapid transit with dedicated transit lanes is feasible. Walking and biking are significant components of completing the trip. The street becomes part of the city’s culture—a place where people interact with others, share, and grow. The planned growth areas identified in NashvilleNext offer more transportation choices as they evolve over time. Figure 7: Pedestrian generators and NashvilleNext centers <
> ### Pedestrian Generator Index Legend | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | <
> | Centers | **Priority Corridors** | | **Pedestrian Generator Index** | | | <
> | Water Bodies | <
> | Immediate need | <
> | High : 65 | | <
> | Anchor Parks | <
> | Long-term need | | | | | | <
> | Schools | | Low : 0 | ### Figure 8: Abundant housing to create opportunity Use centers, corridors, neighborhoods, and the areas in between to provide a variety of housing options that keep pace with Nashville’s increasing and diverse demand for housing. Neighborhoods represent an enormous stock of housing that will be critical for the future. Preserving the character of neighborhoods is important for maintaining the quality of life. However, neighborhoods can also help accommodate the need for new homes. Vacant lots should be built up in ways compatible with the surrounding homes. Adding density close to transit lines reduces pressure to redevelop the interior of neighborhoods while providing residents with more transportation choices. <
> The densest development should occur within centers and along corridors to support frequent transit service. Areas between neighborhoods and centers or corridors should provide a transition in density and intensity. The transition is accomplished by regulating height and bulk to produce buildings with small to mid-sized footprints. Doing so gives Nashville the opportunity to locate more people close to key amenities, like transit lines and shopping, and to add more diverse housing types. ### Figure 9: Land use and transportation Transit service and investments evolve alongside development patterns. At low densities, there is little support for local service; residents must rely on park-and-rides. As density increases, so does service frequency and capacity. At the low end, this may be buses running only during rush hour or with a half an hour or more between buses. The densest parts of the county support more frequent service, running every 10 minutes at peak times. As this happens, investments follow the most highly used routes, such as covered shelters or signal prioritization. Nashville is now considering the next step: giving transit dedicated space on roadways. Because this is extremely costly, it requires a commitment to placing more homes and jobs on these routes. Doing so ensures that these investments have the greatest impact on expanding Nashvillians’ ability to get around. <
> As density increases, so does support for frequent, high capacity transit service. The map at right shows places in Nashville that currently suppport more frequent transit service. #### High capacity transit corridors — Priority Corridor — Corridor #### Level of transit service by current population and employment None/park & ride 30 to 60 min headways 15 min headways Rapid transit (low) Rapid transit (high) <
> # NASHVILLENEXT & THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES <
> NashvilleNext is driven by Guiding Principles that inform growth, development, and preservation decisions in the future. Access Nashville builds upon the Guiding Principles with additional Accessibility Principles that guide strategic investments in Nashville’s transportation network. ### ENSURE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL **_Opportunity is about equity and fairness for all._** Nashville and the region are becoming more racially, ethnically, and age diverse. For our region to continue to prosper, everyone needs equitable access to opportunities to advance their well-being regardless of their circumstances. Inequities and lack of access to basic services, jobs, and housing prevents residents from fully participating in our community, its economy, and civic life. We all gain from creating a place where all people can improve their lives and contribute to the larger community. Meaningful opportunity for all is both a means to a healthy, prosperous, resilient community and an end that will benefit everyone. ### EXPAND ACCESSIBILITY **_Accessibility is critical for equity._** Today’s society has become accustomed to having choices—choices in housing, transportation, education, jobs, and recreation, among others. To allow for choice and encourage opportunity, Nashvillians of all ages, incomes, and abilities need access to basic things—safe, affordable, and accessible housing, employment opportunities, healthy and affordable food, transportation options, recreation, a sustainable natural environment, well-designed places to gather and connect with neighbors, and, increasingly, choice and access to evolving technology to participate in today’s active online world. ### CREATE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY **_Access to prosperity improves all._** Nashville has long thrived due to a historically diversified economy. Our diversified economy relies on providing work for low-, moderate-, and high-skilled workers; providing pathways for individuals to improve their skills and earning power; and providing a low cost of living, which draws workers of all skill levels to Nashville. To build upon our prosperity, we must continue to grow our creative and innovative culture, maintain our city’s affordability, increase our quality of life, and create, attract, and develop workforce talent. Meanwhile, Nashville’s prosperity has not reached everyone. More can be done to create pathways for all Nashvillians to provide for themselves and their families and contribute to our rich economy. ### FOSTER STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS **_Neighborhoods are the heart and soul of Nashville._** Nashville is stronger due its diverse neighborhoods in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Neighborhoods throughout Nashville should be both complete and strong. Nashville has many “complete” neighborhoods that provide choices and opportunities in housing and transportation and have access to employment, education, and recreation. Nashville has many “strong” neighborhoods whose residents enjoy rich social connections, opportunities for success in life, and voices that are heard in the decisions that affect them. We will strive to expand the qualities of completeness and strength to all neighborhoods in Nashville. ### ADVANCE EDUCATION **_Educational access for all is our foundation._** Education is how we prepare our children for tomorrow’s challenges, and how we keep our residents ready to successfully participate in evolving workforce and civic life. Access to educational resources is critical to help Nashvillians fulfill their potential as individuals and positively contribute to a healthy community and prosperous, sustainable economy. Increased demographic diversity, technological evolution, and an increasingly interconnected global economic structure requires a lifetime learning system founded in a pre-kindergarten, elementary, secondary, and higher educational environment accessible to all and strengthened through a strong physical, social, and emotional support system. ### CHAMPION THE ENVIRONMENT **_Environmental stewardship is our responsibility._** Nashville’s diverse and vibrant natural environment is one of its major assets. The way we preserve and develop land has a direct impact on our health and quality of life. Preservation of the natural environment and thoughtful development with a goal of stewardship will ensure the benefits of Nashville’s natural environment for generations to come. We will seek to create safe, healthy, and attractive places to live and work while enhancing our natural environment. ### BE NASHVILLE **_‘Nashville’ is our strength._** Nashville/Davidson County has a culture grounded in inclusivity and friendliness, creativity and entrepreneurship, and concern for others. Nashville will experience significant growth in the coming years, but we can retain and build upon the culture that makes Nashville unique and strong—a culture that supported equity and civil rights early; that provides opportunities for everyone from songwriters to small businesses, to new Americans; that picked up and cared for our battered neighbors after the flood of 2010; and that respects our history and looks eagerly to the future. # GROWTH & PRESERVATION CONCEPT PLAN The **Growth and Preservation Concept Plan** has several key elements related to transportation: **High Capacity Transit Corridors** are identified with **Immediate or Long-Term Needs** as thicker and more narrow blue lines on the plan. These needs are anticipated based upon existing transit ridership, changes already anticipated with more intense corridor development, and connections to Tier One Centers. It is critical to support more residential and job growth along the High Capacity Transit Corridors and to create more connections between centers. The High Capacity Transit Corridors will be prioritized during MTA’s *Strategic Transit Master Plan Update* in 2015 through 2016. Regional connections are depicted with arrows to the northwest to Clarksville; to the northeast to Gallatin; to the east utilizing the existing Music City Star commuter rail line to Lebanon; to the southeast to Murfreesboro; and to the south to Franklin. The type of transit to these regional centers may need to be different in transit mode, service frequency, and nearby land use context compared to the High Capacity Transit Corridors identified in Nashville/Davidson County. **Centers** are identified with an emphasis on coordinating capital improvements in **Tier One Centers** in darker orange. These areas are likely to need more immediate investment in the near future involving upgrades to infrastructure to meet the needs of more intense employment and housing densities. The importance of these centers to transportation is critical to providing a more walkable environment and supporting transit. Increasing the density along the corridors and centers will make more frequent mass transit viable over time. As NashvilleNext moves into implementation, additional land use and transportation planning efforts of the identified Tier One Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors prioritized through MTA’s Strategic Plan will be needed to outline a comprehensive vision and timeline for coordinated capital improvements needed to develop a successful multimodal transportation network. ### Figure 10: Growth & Preservation Concept Map <
> | | | | | | | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 🟠 | Tier Two | 🟢 | Open space anchor | ➖ | Long-term need | | 🟡 | Tier Three | ⁘ | Missing an anchor | ◯ | **Special impact area** | ⬅️ | Regional connection | <
> Thinking through how our environment allows people with mobility needs access opportunities is critical for Nashville's future. <
> Building placement with wide sidewalks is crucial to link people walking. ## Access Nashville’s Transportation Vision Access Nashville’s transportation vision guides our city’s decisions in creating a multimodal transportation network focused on providing access. > By 2040, efficient land use policies and strategic investments in Nashville’s transportation network will link all road users, regardless of their mode of transportation, with meaningful access to social and economic opportunities. To achieve this vision, eight Accessibility Principles guide transportation improvements, linking them with the rest of NashvilleNext. ### 1. Create a place with efficient community form and transportation choices. One of Metro’s largest publicly accessible assets and fiscal investments is our transportation network, including our streets, buses, sidewalks, multi-use paths, greenways, benches, bikeways, and many other components. The design of our streets should provide access to all users, be informed by local context, and improve our city’s quality of life and aesthetics. To provide access for all road users, we must right-size our city streets to accommodate people who ride buses, bicycle, and walk. Increasing the number of different types of users on a street, improving walkability, creating neighborhoods with a mix of uses with higher densities at strategic locations, and designing streets for slower traffic speeds will result in better places, reduced traffic fatalities, improved health for our population, and a network that operates more efficiently than one dependent on a single transportation mode. Transportation choices across the lifespan that improve accessibility to needs will only improve the quality of life of all Nashvillians. As we age, we may need different travel choices.[^p24-2] [^p24-2]: Todd Litman, 2010, Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits for the American Public Transit Association - http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/APTA_Health_Benefits_Litman.pdf; Dumbaugh, Eric and Rae, Robert(2009) ‘Safe Urban Form: Revisiting the Relationship Between Community Design and Traffic Safety’, Journal of the American Planning Association, 75: 3, 309 — 329 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01944360902950349; US DOT, 2014, Safer People Safer Streets: Summary of U.S. Department of Transportation Action Plan to Increase Walking and Biking and Reduce Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities - http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/safer_people_safer_streets_summary_doc_acc_v1-11-9.pdf ### 2. Offer meaningful transportation choices. All components of the transportation network must be coordinated to create meaningful access and choice for Nashvillians as they meet their daily needs. For example, transit service is less viable when bus stops are not supported by a functional biking and walking network. Although the choice to take transit exists, it is not meaningful to nearby residents who are unable to access the bus stop, if sidewalks are missing. Currently, there is a significant gap in providing door-to-door service for older adults. Land use decisions and infrastructure investments must be coordinated between agencies to create meaningful access and choice. The individual components of the transportation network should be appropriate for each neighborhood and the users that they serve. Thoughtful decisions about how we grow in the future can impact quality of life, specifically one’s income spent on transportation and housing and ease of access to daily needs. ### 3. Sustain and enhance the economy. In the past, people believed that moving people and goods farther and faster was the key to generating economic growth. In pursuit of this goal, governments poured money into expensive highway and road widening projects that they now struggle to maintain under current fiscal constraints. Today, we know that economic growth occurs when people have ready access to jobs and services. For our economic growth to have the broadest impact, all people need meaningful access to economic opportunities. Creating transportation choices creates better access, enhances the surrounding economy, and reduces transportation costs. For example, businesses near bikeshare stations see increased economic activity,[^p25-3] and strategic investments in permanent transit infrastructure spur development along corridors.[^p25-4] Furthermore, meaningful transportation options give households the freedom to choose how to use money that they might otherwise be forced to spend on transportation. <
> Bikeshare provides another option for people taking the bus to complete trips or run errands. <
> Transportation can contribute a sense of place. [^p25-3]: Anderson, R. et. al, 2013, Economic Impact and Operational Efficiency for Bikeshare Systems: Local, Domestic, and International Lessons - https://ralphbu.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/virginia-tech-capital-bikeshare-studio-report-2013-final.pdf [^p25-4]: Walter Hook, Stephanie Lotshaw, Annie Weinstock, More Development for Your Transit Dollar: An Analysis of 21 North American Transit Corridors (Institute of Transportation & Development Policy) - https://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/More-Development-For-Your-Transit-Dollar_ITDP.pdf <
> A bike painted white to remember a bicyclist killed on Old Hickory Boulevard. ### 4. Increase safety and resiliency. Driving is the most dangerous activity that most Nashvillians engage in on any given day. The chances of dying from injuries in a motor vehicle crash are 1 in 112[^p26-5], higher lifetime odds than most other causes of death. In 2013, 65 people died and 222 people were critically injured in reported crashes in Davidson County.[^p26-6] Those fatalities cost the city $390 million in economic costs, or $592 per resident.[^p26-7] Public health professionals now work with city planners to improve road safety and to reduce preventable illnesses and deaths by encouraging more people to walk and bike to their daily activities, supported by changes in the built environment. The agencies involved in designing, engineering, maintaining, and patrolling the transportation network must work together to eliminate preventable deaths and injuries on Nashville’s streets and to improve health outcomes for all people. In creating efficient community form and transportation choices, street design will be different in an urban area of Nashville/Davidson County compared to a rural location. Policies, regulations, and programs may need to be adjusted based on the area’s context, surrounding land uses, and type of street. Speed limits along city streets are one example. Evidence strongly supports reducing speed limits with traffic enforcement and designing city streets for slower speeds given the mixture of land uses, access points, and types of people moving on the street. Unsigned residential streets have a speed limit of 30 mph in Nashville/Davidson County. The injury severity of people walking hit by cars is often related to their age—older adults who are hit by a car are more likely to be severely injured or die—and the speed of the vehicle that hit the person walking. Reducing the speed limit to 25 mph with traffic enforcement and street design that encourages slower speeds can reduce the injury severity of people hit by a car. Slower speeds also benefit people driving in reducing their injury severity and amount of property damage, too. Emergency responders also depend on Nashville’s transportation network to assist people in need. In addition to considering the design of streets, Fire and EMS need alternate routes to reduce response time and assist people when main corridors are congested. During the flood of 2010, blocked streets in areas with limited street connectivity made it difficult for emergency personnel to protect lives and property. Increased street connectivity would give first responders multiple routes to an emergency *** [^p26-5]: *National Safety Council, Injury Facts: Odds http://www.nsc.org/NSCDocuments_Corporate/2014-Injury-Facts-Odds-Dying-43.pdf* [^p26-6]: *Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, 2014 http://www.tn.gov/safety/stats/CrashData/default.shtml* [^p26-7]: *Calculated by staff based upon AAA Study Crashes Vs. Congestion: What’s the cost to Society? By Cambridge Systematics, November 2011 - http://www.camsys.com/pubs/2011_AAA_CrashvCongUpd.pdf* site. In response to climate change and extreme weather events like the 2010 flood, Nashville must prioritize investments that make our transportation network more resilient and safe. ### Vehicle Speed Impacts Injury Severity <
> | Cause of Death | Odds of Dying | | :--- | :---: | | Heart Disease | 1:7 | | Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease | 1:29 | | Intentional Self-harm | 1:103 | | **Motor Vehicle Crash** | **1:112** | | Unintentional Poisoning by and Exposure to Noxious Substances | 1:119 | | Fall | 1:152 | | Assault by Firearm | 1:356 | | **Pedestrian Incident** | **1:723** | | **Motorcycle Rider Incident** | **1:922** | | Unintentional Drowning or Submersion | 1:1,043 | | Exposure to Fire, Flames, or Smoke | 1:1,418 | | Choking from Inhalation and Ingestion of Food | 1:3,649 | | **Pedacyclist Incident** | **1:4,974** | | Firearms Discharge | 1:6,509 | | Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat | 1: 8,321 | **Figure 11: Odds of dying, from the National Safety Council. Highlighted causes of death are those that involve transportation.** ### What are the benefits of walking on health? » Reduce the risk of heart disease » Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels » Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity » Enhance mental health » Reduce the risk of osteoporosis » Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer » Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes[^p28-1] *** [^p28-1] The Benefits of Walking, American Heart Association - http://www.startwalkingnow.org/whystart_benefits_walking.jsp ### 5. Improve human health and the environment. Different transportation options present both positive and negative impacts on human health and the environment. When people can choose to walk, bike, or take transit, they are able to improve their health and reduce the impact of environmental pollution associated with driving. Public health professionals recognize that a city’s urban fabric—its buildings and street layout—can positively contribute to increased physical activity. People who live and work in walkable neighborhoods spend more time being physically active, spend less time driving, are more physically fit, and live lives that emit less pollution.[^p28-8] <
> **Greenways provide a buffer between development and streams, which improves water quality and decreases flooding risks. They are used for recreation but are also a link in today's transportation system.** ### 6. Ensure financial responsibility. Installing and maintaining transportation infrastructure is costly, and opportunities to increase transportation budgets are limited. Moving forward, all levels of government must work within existing budgets to maintain transportation assets much more efficiently. Because our region’s street and highway network is mostly built, our top investment priorities are maintaining existing facilities and increasing meaningful access to different transportation modes. *** [^p28-8] Landstreet, Julia, Dr. Bill Paul, and Food Policy Council, NashvilleNext Health, Livability, and the Built Environment Background Report (March 2013) http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Planning/docs/NashvilleNext/next-report-Health-Livability-BuiltEnvironment.pdf ### 7. Make decisions equitably. In an equitable transportation system, all residents share in the costs and benefits associated with transportation investments within the overall system in a way that is fair and transparent. Major infrastructure investments that serve the greater good should not unduly burden any particular person or group with environmental or economic costs. All Nashvillians benefit when neighborhoods that have unfairly shouldered the costs or been excluded from the benefits of past infrastructure investments are revitalized with equitable investments that support today’s needs. In some instances, difficult decisions will be made about how we move our transportation network forward. Streets that have not been reassessed for today’s transportation needs have potential to improve accessibility. Street space can be right-sized for people taking transit, walking, and biking, and new street connections can be established. Transportation projects are sometimes overwhelming and scary because they can change who can access an area and how one might quickly get from one destination to another. Saying no to proposed solutions also means that we are saying yes to our inaction. If we decide to not build dedicated transit lanes, we should expect that some people will not be able to conveniently access an area and traffic congestion will remain unchanged. If we oppose street connections, we must anticipate that some residents will bear a greater burden of traffic on adjacent streets, major streets will be more clogged with vehicles, and our time to get to destinations will increase. If we keep transportation budgets as they are today, many Nashville neighborhoods will not have sidewalks, and we will spend most of our budget on maintaining our street system. Tough decisions will be made that benefit the entire transportation network. In making those decisions, Metro must actively seek and value the input of its residents while exploring funding opportunities and before making significant transportation investments. This challenging task requires transparency early and often as transportation investments are planned, prioritized, funded, constructed, and maintained. ### Benefits of a Multimodal Transportation Network: 1. More transportation choices – options will improve access for all people 2. Less street maintenance – roads are a significant maintenance burden on public resources 3. Improved safety – mass transit is a safer form of travel 4. Increased savings – less money devoted to fuel and car maintenance 5. Less parking – subsidized car storage takes up significant city space and resources 6. Reduced air pollution – sharing trips means fewer carbon emissions 7. Reduced energy use – less fuel is used 8. Improved health – walking and biking improve fitness 9. Less congestion – options open up access to more people ### 8. Address transportation from a regional perspective. Nashville is Middle Tennessee’s major employment center and will continue to occupy that role in the future. Providing access to jobs within Davidson County and across the region is crucial. Middle Tennesseans may live in another county, but come into Nashville to work and support local businesses and our tax base. Regional commuting patterns pose challenges to be solved by working together on regional solutions. The ways that people move around Middle Tennessee must continue to evolve within the context of a street network that is mostly built. Nashville must work closely with surrounding cities and counties to improve the operation of our existing transportation infrastructure and the creation of the multimodal network of the future. ### Complete Streets One strategy to achieve the Accessibility Principles is through our commitment to creating Complete Streets. Complete Streets are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all road users, no matter who they are or how they travel. They give people meaningful choices in how they access social and economic activities around Nashville. In recent years, Nashville has worked to adopt policies that will ensure that our streets are planned, designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to provide safe access for all people. The adjacent graphic outlines how we should be thinking of Nashville’s streets in the future. #### Nashville’s roads are built, but they are not complete. We must ensure we can Complete the Trip. To complete the trip, we need Complete Streets with the appropriate infrastructure for people walking, biking, and taking transit. Because all people walk at some point in their trip, and because Nashvillians have expressed a preference for more transportation choices, we must design our transportation system to meet Nashvillians’ needs at each stage of their trip. #### Metro Complete Streets Policy On October 6, 2010, Nashville’s Mayor Karl Dean signed Executive Order No. 40, a Complete Streets Policy for Metropolitan Government. The order directs all departments, boards, and commissions of the Metropolitan Government to give full consideration to the accommodation of the transportation needs of all users, regardless of age or ability, including those traveling by private vehicle, mass transit, foot, and bicycle. All current plans, guides, regulations, and standard drawings must comply with the Executive Order. The order is not intended to guide just one-time projects or require immediate retrofits, but instead to direct everyday decision-making that will produce long-term results. ### Nashville Puts People First to Complete the Trip <
> **Figure 12: Complete Streets place the pedestrian at the highest priority.** # Completing the Trip Stories On a Complete Street, Jennifer walks to the bus stop along appropriately wide, well-maintained, and well-lit sidewalks along Dickerson Pike that are accessible to people walking of all ages and abilities. A signalized mid-block crosswalk near Dellway Avenue helps her safely and comfortably cross five lanes of traffic to the bus stop even with children or groceries in tow. A signed bus shelter provides arrival time information for the next bus, route information, and protection from the elements. Sidewalks connect to destinations along Dickerson Pike to allow her and her neighbors to complete the trip. Leslie chooses to bike up South Hamilton Road to the bus stop at Clarksville Pike each morning for work. She owns a car but will bike and bus a couple of times each week to reduce her maintenance costs and get some exercise. She uses the bike rack on the front of the bus to carry her bicycle and a bike locker at her destination stop near Music City Central to securely stow her ride. An app on her smartphone tracks where the bus is located in real time, helping her determine the best time to leave her house on Doak Avenue each morning. She rides along low-speed streets in her neighborhood to a connected network of protected bikeways along South Hamilton Road that allow her to bike to the bus stop and other common destinations along Clarksville Pike safely and comfortably. Shower and locker facilities at her workplace allow her to change into business attire and complete the trip. Tomas drives his car to the Stones River Greenway trailhead in Hermitage to bike to work in East Nashville. The traffic signals are synchronized along Lebanon Pike to move automobile traffic efficiently during rush hour, and good signage indicates the trailhead access point from Lebanon Pike. He enjoys his leisurely ride to work along the greenway over to Shelby Bottoms, knowing that well-signed and-maintained bike lanes await him on major streets to his office on Woodland Street. His workplace has a conveniently located bike rack and changing facilities to complete his trip each day. Alexus’ employer provides an EasyRide pass as a benefit through MTA’s commuter program in which employers pay for transit rides to work. Alexus walks to Charlotte Pike, where a new Neighborhood Mini-Hub was built near the West Police Precinct. Before the new Neighborhood Mini-Hub was built, she took the bus into downtown along Charlotte Pike and out on Hillsboro Road to Green Hills, which took an hour each morning. Now her commute is 20-25 minutes. At this Neighborhood Mini-Hub, buses link to Green Hills, West Nashville, downtown, and TSU using White Bridge Pike as a crosstown connector. She scans her EasyRide pass when boarding the bus and puts her headphones on while checking the latest news on her smartphone. She arrives in Green Hills each day stress-free and ready to work in Burton Hills. Sidewalks along Hillsboro Pike link to her office to complete her trip. Michael uses a walking cane for support while walking downtown during his lunch break. A driver across Deaderick Street waits for him because he has already requested to be picked up on his smartphone. The driver pulls up and waits as he crosses the street. The pedestrian signal has been timed for people of all abilities, and a generous median gives him a safe place to wait in case he cannot make it across during one signal phase. Once across the street, the driver helps him into his car. Good crossing infrastructure was significant in helping him complete his trip. Finally, Sofia drives to work each day from Antioch to downtown. Her employer does not provide parking, and there is a major convention generating more traffic in downtown today. People are being encouraged to park and take shuttles into downtown, so she will not be able to park in her usual location. Instead of getting frustrated, she uses her smartphone to look up other parking facilities, rates, and spaces currently available. Meanwhile, specialists in a transportation center monitor congestion on the streets she drives. They actively manage traffic signals to move her and other drivers more efficiently. She is routed around temporary detours to a parking spot using her smartphone’s GPS. When she gets to her spot, she pays from her phone rather than searching for loose change for the meter. Sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals help her complete her trip to work. At lunch, she uses her smartphone app to see that the bikeshare location down the street has several bicycles available, and she checks out a bike to meet her partner for lunch. ### Achieving Complete Trips Technology, small changes to streets, investments in walking and transit facilities, and accommodations at destinations give Nashvillians meaningful transportation choices and expand access to social and economic opportunities. Like all major cities, it will take time for Nashville to fully implement a Complete Streets strategy that completes the trip. The process requires many Metro departments to work together with community partners as they plan and design streets differently whenever improvements to the existing transportation network are made. An example of this effort to incorporate Complete Streets was the 2011 update to the Major and Collector Street Plan (MCSP) titled Implementing Complete Streets. This was the first comprehensive effort between Metro departments to integrate Complete Street concepts into guidance for future development. The MCSP lays out required street dimensions and has been critical in connecting land use plans to the city’s various transportation plan components to ensure good urban form that supports more people walking and biking. The MCSP assists in establishing a building setback based upon the zoning that is appropriate for the envisioned street character. In some cases, bikeway components and increased sidewalk widths with adjacent street trees are guided by the MCSP with redevelopment. Metro also uses the MCSP to assess needs for road users on Metro-led street projects. The public-sector pace of implementation is limited by financial constraints that can be frustrating to residents. Moving forward, city and state officials must explore funding opportunities and make equitable conclusions by proactively engaging residents in the decision-making process. Critical decisions regarding design solutions and funding choices must be transparent and fair. The NashvilleNext policies and action items reinforce that Metro Government will uphold Complete Streets as the standard to complete the trip. Transportation investments will serve all people who use our streets. Projects will meet needs voiced by the community and trends Nashville is facing. Transportation planning and urban design will strive to make streets more livable by encouraging more social interaction, mixing together a variety of land uses to serve a broader range of daily needs, and balancing access to those needs. Our streets are used for more than just moving vehicles—they must contribute to Nashville’s quality of life by <
> Upgrading oudated traffic signals can increase mobility. <
> Providing detour signage for people biking and walking informs of alternate routes into downtown. ### What is a Leading Pedestrian Interval? A Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) gives pedestrians a three- to seven-second walk signal to begin crossing the street before drivers may proceed through an intersection. LPIs enhance the visibility of people on foot and reinforce their right-of-way over turning vehicles. Applying this strategy to signals within downtown and Centers is critical to improving walkability and safety in the future. <
> Portions of Gallatin Pike need sidewalks for people to get to their destination. ### What is a bikeshare network? Bikeshare is a form of public transportation that gives people access to a fleet of shared bicycles. Bikes can be checked out from a bikeshare station for short-term trips and returned at any station in the bikeshare network. In Nashville, the network is called Nashville B-cycle. Residents and visitors can take part in the system with daily, weekly, monthly, or annual memberships. Like most major bikeshare systems in the United States, a credit card is required to use the network. As the network evolves and technology changes, Nashville must improve access to the network for all people in order to achieve the Access Nashville vision. enhancing access, prosperity, equity, health, and safety. By putting people first to complete the trip, Nashville’s Complete Streets will create a livable, vibrant city with meaningful transportation choices. ### People walking All people are pedestrians at some point during their trip. Walking is the most economical, environmentally friendly, and healthy form of transportation. However, on many of our city’s streets, people walking are exposed to more hazards than other users of the transportation network. Nashville’s transportation investments must promote safe pedestrian access for people of all ages and abilities. For example, intersections must be improved to allow safe crossing for all people, and streetscapes should be maintained with street trees and benches to increase pedestrian safety and comfort. As density increases, redevelopment should include wider sidewalks to handle increased pedestrian traffic. Because Nashvillians have expressed that walkability is one of their top priorities, the city should pursue all feasible opportunities to expand our sidewalk network. The essential component of Nashville’s built environment should be complete streets that put people first. ### People bicycling or using bikeshare Many Nashvillians enjoy riding a bicycle for transportation and recreation. Younger generations in particular are increasingly embracing active transportation and reducing the costs associated with owning and maintaining a car.[^p34-9] Over the past decade, the city has dramatically expanded its network of bikeways and greenways, installed bike racks on all city buses, implemented a bike share system, and most recently passed a bike parking ordinance that requires many new developments to include secure bicycle parking. As a result, Nashville was designated as a bronze-level Bicycle-friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists in 2012 and is currently working to obtain silver-level status. *** [^p34-9]: *Millennials in Motion: Changing Travel Habits of Young Americans and the Implications for Public Policy* by Tony Dutzik, Jeff Inglis, Phineas Baxandall for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund – October 14, 2014 http://www.uspirg.org/reports/usp/millennials-motion; Benjamin Davis and Tony Dutzik, Frontier Group; Phineas Baxandall, U.S. PIRG Education Fund *Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy*, April 2012 - http://www.frontiergroup.org/reports/fg/transportation-and-new-generation Moving forward, Nashville must increase access to bicycling by creating strategic connections between existing bikeways and installing 21[^st]-century bicycle infrastructure that increases safety and comfort for all road users. Nashville needs to encourage bicycle-friendly corridors that allow all residents to bike safely. Bicycles help people access social and economic opportunities, be healthy, protect the environment, reduce congestion, save money, and have fun. Over the next 25 years, our transportation network will evolve to give all Nashvillians meaningful opportunities to realize these benefits. ### People taking transit Nashville’s public transportation system is composed of local bus and paratransit service operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Additionally, the Middle Tennessee Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) operates the Music City Star commuter rail line and bus routes that connect to adjacent counties. To achieve the Access Nashville vision, NashvilleNext calls for a more robust rapid transit network with adequate levels of frequent transit service between areas that will undergo the most growth. In order to create meaningful transportation choices, Nashville’s mass transit system must be further integrated with other transportation modes by adding complete sidewalk networks around transit stops, additional bike parking and bikeshare stations, park-and-ride lots, and more frequent connections to long range transportation services. Technological innovations like Transit Signal Priority, which gives buses the ability to prolong a green traffic signal along a route to stay on schedule, will continue to be implemented and allow for more efficient service. In order to achieve rapid transit service, Nashville’s corridors must be reconfigured with dedicated transit right-of-way that provides quicker and more efficient bus service, queue jump lanes at intersections, or even a dedicated lane BRT or light rail corridor linking Nashville’s centers. Mass transit that meets the needs of Nashville’s residents and visitors is our city’s best tool for managing congestion and operating our existing transportation network more efficiently. ### Moving goods The movement of freight into and through Nashville is critical for the economic prosperity of our region and the Southeastern United States, as well as for meeting the daily needs of our residents and businesses. Access Nashville balances the needs of freight carriers and other road users. There are tradeoffs in providing quick access for trucks through #### What is a park-and-ride lot? People park their cars in park-and-ride lots around the city to catch mass transit, bicycle, or check out a bikeshare to get to their final destination. Currently, Nashville MTA and RTA maintain signed park-and-ride lots for catching a bus into town. #### What is paratransit? Paratransit is a door-to-door transit service for people with temporary or permanent disabilities who are not able to ride fixed-route mass transit. People who are unable to independently ride a bus, unable to get on or off a bus, or unable to get to or from a bus stop qualify for paratransit service. Nashville MTA provides paratransit service called AccessRide as a supplement to the fixed-route network. Rides must be reserved and can be scheduled one to seven days in advance. #### What is a Bicycle Courier Service? Even in today’s highly connected, digital age, there is a need for the quick delivery of tangible goods such as court documents, publications, packages, or even lunch. In congested areas, bicycles may be the most size-appropriate vehicle to make these types of delivery. In Nashville, multiple entrepreneurs have opened bicycle courier services, and business owners have embraced these services because they are fast, reliable, and affordable. Using size-appropriate vehicles like bicycles for urban deliveries creates more room on the road for people who use other modes. <
> **Moving goods through Middle Tennessee is more difficult on urban interstates.** ### What is carsharing? Carsharing is where people rent vehicles for a short period of time, often by the hour and for short trips. They are attractive for those who need the occasional use of a vehicle but don't want the cost of owning a car. Carsharing encourages members to drive less often and use other modes of transportation. ZipCar, a carsharing company, locations are currently accessible near Vanderbilt University's campus and at the Nashville International Airport. a city, especially on surface streets or in-town interstates. Oftentimes strategies that improve truck access can negate efforts to make an area more walkable. A freight movement plan between Metro Planning, Metro Public Works, TDOT, and the Nashville Area MPO is needed to outline the best routes and street design regionally for moving goods. To operate our transportation network most efficiently, freight that is not destined for Nashville should bypass the city on high-volume roads like state Route 840, rather than contributing to congestion on urban freeways. For local deliveries, freight carriers can increase the efficiency and economy of their service with fleets of vehicles that are size-appropriate for constrained city streets. Industrial sites and other businesses that depend on large volumes of freight movement should be located in areas where interstate connections and wider streets provide easier access for people driving trucks and railroad connections give businesses the opportunity to move goods without adding to congestion on our roads. To prevent conflicts, these areas should not overlap with denser, more walkable types of development. Nashville can operate its transportation network more intelligently to allow for efficient and cost-effective freight movement in our region without negatively impacting other road users. ### People driving in carpools, vanpools, or ridesharing Carpools, vanpools, rideshares, and carshares are programs that maximize efficiency by moving more people in one vehicle at a time. Carpooling often involves commuters sharing rides to work with their neighbors or families coordinating school pickup and drop-off with classmates. Carpooling networks have been established to link people headed to the same destination or to address gaps which mass transit cannot fulfill. Carpooling often reduces transportation operating costs for car owners, and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes along I-40, I-65, and I-24 can be utilized to speed up commutes, reduce congestion, and improve air quality. More recently, the carpooling concept has evolved with technology to connect riders in real time. The various forms of carpooling increase access, create choice, improve efficiency, and contribute to greater public interaction than driving alone. ### People driving in single-occupant cars For most of the 20^th century, transportation planners and engineers built and designed street networks primarily for people driving cars. Under current fiscal constraints, governments across the country are struggling to maintain the many miles of infrastructure developed to support car traffic. Even if revenue was available, we could not solve Nashville’s congestion problems by building or widening roads.[^p37-10] Congestion on our city streets is not likely to simply disappear because the car is still the primary transportation choice for many Nashvillians and we are a growing city. Despite its frustration, road congestion is a strong indicator of a vibrant corridor because people often want to be in a place around the same time, accessing similar services, or commuting to significant employment centers. Widening roads is costly and tends to only temporarily relieve congestion. When street capacity is increased to support more cars, surrounding land uses sprawl out with car-centric development patterns and soon the additional capacity is clogged by more single-occupancy-vehicle trips. This is the phenomenon called induced demand, or latent demand, where after a supply increases more of a good is consumed. While the new lanes may provide temporary congestion relief, they also add a permanent maintenance burden. At some point, many drivers look to alternative routes or another mode of transportation. Future transportation investments must focus on maintaining existing infrastructure and operating our current system more efficiently by expanding access to additional transportation modes and in some instances reducing street capacity. A more efficient system developed within the constraints of the existing street network can work better for drivers, too. Efficiencies are achieved while reconfiguring streets for additional transportation modes and implementing elements that can improve traffic flow through traffic signal coordination and smart signal systems, reallocating travel lanes to respond to changing land uses, reconfiguring lanes for other travel modes, or reducing congestion related to crashes. Encouraging a mixture of land uses, improving accessibility, and developing transportation choices for more people to access an area is needed with less emphasis on driving alone in the future. These objectives have multiple benefits, including less street maintenance, improved health, more disposable income, and reduced impact on the environment. [^p37-10]: Todd Litman, Generated Traffic and Induced Travel: Implications for Transport Planning http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf; Gilles Duranton and Matthew A. Turner, The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from U.S. Cities, National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 15376, September 2009 - http://www.nber.org/papers/w15376.pdf ### How do Green Streets make a more complete street? Streets are a major source of stormwater runoff that contributes to flooding and pollutants that end up in our streams and rivers—the source of our drinking water. Green Streets use flexible design guidelines to allow stormwater runoff to percolate into rain gardens or swales that improve stream quality, reduce flooding, and decrease construction costs for the city and private homeowners. <
> **Deaderick Street was Nashville's first green street.** <
> **The 28th-31st Avenue Connector includes green infrastructure.** ### Green Streets Are More Complete After a rainfall, water is either absorbed into the ground (percolation) or flows into waterways (runoff). Percolation helps to improve stream health, lessen flooding, and increase water uptake by plants. Often, structures and surfaces associated with development, such as streets, parking lots, and rooftops, are impervious. Impervious surfaces prevent rainwater from percolating into the soil and also increase the rate and volume of runoff, causing stream pollution, downstream flooding issues, erosion, and other negative consequences. Nashville’s existing street network is a significant contributor to stormwater runoff. Roadside curbs funnel water into storm drains connected to pipes that transport the rainwater to nearby creeks and streams faster than when rainwater soaks into the ground. While these methods are efficient in removing stormwater from the roadway, they can negatively impact the natural water cycle, cause flooding in overburdened streams, contribute to polluted waterways, and erode stream banks. After particularly intense storm events, the stormwater system in some parts of our city may overflow into a combined sewer, which can result in raw sewage draining into the Cumberland River. Green Streets use innovative infrastructure to work with the natural water cycle during storm events, lessening negative environmental impacts. Stormwater can be directed into rain gardens to percolate into the ground. Systems can also be designed to reuse the water for other purposes such as irrigation or plumbing. Instead of traditional asphalt, pervious pavement can also be utilized to filter water more directly into the ground. There are now numerous public- and private-sector examples in Nashville of pervious pavers used in parking lots. Metro Water Services created a Low Impact Development (LID) Manual that outlines the different techniques to handle stormwater that can be applied on private development and utilized on Metro’s public-sector investments, and Metro Public Works has green street standards that can be used in subdivisions and on Metro street projects. Green Streets concepts can help a street be more complete, but they may also require a different approach to infrastructure maintenance. Metro Public Works has recently completed three major public-sector Green Streets investments. Downtown Nashville’s Deaderick Street is Nashville’s first Green Street project and employs a myriad of Green Streets concepts and walkability improvements. A median of plants separates the car lanes, while rain gardens and pervious concrete absorb and properly drain rainwater. New LED traffic lights were installed, as well as LED pedestrian signals and solar-powered parking meters. There are 360-degree safety lighting kiosks on wide sidewalks. The city also employed Green Streets concepts on the 28ᵗʰ-31ˢᵗ Avenue Connector and the extension of Korean Veterans Boulevard. Significant public investments of this nature should utilize Green Streets concepts in addition to meeting Complete Streets objectives. <
> Figure 13: Green Street elements demonstrated on Deaderick Street **What is placemaking?** Using arts, culture, and creativity to build street character and quality of place. <
> **Grand Avenue is an example of a bike boulevard as a low-stress connector.** ### Complete Streets Have Many Functions The primary function of our transportation network is to provide all road users with meaningful access to economic and social activities. In Nashville, many of our streets act as places for people to congregate, celebrate, play, and interact. Broadway is a vital transportation corridor, and it is also the outdoor venue for Nashville’s renowned Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve celebrations, among other events. Neighborhood streets and sidewalks allow residents convenient access to the larger transportation network, and they also host block parties or provide recreational opportunities for Nashvillians young and old. Complete Streets are designed to embrace the many functions of our transportation network–Nashville’s most extensive and accessible public space. The idea that streets can move people–walking, biking, taking transit, and driving–*and* serve as public gathering places has led the city to think of new kinds of streets and alleyway designs to meet the community’s needs. *Living Alleys* Living Alleys integrate Green Streets concepts with placemaking objectives. In Living Alleys, landscaping and active uses reclaim an often-overlooked piece of the built environment for people with the features of the alley tailored to the space available and the needs of the community and the alley’s needs. Living Alleys can reduce stormwater runoff through pervious pavement and also improve aesthetics, elevating the alley from its traditional role as a place for trash pickup and backdoor deliveries. Programming strategies may encourage city or neighborhood life to take place in the alley, or residents may simply embrace the alley as a low stress corridor for walking dogs or meeting neighbors. Printers Alley and the Ryman Alley are examples of Living Alleys in Nashville. More Living Alleys should be developed in the future in both urban and neighborhood contexts. *Bike Boulevards* Bike Boulevards are strategically identified local street corridors that are outfitted with traffic-calming measures to maintain access for all road users while prioritizing local and active transportation and accommodating recreational uses. Bike Boulevards can be implemented with curb extensions, road reconfigurations, diverters, roundabouts, and many other infrastructure components that permit access while discouraging non-local automobile traffic from using the corridor as a cut-through. Edgehill’s Grand Avenue is an example of the Bike Boulevard concept. A plaza and a park along the corridor allow for the unimpeded movement of cyclists and pedestrians and also host a neighborhood playground. The street cannot be used as a cut-through, but all road users can still access all houses along the corridor, regardless of their mode of travel. Nashville should embrace the Bike Boulevard concept to implement strategic, low-stress connections between existing bikeways, make neighborhoods safer and more desirable for all users, and more efficiently operate our existing transportation network. ### Festival Streets Festival Streets operate like any other street in the transportation network—except that they can be easily closed to automobile traffic regularly to host concerts, performances, and other community events. Examples of Festival Streets in Nashville include Fifth Avenue South between Broadway and Korean Veterans Boulevard and Jackson Street between Third and Fourth Avenues North. These streets build community by providing opportunities for Nashvillians to interact with one another and participate in cultural activities. Nashville should upgrade streets like Broadway that are commonly closed for community events to function as Festival Streets. Anticipating all uses of a street in its design will increase safety for all road users, create economic opportunities, and allow for the more efficient operation of our transportation network during special events. ### Parklets and Plazas For most of the 20^th century, Nashville’s transportation network was expanded to increase mobility for people driving cars, and many urban streets were widened. In some cases, current automobile traffic volumes do not warrant the expanded lane widths as development patterns change and more urban residents walk, bike, or use transit. When extra right-of-way exists in neighborhoods that have little access to parks and open space, the city can repurpose part of the roadway into a public plaza by adding planters, seating, and other affordable and aesthetically pleasing improvements. These Parklets and Plazas put people first by providing attractive public spaces for residents to be outdoors and engage in social activities. The reconfigured roadways are also safer, as drivers behave <
> Fifth Avenue is an example of a festival street without curbs to encourage people walking and slow traffic. <
> A temporary parklet on Broadway during Park(ing) Day. ### Why are there no sidewalks in my neighborhood? Suburban neighborhoods in Nashville were rapidly built from the 1950s to the 1980s when planners focused on driving as the primary mode of transportation and land uses were often separated with commercial districts kept apart from residential areas. As the suburbs developed rapidly, Nashville could not always afford to expand necessary infrastructure to new parts of town, resulting in large lots to accommodate septic tanks and roadside ditches to manage stormwater. Constructing sidewalks with new streets was not required. These solutions saved money in the short term, but created long-term barriers to walkability. Beginning in the early 1990s, city planning philosophies evolved to de-emphasize the separation of land uses, require pedestrian infrastructure, and promote appropriate density. Planners now recognize that many residents cannot afford to own a car, are unable to drive, or simply desire transportation options instead of being required to drive for every trip. To improve quality of life and expand access to transportation choices, Nashville has budgeted more than $100 million to fix and expand Nashville’s sidewalks network since 2004, and many additional miles of sidewalk have been replaced or installed by the private sector through redevelopment. Still, many neighborhoods lack basic pedestrian infrastructure, and additional resources are needed to construct sidewalks in areas across the city, so people can safely walk to transit, services, social opportunities, and other daily needs. Portions of Clarksville Pike, Dickerson Pike, Charlotte Pike, and Hillsboro Pike, which are identified as High-Capacity Transit Corridors, are examples where sidewalks are lacking along major corridors with existing mass transit service. Retrofitting all streets in Nashville with sidewalks is costly because sidewalk construction usually means much more than laying down a strip of concrete. It requires implementing curb and gutter to handle stormwater and potentially acquiring right-of-way from property owners. Not addressing sidewalks more comprehensively will be much costlier and shift the burden onto future generations of Nashvillians. In communities without complete sidewalk networks, transit is less viable and more expensive to implement, household transportation and health care costs are higher, pedestrian injuries and deaths are more frequent, and people who are unable to drive are socially isolated. Compared to many challenges that a city faces, building sidewalks is not a particularly divisive issue. Securing adequate funding for sidewalk construction, on the other hand, historically has been challenging for Nashville and other governments that developed with a suburban character. Nashvillians have expressed a strong preference for walkable communities. Local leaders should respond by making sidewalk funding a higher priority in Nashville’s annual budget. more cautiously in narrow lanes. Nearby businesses also benefit from the streetscape improvements and more pedestrian activity. Nashville should repurpose surplus street right-of-way in areas with limited access to parks and open space to benefit all road users. ### Open Streets Events During Open Streets, sections of streets which regularly handle traffic are closed to vehicles and opened up to carefree walking, biking, and other active uses. Programmed activities, cultural activities, and vendors are encouraged to participate. The Tomato Arts Festival and Sevier Park Fest are types of Open Streets events organized by private entities. Nashville will undoubtedly continue to host many types of Open Streets events, and the transportation network must be able to operate efficiently for all road users while prioritizing active uses during these events. ### Road Reconfigurations Many roads carry fewer cars than they were designed to handle. These facilities can fail to provide safe places for walking and biking, transit, parking, or other uses. Overbuilt roads can be right-sized into complete streets quickly and at a minimal cost by reallocating their extra capacity for turning lanes, bike lanes, or on-street parking. Belmont Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard are examples of this type of Roadway Reconfiguration, also known as a “Road Diet.” Across the country, communities are embracing roadway reconfigurations for their proven ability to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes. Roadway Reconfigurations typically do not significantly impact a street’s level of service and may improve throughput by reducing left-turn queuing during peak hours. There are more than 180 miles of major streets in Davidson County that could potentially benefit from a Roadway Reconfiguration. # Case Study: Dickerson Pike Dickerson Pike is an arterial-boulevard maintained by TDOT with approximately 13,000 to 14,000 vehicles per day near Dellway Drive. The photo below shows existing conditions. Dickerson Pike was widened to five lanes north of Douglas Avenue decades ago. Most of this portion of the corridor has no sidewalks and people are often walking in ditches and through parking lots. The speed limit is 40 mph. The following figure shows a cross section of the existing conditions on Dickerson Pike. Traffic tends to peak at key intersections such as Trinity Lane for approximately 30 to 45 minutes in the morning going southbound to downtown and about an hour in the afternoon going northbound. Other times of the day, and along segments between intersections, the street is rarely congested with traffic. The 23 Dickerson route serves the corridor with weekday service about every 20 minutes. Buses are in mixed traffic, meaning they share the same lane as the cars. Three cross sections are shown that depict how space on Dickerson Pike could be used differently within the existing pavement width. There are additional technical issues to think about in each concept, but they accommodate different people using the route. We should not assume that, just because five lanes of traffic serve the needs of people driving for a couple hours each day, the street must remain as-is. <
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> | 12' Travel Lane with Sharrow | 11' Travel Lane | 11' Turn Lane | 11' Travel Lane | 12' Travel Lane with Sharrow | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | In the first concept, a multi-use path is added on both sides by providing a protected buffer to those walking and biking. Dickerson is a high-ridership route within MTA’s system, and often people are seen walking next to traffic in ditches or dodging in and out of the travel lane. This concept would provide the needed dedicated space for people walking and biking without the tremendous expense of constructing sidewalks. In the second concept, a shared space is created for buses and people walking and biking. This use of space would have other issues that MTA drivers would need to carefully monitor, but a concept like this could be explored to get buses through congested intersections quicker while also providing needed space for people walking and biking. Finally, the last concept shows space for buses only. It does not provide sidewalks, though, so pedestrian infrastructure would still be needed within the 80’ of right-of-way that is there or acquired through additional purchasing. This concept would promote more frequent bus service and would rely on significant investment in sidewalks and stormwater infrastructure. These concepts are not engineered, but they illustrate some different ways we can think about our street space in Nashville with limited costs. In each one, there are issues to discuss such as driveway access points and improving signaling; but the majority of the changes are occurring within today’s street pavement width with pavement markings and flexible barriers. <
> | 10' Multi-Use Path | 2' Buffer | 11' Travel Lane | 11' Turn Lane | 11' Travel Lane | 2' Buffer | 10' Multi-Use Path | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | <
> | 11' Travel Lane | 11' Turn Lane | 11' Travel Lane | 2' Buffer | 12' Bus Lane | 10' Multi-Use Path | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | <
> | 10' Travel Lane | 10' Turn Lane | 10' Travel Lane | 2' Buffer | 25' Dedicated Bus Lane | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | ### Access Management One factor impacting accessibility is limiting the access to adjacent properties for certain modes of transportation. This is often utilized on interstates where speed and mobility are prioritized over access. Cars are allowed to access streets only at certain interchanges, and pedestrians and bicyclists are prohibited by law. Most city streets should prioritize access over speed while emphasizing completing the trip for people walking. Access on city streets should be carefully planned at strategic locations, but it can be difficult to limit access points where they exist today because transportation agencies have usually been lenient in granting access at individual properties. Metro has some control over driveway access when property owners subdivide property on collector-avenues and arterial-boulevards which may require consolidation of residential driveways, while arterials like Gallatin Pike and Nolensville Pike have numerous access points for parking lots, creating stop-and-go traffic and conflicts. Managing access by consolidating driveways, constructing landscaped medians, and restricting turning movements reduces stop-and-go traffic, reduces conflicts between people turning, and creates a more walkable and bikeable environment conducive to people taking transit along Nashville’s arterials. Access Nashville proposes corridor projects along the arterial pikes through coordinated capital improvements that help our residents complete the trip. Consolidating access points, constructing medians, and discouraging left-hand turns from properties while constructing sidewalks, bikeways, and other infrastructure can greatly improve the conditions for people biking and walking, while simultaneously improving traffic flow for people using other modes. ### Utilities and Construction Although we primarily think of our streets and sidewalks as transportation infrastructure, these facilities serve many other practical purposes. For example, much of our sewer system, electrical grid, and other utilities exist underneath or alongside our transportation infrastructure. A complete street incorporates all of these components in a cohesive way, allowing for the provision and maintenance of essential utilities without negatively impacting road users. <
> **Dickerson Pike is a corridor where access can be improved. Today, there are no sidewalks. This is an example where the street pavement leads directly into a parking lot.** <
> **As new sidewalks are constructed, coordination with utilities is needed to prevent repeating past mistakes.** <
> A good example of providing continued accessibility for pedestrians along a construction site near Music Row. Maintenance and installation of utilities, as well as longer-term construction projects, can interrupt access. Involved agencies must balance the accessibility and safety needs of all road users when sections of streets are closed for utility work or detours are posted for construction projects. Primary accommodations should be made for Nashvillians who are disabled; whose mobility is impaired; or who walk, bike, or use transit, since these road users are most negatively impacted by detours and unsafe construction site conditions. On a complete street, utilities located in the pedestrian travelway do not impede access. Existing utilities may need to be relocated to improve access as Nashville’s streets are completed. # IMPLEMENTING ACCESS NASHVILLE Access Nashville 2040 sets long-term transportation priorities. Metro departments must incorporate the city’s Accessibility Principles and Strategic Initiatives into their plans, and officials must work with residents to secure adequate funding to meet these needs. ### Who is responsible for Nashville’s Transportation Network? Nashvillians want to be able to get around the region, conveniently, safely, and affordably. However, governments and Metro departments divide responsibility for different parts of the transportation system in complex ways, sometimes for pragmatic reasons and sometimes for historical reasons. Achieving the public’s vision for the future can be hampered when communication and collaboration across departments and agencies are limited. Sometimes the implementing agency may be unaware of future plans or land use decisions that will drastically impact how a street should be designed. One agency might maintain different forms of transportation or only certain parts of the system. Operationally, one agency may not anticipate the impact of road closures on a bus network or on a parallel neighborhood street. The average Nashvillian may be unaware of these complexities. For example, buses operated by Nashville MTA depend on the timing of the traffic signals maintained by Metro Public Works to remain on-time with their routes. A portion of the corridor is a local arterial street with paving and striping maintained by Metro Public Works, while another portion is a state highway with paving and striping maintained by TDOT. Nashville Electric Service maintains street lighting. The Metro Planning Department creates land use policies and zoning tools that determine how close a building may be to the corridor and the type of streetscaping needed along the property. Street trees may be required that grow into the utility lines, posing issues for tree maintenance and utilities. Unmistakably, one street has many stakeholders that need to be on the same page about its function and character. While each agency creates short-term strategic plans that guide their specific work for about five years, Access Nashville provides a coordinated roadmap for the development of the entire transportation network over the next 25 years. It provides a set of accessibility principles, implementation strategies, strategic initiatives, and a shared evaluation framework that allow the agencies to collaborate and coordinate around the community’s desired transportation vision. By linking each department’s implementation plan to Access Nashville’s common framework, each entity is able to contribute to the collective impact. <
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> To accomplish this task, the Metro departments involved must first incorporate relevant components of NashvilleNext, specifically Access Nashville concepts, into their plans. Next, the mayor and members of the Metropolitan Council must use their leadership to identify funding for these components as part of the city’s capital budgeting process or through other available mechanisms like state and federal grants. As city leaders take NashvilleNext from vision to implementation, they must provide meaningful opportunities for public input and participation each step of the way. ### Planning and Implementation from a Regional Perspective Regional agencies coordinate with Metro in developing Middle Tennessee’s multimodal transportation network. The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) facilitates the strategic planning of this network. The MPO is the federally designated transportation planning agency for Davidson, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties. The MPO leads in the development of the long-range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the short-range Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Transportation projects, including Metro street improvements, transit projects, and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)-maintained highways with federal funding, are prioritized through the MPO’s planning process. In addition to the Nashville Area MPO, the Clarksville Urbanized Area MPO performs similar planning functions for Montgomery County and adjoining portions of Christian County, Kentucky. TDOT provides planning support for the state-maintained highway system in Middle Tennessee by partnering with the Nashville and Clarksville MPOs through TDOT’s Office of Community Transportation within its Long Range Planning Division. TDOT helped establish a rural transportation planning framework for counties outside of MPO jurisdictions called Rural Planning Organizations (RPO). The Middle Tennessee RPO housed at the Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency covers nearby Cheatham and Dickson counties. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acts as the conduit to State DOTs and MPOs for policies, programming, and guidance using federal transportation funds. ### Integrating Land Use and Transportation Decisions The link between land use and transportation planning is critical. The Metro Planning Department connects land use plans, street right-of-way requirements, and transportation plans. Metro Public Works builds and maintains the city's transportation investments; TDOT does the same for state-maintained routes. Outside of Davidson County, the MPO often works with local community planners, traffic engineers, or public works officials. The Greater Nashville Regional Council also provides technical assistance to smaller communities in the region with land use planning activities. Understanding the link between land use and transportation is critical. Future land use planning and changing development patterns are a key strategy to addressing congestion and providing accessibility. A mixture of land uses and redevelopment creates centers where people can meet more of their daily needs (school, work, shopping, and play) by walking or biking. By intensifying strategic locations with more density, corridors are more viable for frequent transit service. ### Expanding Nashville's Sidewalk Network In Middle Tennessee, local government agencies are the primary parties responsible for expanding our network of sidewalks, greenways, and multi-use paths. Metro Public Works maintains and expands the sidewalk network as directed by the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways; Metro Planning secures sidewalks as properties increase development rights through the requirements of the MCSP; and Metro Parks maintains and expands the greenway network according to the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan. Additionally, Nashville MTA maintains bus stops, benches, and related facilities in the pedestrian right-of-way and coordinates with Metro Public Works to construct sidewalk connections to bus stops. The Strategic Transit Master Plan guides short-term implementation of transit facility improvements. Private-sector development is often the best opportunity for sidewalks to be constructed given limited city budgets. Much of Nashville's pedestrian infrastructure has been constructed by the private sector during development. Sidewalks in older areas of town may have been constructed before Nashville's city and county governments consolidated. Most new larger developments are required to build sidewalks because of changes <
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> to Nashville’s subdivision regulations since 1991. Metro Planning reviews redevelopment proposals to ensure that wide sidewalks and street trees are installed according to the Major and Collector Street Plan. When it is impossible or impractical to furnish sidewalks during redevelopment, developers may petition to pay an in-lieu fee into Metro Public Works’ Sidewalk Fund, to be used to expand pedestrian infrastructure in the area near the development site. ### Building a More Bikeable Nashville <
> Like Nashville’s network of sidewalks, Metro Public Works maintains and expands our bikeways (bike lanes and bike routes) network according to the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, and Metro Parks maintains and expands greenways according to the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan. Additionally, TDOT creates and maintains bike lanes and bike routes along state roads. Bicycle racks located within the public right-of-way are typically maintained and installed by Metro Public Works, while individual property owners provide racks located on private property. The Metro Arts Commission has also expanded bike parking options through the installation of arts bike racks. Nashville MTA maintains bike racks at many of its stations and provides two bike racks on all MTA buses to allow convenient multimodal trips. Private-sector development also contributes to the biking infrastructure network in Nashville, through voluntary measures and, in some parts of the county, as required by ordinance. Metro Planning and Metro Codes work during the development process to accommodate bicycle parking spaces. Additionally, new bikeshare stations have been proposed and funded by private developments to expand the bikeshare network. <
> Nashville B-cycle launched in 2012. Nashville B-cycle is a bikeshare network that allows users to purchase a 24-hour, weekly, monthly, or annual membership. During that period members can check out bikes at stations located around town and dock them back at stations when a trip is complete. A nonprofit organization called The Nashville Downtown Partnership houses Nashville B-cycle. The service area for B-cycle has focused on downtown and Midtown with its initial launch, but future expansions are anticipated as funding permits. ### Improving Regional Mass Transit The Nashville MTA is the primary transit operator in Nashville. It provides local bus service, express bus, BRT Lite, and local on-demand transit or paratransit. The Music City Circuit is downtown Nashville’s free circulator bus serving trips within the central business district. Bus rapid transit lite (BRT Lite) is an express local service, providing more frequent service along corridors with permanent stations and vehicle arrival information. As of January 2015, there are 41 local bus routes in the MTA system. The Middle Tennessee RTA operates the Music City Star commuter rail service between downtown Nashville and Lebanon and ten regional bus routes between downtown Nashville and the following cities: Brentwood, Clarksville, Dickson, Franklin, Gallatin, Hendersonville, La Vergne, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Springfield, Spring Hill, and Thompson’s Station. Other transit operators in the Middle Tennessee region include Franklin Transit operated by the TMA Group for the City of Franklin and Rover in the City of Murfreesboro. The Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency operates a regional paratransit service outside of Davidson County. ### Moving Freight and Goods Around Nashville Nashville is strategically located within 650 miles of half of the United States population. Nashville has an excellent distribution network with highway, rail, air, and barge facilities all readily available. Nashville also has three cross-country interstates that connect in the region. I-40 runs east-west across the United States beginning in Wilmington, North Carolina, and ending in Barstow, California. I-65 connects cities north and south of Tennessee from Gary, Indiana, just southeast of Chicago, Illinois, to Mobile, Alabama. I-24 connects southern Illinois near Marion with Chattanooga, Tennessee. Middle Tennessee is served by numerous freight carriers with terminal locations throughout the metropolitan area and beyond. In 2010, the Nashville Area MPO forecasts a 35 percent increase in the tonnage of freight moved to, from, within, or through the Nashville region by 2035. Approximately 85 percent, or an additional 89 million tons, of this freight increase is expected to be truck freight. The high volumes of freight moving to, from, within, and through the Nashville region creates many challenges in terms of both maintaining the transportation network and preparing for the continuing growth of freight volumes. The increase #### What is intercity or long-haul bus service? Intercity (or long-haul) bus service uses coach buses to carry passengers between cities. Greyhound is familiar to most people and is an example of an intercity bus service. MegaBus is another example that began service in Nashville in 2012. Other services like Tornado Bus Company transport passengers who are more likely to be immigrants to Nashville between southern U.S. cities and cities in Mexico. <
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> in freight is anticipated to impact travel times, reduce transportation network reliability, impact noise, air and water, and create additional traffic incidents. The Cumberland River provides full river barge access to the Mississippi River system and the Gulf of Mexico. Ingram Barge Company is headquartered in Nashville and is a leading carrier of bulk commodities on America's inland waterways. One Class I (CSX Transportation) and two Class II (The Nashville & Eastern Railroad Corporation and The Nashville and Western Railroad Corporation) rail carriers operate within the region along with a major classification yard, an intermodal ramp, an automotive ramp, and bulk and break bulk terminals.[^p52-11] ### Carpooling Culture in Nashville Carpooling in Nashville has typically involved commuters finding others who work and live nearby to share rides to and from work during the work week. Both the RTA and TMA Group operate services to promote carpooling like utilizing vans to commute to and from work through vanpools. They also offer ride-matching services to find commuters with similar schedules, and emergency ride home programs encourage carpooling and reduce the amount of traffic on area roadways. Recently, other ridesharing methods have evolved to include apps available on smartphones. Lyft and Uber started as a way to connect people who were driving to pick up those who may need a ride. These technology based companies have evolved to compete with taxi companies, posing challenges in many cities that more heavily regulate taxi cab companies through a regular licensing process. In December 2014, Metro Council passed an ordinance to require ridesharing drivers to go through a background check, to be insured by a commercial liability insurance policy, and to be inspected regularly. ### Filling in the Transportation Gaps Transportation networking companies like Lyft and Uber fill in gaps in the transportation network that public-sector mass transit cannot fulfill. There are other gaps in the network that rely on supplemental transportation programs. These programs often address the needs of *** [^p52-11]: Nashville Regional Freight & Goods Movement Study, Technical Memo #3 Existing Trends and Conditions, May 2010, Nashville Area MPO, http://www.nashvillempo.org/docs/Freight_Study_Phase_II_Full_Report.pdf older adults and those with disabilities. Several organizations operate supplemental transportation programs in the area that serve a variety of needs, including the American Cancer Society curb-to-curb service for cancer-related treatments and appointments; the National Council of Jewish Women’s Buzz-A-Bus, which provides transportation for older adults door-to-door; the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership (J.U.M.P.) Senior Shuttle that transports older adults to services in North Nashville; and FiftyForward’s transportation program that brings older adults to their centers. According to the Greater Nashville Regional Council, the number of people age 65 and older is projected to grow by nearly 44,000 people in Nashville/Davidson County by 2025. The Council on Aging of Greater Nashville conducted a survey in 2006 of older residents and found that 49 percent do not drive themselves anywhere, 63 percent do not have family to drive them, 76 percent do not have friends to drive them, and 82 percent do not use the bus. Mayor Dean’s Nashville Livability Project also identified the need for mobility in this age group and recommended supplemental transportation programs. The lack of transportation options for older adults door-to-door leads to a higher risk of poor health, isolation, loneliness, and depression. Currently, there is a significant gap in Nashville/Davidson County in meeting the accessibility needs of older adults who are healthy but unable to safely drive. A new coalition of agencies will be assessing various models to implement in Nashville/ Davidson County in 2015-2016 to address this gap in the transportation network. ### Maintaining Nashville Streets and Highways The maintenance and operations of Nashville’s streets and highways are primarily divided into state and local maintenance. TDOT is responsible for maintenance of federal-highway and state-designated routes running through Davidson County. These include the interstates and freeway-type facilities like Briley Parkway and arterial-boulevards like Murfreesboro Pike and Charlotte Pike. Local streets are maintained by Metro Public Works. Typically TDOT has left most traffic signal operations in Davidson County to Metro Public Works. ### What is a guaranteed ride home program? A guaranteed ride home program provides commuters who regularly take transit, vanpool, or carpool with a ride home when one of life’s unexpected emergencies arises. The ride is free through a voucher for those that have registered with the Emergency Ride system. This program has not been expanded to include those that bicycle or walk to work in Nashville. <
> ### Using Technology To Make City Streets More Efficient TDOT maintains ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) components including traffic cameras, dynamic message signs, and the sensors in pavement that determine road surface conditions. These components are located on state-maintained facilities to manage traffic congestion. They help TDOT monitor conditions, warn of traffic issues, and recommend alternative routes. TDOT also supplies this information to local media outlets, online, and through the Smartway app for smartphones. Anyone can access the cameras, dynamic message boards, and road conditions at any time before driving. Additionally, Metro Public Works equips most traffic signals with cameras or other sensors that detect vehicles and has developed signal timing plans for major arterials through Davidson County. These signal timing plans are updated every few years as land use and traffic conditions change. Other cities like Franklin and Murfreesboro also provide traffic camera information online to be accessed by anyone. Technology is also moving into the transit system with BRT Lite routes indicating arrival times at station locations. MTA is also developing a smartphone app to deliver transit user information on the location of buses, so the transit system information is delivered in real time and can be used to determine when the next bus will arrive. Today, the ITS components managed by the agencies in Nashville are mostly basic elements to monitor existing conditions and have not been used to actively manage traffic congestion. In the future, there is tremendous potential to expand ITS components as part of a smart infrastructure system to manage lanes during peak travel times, establish variable speed limits according to the road conditions, synchronize signals to maintain calmer traffic speeds with green lights along a corridor, and detour traffic to arterial streets as needed. Transit signal priority can be expanded to more routes where traffic signals detect the approach of transit vehicles and prolong the green signal to keep the bus on schedule. As cars become equipped with more technology, communication between smart infrastructure components can make mobility more efficient and connect to other municipal infrastructure. The data that is collected as part of these infrastructure systems should be open so transportation users can make informed decisions about their routes. ## Improving Safety and Resiliency of Nashville’s Transportation Network Traffic crashes are a major public health issue in the United States. Improvements have been made to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of those driving on American roadways despite increases in population and historical increases in the number of vehicles miles traveled. However, deaths involving people walking and biking have increased.[^p55-12] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) focuses on improving the crash-worthiness of cars and reducing fatalities involving driver behavior such as drinking and driving or not wearing seat belts. These national priorities established by NHTSA have helped to reduce the total number of deaths and injuries on roads. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also works on roadway infrastructure design strategies that reduce deaths and injuries on streets. National priorities and strategies are typically funneled down to states and are administered in Tennessee through the Governor’s Highway Safety Office and TDOT. The GHSO works with the Tennessee State Highway Patrol, local police departments (including Metro Nashville Police), and other partners to conduct education campaigns to coincide with traffic enforcement. Public health professionals are also invested in road safety and promoting active transportation. The Metro Public Health Department regularly tracks crash rates and diseases among vulnerable populations. Public health professionals are more engaged in built environment decisions that can impact health. NashVitality and Moving in Harmony campaigns encourage safe walking and biking and were guided by the Health Department. TDOT regularly administers Road Safety Audit Reviews of identified high-crash locations looking for safety improvements along streets such as along Nolensville Road near Harding Place in south Nashville and Division Street near 19th Avenue in Midtown. The RSARs typically recommend such improvements as additional signage, replacing and clarifying existing signage, improving lighting, and updating pavement markings. These improvements are mostly low-cost design treatments to improve safety on streets. Numerous grants and funding opportunities are available to address safety issues through education, enforcement, and engineering/design strategies at the state and local levels. <
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> [^p55-12]: Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, 2014 http://www.tn.gov/safety/stats/CrashData/default.shtml ### Can reducing parking requirements improve accessibility? Parking requirements vary greatly among cities which typically require minimum parking requirements based on observations of land uses. In the United States, cities have relied on their peers for parking ordinances to model or consulted the Institute for Transportation Engineers handbooks. In instances where no parking is required, private developers usually decide to meet parking demand based on what they think is appropriate for their needs. Structured parking can greatly increase the cost of development, further driving up the cost of housing, goods, and services. Removing parking from the responsibility of individual building owners and treating it like a utility that is managed within a district can reduce the cost of residential units, free up property space for other activities, make some development much more profitable, and support walkability and transit use. Reducing development costs increases people's access to a variety of housing options and goods.[^p56-1] ### Managing Nashville's Parking Issues Parking poses multiple problems for affordable, walkable neighborhoods. First, providing on-site parking can be a significant cost, particularly when shifting from surface parking to structured or underground parking. That cost is exacerbated when regulations require building half a parking deck—developers must either overbuild for parking or seek additional entitlements. Second, parking poses costs to the walkable urban form that Nashvillians desire; curb cuts, parking lot entrances, and surface lots make walking less safe and comfortable. Greater flexibility can allow for more off-site parking, better support for shared parking, better use of on-street parking, and an integrated residential parking program. As Nashville grows, parking within downtown and neighborhood centers becomes more challenging. In the 1960s and 1970s, Metro's Zoning Code encouraged buildings to be set back from the street and to accommodate parking in front of the building, setting a minimum or maximum number of spaces. Today, regulations no longer require parking for downtown developments. Expanding uses on a site in Nashville's urban core may not need additional parking given the area's walkability and rich transit network. The change in downtown regulations and within the Urban Zoning Overlay (UZO), which is the area closely aligned with the original city limits of Nashville, has helped to promote mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development by reducing parking requirements and locating buildings directly behind wider sidewalks. These changes have also spurred concerns over parking among Nashvillians living in or visiting downtown and other urban neighborhoods. In Metro Public Works' September 2014 Multimodal Mobility Study, 41 percent of survey respondents indicated that parking was the primary transportation challenge in downtown Nashville. However, that same study found that only 55 percent of downtown Nashville's more than 52,000 parking spaces are occupied during a typical weekday. Although The Metro Zoning Code and Subdivision Regulations should continually be examined and refined to address parking and transportation issues, other strategies like parking management programs and parking districts that support redeveloping centers with a toolbox to manage parking across the entire center will be more effective in addressing Nashville's parking challenges. These programs can assess on-street parking rules and rates, privately or publicly maintained lots, residential parking programs, car-sharing access, and shared parking. In addition to managing parking demand, high-tech [^p56-1]: "The Trouble with Minimum Parking Requirements" by Donald C. Shoup in Transportation Research Part A 33 (1999) 549-547 http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/Trouble.pdf strategies which allow payment of rates electronically and track the status of parking spaces/garages can reduce redundant traffic movements where vehicles are circling for parking locations. Currently, the Metro Traffic and Parking Commission administered through Metro Public Works also helps to determine on-street parking requirements and manages the city’s public garages. The Nashville Downtown Partnership has assisted in developing information on downtown parking availability and encourages the use of shuttles to drop people off near their destination after parking in a lot. ## Advocating for 21ˢᵗ Century Transportation Solutions There are advocates working to change Nashville by providing greater access to transportation options. Transportation advocates provide input on how to accommodate people walking, biking, and taking transit more effectively and safely. The community planning process conducted by the Metro Planning Department has engaged these organizations over the years. Community Plans are typically updated every seven to ten years. Residents have become accustomed to this process involving future land use visioning and tying these plans to transportation within their community plan area. In recent plan updates, transportation projects are presented for prioritization within Metro’s Capital Improvements Budget (CIB). NashvilleNext has examined countywide critical needs to align with the broader city vision and to work with those advocating for transportation solutions to further progressive infrastructure investments and projects. Walk/Bike Nashville seeks to build a more walkable, bikeable, and livable Nashville by making active transportation an option for Nashvillians no matter where they live or where they are trying to go. Walk/Bike uses education and policy advocacy to improve walking and biking conditions and promote more people walking and biking. It provides bike valet parking at area events, organizes bicycle commuter rides, provides guidance on walking and biking safety, and advocate for policy and infrastructure changes within Nashville. Walk/Bike is the key organizer of the annual Tour de Nash bike ride, Bike to Work Day, and Walk to School Day. <
> ### What is tactical urbanism? Tactical urbanism describes low-cost, temporary changes to a city’s built environment that improve local neighborhoods and create civic gathering places. It can be utilized to advocate for change by demonstrating change on the ground. Park(ing) Day has been organized by the Nashville Civic Design Center since 2012. Parking spaces within the downtown core are transformed by volunteers into small pocket parks or parklets. Organizers encourage participants to be creative with activities and games. Parklets range from visionary examples of what a space could be like to practical uses of a parking space by providing additional seating or gathering space to share ideas and engage in the city. <
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> The Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) was established by an executive order from Mayor Karl Dean in 2008 to further Nashville’s goal of becoming a bicycle- and pedestrian- friendly city. The BPAC focuses on increasing the safe usage of bicycle and pedestrian facilities as a significant and beneficial mode of transportation and recreation. The BPAC monitors walking and bicycling issues within Nashville and helps make connections between departments and champions Metro’s actions to improve walking and biking. <
> Greenways for Nashville (GFN) is a nonprofit member organization raising awareness of and private support of Nashville’s greenways initiatives. GFN supports Metro Parks with greenways and open space to provide seed funds to leverage public funds, to build trails and enhancements, and acquire lands to preserve. GFN also educates citizens about Nashville’s greenways and provides opportunities for everyone to get involved in building a stronger greenways network. <
> Transit Now Nashville is a local grassroots organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the benefits of regional mass transit options. Transit Now educates residents on how to use transit and encourages Nashvillians to take the bus. <
> The Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee is a nonprofit organization with the mission of encouraging private-sector and public-sector support for new investments in mass transit in the ten-county Middle Tennessee region. The Transit Alliance fosters education across the region concerning the economic value of mass transit investments. Dedicated revenues for mass transit investments will be a key item of advocacy in the years ahead. The Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus was formed in 2009 in order to provide leadership on important issues facing the rapidly changing landscape in Middle Tennessee. The conversation on creating a modern mass transit system served as the early catalyst in building a forum for sustaining relationships among mayors and helping local governments support each other on regional issues and proposed state legislation. The Mayors Caucus will continue the conversation on dedicated revenues for mass transit investments. The Metropolitan Council is the legislative authority of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County created in 1963. The Council is a 40-member body of elected representatives of whome 35 are elected by district and five are elected at-large, or countywide. The presiding officer is the vice mayor. Advocates must work with their Metro Council member and voice transportation concerns and ideas. A Council member can assist them with the appropriate Metro agency contact and reflecting concerns during development of the Capital Improvements Budget. Metro Council members play a role in listening to concerns at community meetings about zone changes which can increase development entitlements and Metro-implemented transportation projects. Developing a good working relationship between neighborhoods, their Metro Council members, and Metro departments are essential to concerns being addressed and the implementation of NashvilleNext. ### Working with Additional Partners There are many other groups who help shape decisions related to our transportation network, even though they are not solely focused on transportation. Neighborhood associations, professional organizations, business groups, and even individual residents and business owners contribute to our transportation network—not just the departments that maintain our streets. Multiple public and private agencies must communicate and collaborate with one another, residents, and elected officials alike. The private sector plays a significant role in the city’s transportation network. One example of this contribution is the construction of sidewalks through redevelopment. This process frees up Metro resources for other civic needs and accomplishes a significant infrastructure investment. Businesses are also important in completing the trip when customers or employees arrive at their destination. For example, Nashville has several bicycle-friendly Businesses recognized by the League of American Bicyclists for providing amenities like bicycle parking and showers for employees. These amenities encourage their employees to bicycle to work. The private sector also fulfills transportation needs that are difficult for public-sector mass transit to accommodate in a cost-effective manner. <
> Metro must fairly and transparently balance the interests of the many groups that have an interest in our transportation network, collaboratively lead by connecting the dots between the various stakeholders’ transportation roles, and adapt organizational structures, policies, programs, and administrative and decision-making processes to remove barriers to achieving Nashvillians’ future multimodal transportation network. # How A Transportation Project Moves From Idea to Implementation <
> **Opportunity for Public Input** ### Planning Phase Project included in Community Plan (1)[^p60-1] $\rightarrow$ Project included in CIB Planning (2)[^p60-2] $\rightarrow$ Project included in RTP or LRTP (3)[^p60-3] (5)[^p60-5] **Opportunity for Public Input** <
> **Funding Combinations** * 100% Local Funds (rare) * % Local Funds and % Fed/State Funds (typical) * 100% Fed/State Funds (rare) ### Funding Phase * **Funds Programmed in CIB (2)[^p60-2]** $\rightarrow$ * **% Local Funds Programmed in CIB (2)[^p60-2] and % Fed/State Funds Programmed in TIP (4)[^p60-4]** $\rightarrow$ * **Earmarked in Federal Transportation Law (6)[^p60-6]** $\rightarrow$ % Fed/State Funds Programmed in TIP (4)[^p60-4] $\rightarrow$ <
> ### Construction Phase Project Study $\rightarrow$ **Opportunity for Public Input** (can require more funding) $\downarrow$ Project Design/Engineering $\rightarrow$ **Opportunity for Public Input** (can require more funding) $\downarrow$ Right-of-Way Acquisition/Utilities $\downarrow$ Construction/Implementation [^p60-1]: (1) [^p60-2]: (2) [^p60-3]: (3) [^p60-4]: (4) [^p60-5]: (5) [^p60-6]: (6) # How a Transportation Project Moves from Idea to Implementation Because advocates, residents, elected officials, land use planners, transportation agencies, and other stakeholders must work together to provide guidance on future transportation projects, it is crucial that all stakeholders understand the planning, funding, and implementation phases of transportation projects so they can most effectively provide public input to shape project outcomes. With any major public investment, different groups and individuals will have differing opinions about the need for a particular project. Nevertheless, Metro must always work to ensure that all residents share in the costs and benefits associated with transportation investments within the overall system in a way that is fair and transparent. Major infrastructure investments that serve the greater good should not unduly burden any particular person or group with environmental or economic costs. Meaningful public involvement before and during the process of investing in the transportation network is crucial to ensure this outcome. The following graphic tracks a typical process for transportation ideas from planning, to potential funding allocations, and finally to implementation. The numbered steps below align with the numbers in the graphic, and public input opportunities are denoted in the process. It is always best to involve the public in plans early and often. ### 1. The project is included in the appropriate Community Plan or related study. A transportation need is expressed, studied, analyzed, and weighed with other community and transportation needs during the NashvilleNext or Community Plan update process by residents, groups, elected officials, or transportation planners. During this time, there are opportunities to provide feedback to Metro planners and other department staff at meetings, online, through e-mails, and other forums. A Public Hearing is held before the Metro Planning Commission to consider adoption of the Community Plan or NashvilleNext update. Before the update is adopted, there is a Public Hearing before the Metro Planning Commission to hear concerns from the community. A project is then outlined in the adopted Community Plan. This indicates that the project has been vetted with residents and stakeholders in that area. Some transportation needs might be the result of other community planning processes during a corridor planning study, neighborhood study, or area mobility study. Those studies may have specific public outreach components. ### 2. The project is identified as a priority within the Metro Capital Improvements Budget (CIB). Metro departments consult the adopted NashvilleNext plan, Community Plans, and related studies to identify projects for local funding to submit for prioritization in achieving the NashvilleNext Guiding Principles. Elected officials may also request that projects be added to the CIB based on concerns that they hear from their constituents. The mayor will recommend projects that should move forward in the Capital Spending Plan. Projects that receive local funds, including a local match for projects securing federal/state funds, should be reflected in the CIB and related Capital Spending Plan. Metro Council reviews, debates, and approves the CIB and the Mayor’s Capital Spending Plan. Both the mayor and the Council hold budget hearings with the individual departments that are open to the public. The Council also holds a public hearing, allowing members of the Nashville community to comment on the recommended budget. ### 3. If the project utilizes federal/state funds, it must be identified in the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s adopted Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Inclusion in the MPO’s RTP shows regional support for a project and that its implementation is within the anticipated fiscal constraints of money that the region anticipates having in the future. The MPO has outreach opportunities while developing the RTP, and a Public Hearing before their Technical Coordinating Committee and Executive Board meetings. ### 4. Once the project is included in RTP, any federal/state funds programmed to the project must be reflected in the MPO’s adopted Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP contains projects that have been identified in the RTP which have funds programmed on project phases. With any amendments to the TIP, the MPO holds a Public Hearing at their Technical Coordinating Committee and Executive Board meetings. Programmed phases can include Study, Design, Engineering, Right-of-Way Acquisition, Utility Relocation, and Construction/Implementation. The phases can vary depending upon the type of transportation project. For example, a road widening project would likely include each phase and may have several iterations of funding before construction, while a project that expands arterial traffic signal management might only have funds for implementation since a regional study was already completed. Projects that include Study and Design phases typically have multiple opportunities for public input before proceeding into Right-of-Way Acquisition. ### 5. If the project is located on a state highway, it helps to have the project within TDOT's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). TDOT manages and distributes a number of funding opportunities and grants involving federal monies. These often require a local funding match, which is typically programmed in the CIB and then reflected in the MPO's TIP. TDOT usually incorporates the MPO priorities in the TIP as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). A local priority on a state highway in TDOT's LRTP will raise the priority level among other statewide priorities, but it is not necessary. ### 6. Some major transportation projects are earmarked as part of federal transportation legislation. President Obama signed into law MAP-21, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, in 2012. This law authorizes much of the federal spending money involving surface transportation, including highway, transit, bike, and pedestrian programs and policies administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other agencies of the United States Department of Transportation. Previous federal transportation laws included earmarks, or a listing of projects that would use federal money requiring no local match. MAP-21 eliminated earmarks, so the inclusion of local projects as earmarks is unlikely in the future. ### 7. After a project is funded, it will move into various phases before construction/implementation. The type of transportation project, amount of funding, and potential impact can affect how a project moves forward. Some projects will be incrementally funded with Design or Right-of-Way Acquisition. A project of this nature would then need to secure funds for Construction. This sometimes can take up to a decade or longer to achieve. Other projects that are smaller scale in nature rely on less funds and will usually move quicker from Study to Implementation. At any point, however, if the project changes scope or dramatically changes in cost, it can require the project to seek out additional funding. # ACCESS NASHVILLE REPORT CARD Linking land use decisions to transportation investments is critical in meeting the NashvilleNext Guiding Principles and goals. Regularly monitoring and assessing the city’s progress from multiple perspectives and experiences of transportation users are essential to properly discern progress. Metrics that depict overall mode share (what percentage of trips are made by different transportation modes), walking, biking, mass transit, health, freight, safety, placemaking, and maintenance, record this progress. Since Nashville/Davidson County is a consolidated city-county government, some metrics that compare the city to other peer cities can be skewed since Davidson County has rural, suburban, urban, and downtown environments. Where feasible, some information is presented relative to the Urban Zoning Overlay boundary, which closely relates to the original city limits of Nashville and may provide a more reasonable comparison to comparable cities that have solely urban or urban and suburban environments. The following are basic indicators to assess Nashville’s multimodal transportation network. These are presented to start discussion within the community about priorities and progress involving transportation. This data will continue to be analyzed and presented regularly to inform policy and decision-making. # ACCESS TIMELINE ### Changes in transportation policy Nashville adopts first Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways **2003** **2004** **2005** Subdivision Regulations amended to require sidewalks on both sides of new streets **2006** **2007** Executive Order #34 establishes the Mayor’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee **2008** MTA Strategic Master Plan Completed **2009** Executive Order #40 establishes Complete Streets as the Metro Standard **2010** 2035 Regional Transportation Master Plan Adopted Parking minimums removed from Downtown Code Major and Collector Street Plan is updated to reflect Complete Streets **2011** **2012** Zoning Code amended to require bicycle parking in new developments and major renovations **2013** Metro Council adopts regulations authorizing and regulating Transportation Network Companies like Lyft and Uber **2014** ### Implementation of new technology TDOT launches SmartWay intelligent transportation system in Nashville region **2003** Bike racks installed on all MTA buses **2004** **2005** RTA begins operation of Music City Star commuter rail service **2006** **2007** MTA opens Music City Central bus terminal **2008** Nashville's first BRT Lite service begins on Gallatin Pike **2009** Car Sharing launches in Nashville for the first time MTA launches free downtown circulator, Music City Circuit, begins **2010** Megabus low-cost, long-range bus service comes to Nashville Nashville International Airport terminal renovations completed **2011** Nashville B-Cycle begins operation Greyhound opens LEED-certified bus terminal in Downtown Nashville **2012** **2013** First Bike Box installed on Church Street **2014** <
> # EVALUATING ACCESS Davidson County households without access to a motor vehicle: <
> ### Diseases and rates of occurance related to transportation * % Adults with Asthma * % Adults with Diabetes * % Adults with High Blood Pressure * % Adults Overweight or Obese <
> Households are considered “cost burdened” when they spend more than 30% of income on housing OR 50.31% of income on housing and transportation <
> Percentage of renters & owners paying more than 30% of income on housing <
> Average Commute Time: <
> 23.3 Minutes ### Air Quality is negatively impacted by transportation * # of good days * # of moderate days * # unhealthy for sensitive groups * # of unhealthy days <
> # 86% of Nashvillians live within two miles of a greenway # 60% of Nashvillians live within one mile of a greenway # WALKING ### 2014 Pedestrian Level of Service along Major Streets <
> Optimal – 19.9% Good – 7.0% Acceptable – 26.1% Poor – 21.9% Very Poor – 13.0% Significantly Diminished – 12.1% <
> **1,076** miles of Sidewalk in Nashville **33.6** miles repaired in the last 5 years **165** miles replaced or added in the last 5 years ### Walking to work by Council district Darker color= more bikers <
> **2.2%** of people in Davidson County walk to work. **6.4%** of people living in the Urban Zoning Overlay (old city limits) walk to work. **Walking to transit—** **how many streets have sidewalks within 1/4 mile of transit stops?** <
> 68.5% of streets do not have sidewalks 31.5% of streets have sidewalks ### Pedestrian-involved crashes and deaths <
> | | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Crashes | 244 | 275 | 264 | 304 | 208 | | Deaths | 10 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 13 | # BIKING ## 2014 Bicycle Level of Service along Major Streets Optimal – 6.3% Good – 11.9% Acceptable – 18.4% Poor – 30.0% Very Poor – 9.9% Significantly Diminished – 23.5% <
> 60.6 miles of bike lanes in Nashville 13.2 miles of buffered bike lanes 27.7 miles of signed, shared routes <
> ### Bicycling to work by Council district Darker color= more bikers <
> 0.3% of people in Davidson County bike to work. 1.1% of people in the Urban Zoning Overlay (old city limits) bike to work. Storm grates replaced with bike-friendly grates | | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Grates | 410 | 449 | 252 | 686 | 829 | <
> ### Cyclist-involved crashes and deaths | | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Crashes | 80 | 58 | 90 | 88 | 79 | | Deaths | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | <
> # TRANSIT <
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> The **Nashville MTA** is responsible for transit options within Nashville/Davidson County. The **Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA)** covers connecting Davidson County with the surrounding counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson. ### RTA Annual Ridership <
> | | | |---|---| | 2013 | 594,213 | | 2012 | 601,697 | | 2011 | 500,135 | | 2010 | 412,678 | | 2009 | 358,819 | | 2008 | 293,758 | | 2007 | 225,131 | ### Frequency of MTA Routes *(as of April 2015)* <
> **18 routes** Most frequent routes *(30 mins or less)* **14 routes** Frequent routes *(30-90 minutes)* **10 routes** Limited services ### MTA Annual Ridership <
> | Year | Ridership | |---|---| | 2007 | 8,855,724 | | 2008 | 10,016,885 | | 2009 | 10,572,693 | | 2010 | 8,942,499 | | 2011 | 8,547,238 | | 2012 | 9,654,912 | | 2013 | 9,874,459 | ### MTA Annual Operating Funds ● other ● state ● fares ● federal ● local <
> | | | | |---|---|---| | 2005— $30,240,806 | 2008— $43,831,437 | 2011— $50,626,120 | | 2006— $34,671,612 | 2009— $44,397,590 | 2012— $54,885,308 | | 2007— $36,440,846 | 2010— $50,397,263 | 2013— $60,541,090 | # CARS **81.3%** of people commuting in Davidson County **drive alone** <
> There is a crash every **26** Minutes in Davidson County ### Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled in Davidson County <
> ### Vehicular Accidents In Davidson County <
> Households without access to motor vehicle: Average Commute time: Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2013 Illnesses impacted by transportation: Healthy Nashville Portal Air Quality: EPA Air Quality Index; www.epa.gov/airdata Cost-burdened households: Access to Greenways: Greenways for Nashville 2014 Pedestrian level of service: Nashville Area MPO People walking to work: United States Census Bureau Sidewalk status: Metro Public Works Sidewalks near transit: Metro Planning Traffic Accidents; Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Vehicles: Tennessee Department of Safety 2014 Bicycle level of service: Nashville Area MPO People Biking to work: United States Census Bureau Bike Lanes: Metro Public Works Storm grate replacement: Metro Public Works, Metro Water Services MTA Ridership: National Transit Database RTA Ridership: National Transit Database MTA Operating Funds: MTA Solo Drivers in Davidson County: Census Bureau Vehicle Miles Traveled in Davidson County: Tennessee Department of Transportation Vehicular Accidents: Nashville Area MPO # 21^ST CENTURY CITY TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS There are a number of critical transportation strategies that improve accessibility and achieve components of the city’s future vision for land use and transportation. Each of these initiatives can impact the basic transportation indicators just presented. | | Accessibility Principles | | | | | | | | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | | | Create a place with choices. | Offer meaningful choices. | Sustain & enhance economy. | Improve safety & resiliency. | Improve health & environment. | Ensure financial responsibility. | Make decision equitably. | Address transport regionally. | | **Strategic Initiatives** | | | | | | | | | | Develop an exceptional walking environment. | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | | | Create a robust biking network. | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | | | Create dedicated mass transit lanes. | O | O | O | | O | O | O | O | | Manage travel lanes. | O | O | O | | | O | O | O | | Complete strategic connections. | O | O | O | O | O | | O | | | Maintain existing transportation infrastructure. | | | O | O | | O | O | O | | Achieve zero deaths on Nashville streets. | | | O | O | O | O | O | | ### Why developing an exceptional walking environment is important Nashvillians continue to express a strong desire to improve walking conditions in the places where they live, work, and play. Nashville has existing regulations that ensure sidewalks are constructed alongside many kinds of development, as well as a publicly funded sidewalks program that has been repairing and constructing sidewalks in Nashville since 2003. In response to a strong community preference for walkable communities, Nashville’s current sidewalk regulations should be strengthened and the sidewalks program should be expanded in scope and adequately funded to meet identified needs. Elected officials and Metro representatives should actively and openly engage with residents as these options are pursued to ensure that all Nashvillians fairly share the costs and benefits of sidewalk construction. During the latter part of the 20^th century, most roads in Davidson County were engineered to prioritize automobile traffic, and many neighborhoods developed without sidewalks. Where sidewalks were built, they were often squeezed within existing constrained right-of-way. Although automobiles will always be an important part of Nashville’s transportation network, many people express a desire for improved walking infrastructure. Today, Nashville must respond to community preference for exceptional walking environments. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establishes minimum standards for accessible sidewalks for people walking of all ages and abilities. Nashville’s sidewalk standards should always go above and beyond these established minimums. Street trees or a landscaped planting strip should buffer sidewalks from roadways. Sidewalk widths should be appropriate for the surrounding context and existing or planned land uses. Dense, walkable areas with taller buildings should dedicate more space for wide, shaded sidewalks. On neighborhood streets and urban areas with high volumes of pedestrian traffic, vehicular lanes should be narrow to reduce speed and increase safety. Curb extensions and crosswalks can be added to improve the safety of street crossings. Utilities, signs, and other objects should not obstruct pedestrian paths. New sidewalks should be intentionally tied to the High Capacity Transit Corridors and Centers depicted on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map. Linking these corridors with good sidewalks is critical at improving access in Nashville. ### Key steps to developing an exceptional walking environment: #### Funding » Metro Government should explore all available funding mechanisms for walking facilities in a transparent conversation with residents and create a plan that meets the needs and desires of the community. » Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance of existing sidewalks. #### Outreach » Metro should start with the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext to review potential walking projects with the community for feedback annually as the Capital Improvements Budget is developed. This process should include a public information campaign about the current sidewalk budget and how it relates to other community needs. » Develop transparent priorities for sidewalk implementation based on updated community feedback. » Improve public information systems to clearly indicate where sidewalk construction will happen in the short term. » Continue the “Moving in Harmony” public outreach that encourages sharing the road with all people. #### Prioritization » Use the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext to connect people walking along and to the High Capacity Transit Corridors on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map to improve transportation options and accessibility. » Update the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways to reflect the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities established in NashvilleNext, as well as the changing character of development in Nashville. Emphasize sidewalk construction where there are barriers to walking along heavily trafficked streets in identified Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors to assist people accessing their daily needs and health goals. Connectivity projects that link neighborhoods to parks and commercial districts should also be emphasized. Streets serving primarily less dense areas and less intense uses should rank lower in the prioritization process to make the best use of limited funds. #### Design » Metro Public Works, TDOT, and Metro Planning should review sidewalk standards and adjust design to correspond with the city’s adopted Major and Collector Street Plan using design guidelines which implement the Mayor’s Complete Streets Executive Order. » Ensure utilities and other fixed objects do not impede pedestrian access by enforcing appropriate siting of new utilities and relocating existing utilities that obstruct pedestrian travel. » Regularly implement innovative infrastructure components such as bioswales and multi-use paths that increase the functionality and performance of sidewalks for both people walking and biking. » Strengthen requirements for wide sidewalks with street trees alongside new development, especially in Centers and along High Capacity Transit Corridors. » Integrate asphalt multi-use paths for walking and biking with the city’s greenway network where appropriate. » Explore “slow zones” where speed limits might be reduced to 25 mph with targeted traffic enforcement to encourage walking and reduce the severity of injury in vehicle-pedestrian crashes. Slower vehicular speeds on city streets through traffic enforcement and street design can greatly reduce injury severity ### What is the “Moving in Harmony” campaign? <
> Moving in Harmony is a public outreach campaign developed by the Metro Health Department to encourage sharing the road with all people. Messages are crafted toward people driving to share the road with people biking and walking. These campaign materials should be used by Metro and its partners to keep a consistent and repetitive message about the importance of sharing the road with all people. with older adults in crashes and will also reduce the injury severity of all people driving in car collisions. ### *Example components in developing an exceptional walking environment:* » Wide sidewalks buffered from the road by street trees » Curb extensions » Crosswalks » Countdown pedestrian timers » Cafes, outdoor plaza space, and active uses on bottom floors of buildings » Neighborhood sidewalks » Pedestrian scale wayfinding and lighting » Transit station benches or shelters » Pedestrian island or medians » Trash and recycling bins » Accessibility features that fully accommodate pedestrians of all ages and abilities » Utility poles and other objects do not obstruct pedestrian movement » Safe, accessible alternative routes provided when sidewalks are closed » Traffic enforcement » Transportation safety messaging through campaigns and educational materials <
> **The NashVitality app helps Nashvillians find places to walk and bike.** <
> **Crosswalks, outdoor cafe tables, and retail uses in buildings at the street along Eastland Avenue.** <
> **A crosswalk and on-street parking create a more comfortable walking environment along Belmont Boulevard.** ## Why creating a robust biking network is important In just over a decade, Nashville has become much more welcoming to bicyclists at minimal cost. Nashville has diligently developed an extensive greenway network adjacent to rivers and streams, created bike lanes as repaving of streets occurs, implemented innovative treatments like buffered bike lanes and bike boxes, and expanded its bikeshare system. Still, much work remains to ensure that bicycling in Nashville is safe, convenient, and fun for people of all ages and abilities. The low-stress, safe environment and natural setting of Nashville’s greenway network is appealing to a diverse group of bicyclists as a venue for social interaction, recreation, fitness, and some utilitarian trips. Many Nashvillians express a desire for on-street bicycle facilities that mimic the low-stress environment of our greenways in order to expand their access to jobs, shopping, educational opportunities, housing, and other utilitarian destinations. The Access Nashville Bikeways Map outlines essential connections between Nashville’s neighborhoods and the areas of Nashville/Davidson County anticipated to have the highest concentrations of housing, jobs, and economic activity over the next 25 years. The vision consists of denser, bikeable hubs connected by low-stress corridors, or spokes, that use protected facilities, multi-use paths, or even greenways to improve comfort and safety of all road users. The spokes are then connected to one another through additional bicycle-friendly routes in neighborhoods and other perimeters of the city like the rim of a wheel. Bikeway design has undergone major technical revisions since Nashville first began implementing this type of infrastructure in the late 1990s. Today, protected bikeways that appeal to a broad range of users are standard in many parts of the United States. Providing a range of context-sensitive infrastructure solutions that make bicycling feel safer and more comfortable will increase the number of people who have a meaningful option to ride a bike for non-recreational purposes, helping to manage congestion, improving the health of our environment and our people, increasing the safety of our roadways, and enhancing our economy as households realize transportation savings. Nashville should lead among cities in the Southeastern United States in implementing state of the art bicycling infrastructure as a cost effective solution to many of the city’s interrelated transportation, environment, and health issues. ### Key steps to creating a robust biking network: #### Funding » Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance of greenways, bike lanes, multi-use paths, bikeshare stations, and for the construction of new bikeways. » Ensure the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext are included within the constraints of the Capital Improvements Budget in a transparent manner. » Invest in high-priority bikeway connections outside of the traditional paving cycle to link together existing routes. #### Outreach » Select bikeshare locations based on community feedback, so the expansion of the network happens like other transportation infrastructure in a transparent, equitable manner. » Continue the “Moving in Harmony” public outreach that encourages sharing the road with all people. ### Prioritization » Prioritize connections that connect across significant barriers in the bikeway network. » Saturate the existing B-cycle bikeshare network with additional stations and expand the network to include areas with multiple stations to promote biking within Tier One Centers like Green Hills commercial area, East Nashville, Madison, Rivergate, West Nashville, and Antioch. » Connect Tier One Centers and Open Space Anchors with a network of low-stress greenways, multi-use paths, and protected bicycle lanes to allow cyclists of all ages and bicycling abilities meaningful access to jobs, housing, and social and economic opportunities. ### Design » Update the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways to include state-of-the-art infrastructure components for bicycle-friendly corridors that have been proved effective in other cities. » Develop and fund several key pilot projects to explore bicycling facilities that are uncommon in Nashville, including barrier-protected bike lanes, bike signals, bikeways connected to BRT stations, on-street bike corrals, painted bike lanes, and more. » Implement successful pilot projects on a broader scale within the biking network. » Identify existing parking lot locations to potentially establish Park-and-Ride lots for mass transit and bikeshare. ### Policy » Analyze the bikeways proposed in the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways and the greenways proposed in the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan together to achieve a seamless bikeways network of on-road, separated, and off-road biking facilities. Ensure the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext are carried forward within those plans. » Explore “slow zones” where speed limits might be reduced to 25 mph with targeted traffic enforcement to encourage bicycling and reduce the severity of injury in vehicle-bicycle crashes. Slower vehicular speeds on city streets through traffic enforcement and street design will also reduce the injury severity of all people involved in car collisions. » Create appropriate incentives to encourage the provisions of showers, lockers, and other end-of-trip facilities as development occurs. » Prioritize bikeway investments within the constraints of the Capital Improvements Budget in a transparent manner. *Example components in creating a robust biking network:* » Buffered bike lanes » B-cycle stations » Bike racks and corrals » Multi-use paths or greenways » Bike boxes » Bike signals » Bike boulevards » Cycle tracks » Colored bike lanes » Bike route wayfinding system » Regular maintenance and sweeping of bikeway facilities » End-of-trip facilities such as showers and lockers » Bicycle maps, pumps, and basic tools available at community centers » Bicycle educational courses to teach riders of all ages and abilities to safely bike » Traffic enforcement » Transportation safety messaging through campaigns and educational materials <
> **Bike racks at neighborhood businesses** <
> **A bike box along Church Street** <
> **Bike racks provide a secure place to lock bicycles along First Avenue.** ### What is a road reconfiguration? Many major arterials carry fewer vehicles in a day than they are designed to support. Examples include Dickerson Pike and Franklin Pike. During a road reconfiguration or road diet, excess capacity in the road is reallocated for turning lanes, on-street parking, bike lanes, or dedicated space for transit. The Federal Highway Administration and TDOT have embraced roadway reconfigurations for their ability to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes, improve street operations, and offer meaningful transportation choices. Nashville has more than 180 miles of major roads that could potentially be suitable for a roadway reconfiguration. The Church Street Viaduct over 11th Avenue, Demonbreun Street, Magnolia Boulevard, Belmont Boulevard, Hillsboro Circle, Cleghorn Avenue, and Crestmoor Road have been improved in recent years by right-sizing the streets. <
> The Music City Star is one leg of commuter rail that runs from downtown Nashville to Lebanon, Tenn. ### Why creating dedicated mass transit lanes is important Transit ridership has continued to increase while vehicle miles traveled has leveled or declined throughout the United States and in the Nashville area. Metro and TDOT have limited ability to expand right-of-way because of financial constraints, and widening of roadways is shown to only add more congestion. Most Nashville streets typically have peak traffic congestion centered around a few hours during the morning and afternoon commutes. During other times, there is additional space on streets that is not being utilized. Transit can add to the transportation network’s efficiency when it is competitive with auto travel, meaning that a transit rider can expect to make the trip in roughly the same amount of time that she would in her own vehicle. Utilizing this extra space on Nashville’s streets is an opportunity to make transit competitive. Redesigning a corridor for transit lanes is also an opportunity to improve performance of other transportation modes by organizing the right-of-way so the modes work seamlessly and efficiently. Studying current traffic trends related to recent redevelopment while also accommodating transit riders will make cars move more efficiently too by retiming traffic signals and upgrading technology with the other corridor improvements. Transit also can meet the mobility needs of those who cannot drive for medical or age reasons, those who cannot afford a car, and those who choose to not own a car. It also provides a choice for those who own a car to reduce their maintenance costs, reduce their gas expenses, improve their environmental impact, improve their health and safety, or use time for other activities such as working or checking e-mail while commuting. Additional studies of corridors are needed to assess which mode types, such as BRT, light rail, commuter rail, or streetcar, are the most appropriate and financially-feasible for each corridor. Getting additional dedicated lanes for mass transit is needed to address increasing peak time congestion and improving accessibility by providing choices that are needed by Nashvillians. Nashville should move forward with its mass transit vision in MTA’s Strategic Transit Master Plan as Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors evolve to provide these choices. *Key steps to developing dedicated mass transit lanes:* ### Funding » Assess and recommend a funding mechanism to improve the regional mass transit system. ### Outreach » Develop off-site examples or mock-ups of transit components that may be implemented like BRT and light rail for the community to see firsthand, explore, and discuss. Use these educational opportunities to reinforce the regional mass transit vision adopted by the Nashville Area MPO and the transit priorities contained within the updated MTA Strategic Transit Master Plan. » Continue the Moving in Harmony public outreach that encourages sharing the road with all people. ### Prioritization » Prioritize corridors and implementation of transit upgrades during a transparent planning process that explores the transit system's limited budget and implements the most important community needs. » Update MTA's Strategic Transit Master Plan and the Nashville Area MPO's Regional Transportation Plan to closely align with the vision of NashvilleNext for land use and redevelopment of Centers and Corridors. ### Design » Identify existing parking lot locations to potentially establish Park-and-Ride lots for mass transit and bikeshare. » Continue to study regional and local corridors to assess feasible transit modes and costs for implementation and operation. ### Policy » Connect BRT Lite stations and high capacity transit modes with walking and biking infrastructure. <
> A BRT Lite shelter on Gallatin Pike. <
> Currently, BRT Lite service along Gallatin Pike runs in mixed traffic. Dedicated lanes or queue jump lanes would keep the bus on time. <
> An example of a multi-use path linked to a transit shelter in suburban Kansas City. *Example components in creating dedicated mass transit lanes:* » BRT Lite stations and buses » Commuter rail » Light rail » Bus-on-shoulder applications » Accessible shelters at stops with real-time information displays » Integrated payment methods with mass transit, bikeshare, and other components of the city’s transportation system that can be made off of vehicle » Safe crossing facilities near stops » Complete sidewalk network around transit stops » High level of frequency and reliability » Easy wayfinding for regular transit riders and tourists » Transportation safety messaging through campaigns and educational materials » Pilot examples of transit infrastructure before implementation <
> A new transit shelter along the 28^th^-31^st^ Avenue connector incorporates public art, bike racks, trash receptacles, and wide sidewalks. ### Why managing travel lanes is important Widening highways is very costly, exacerbates congestion, and promotes speeding. Within the existing highway and street networks, there are ways to manage traffic and other modes of transportation that move more people and broaden the access a highway or street can provide. Management of highway lanes requires coordination between local and state police to keep stopped traffic off shoulders, so buses can utilize the shoulder during peak congestion. It also requires a robust intelligent transportation system (ITS) to monitor traffic conditions and alert agencies and motorists to issues. Managed lanes can be more successful with additional restrictions such as the number of occupants or varying tolls during peak uses. Within the street network, managed lanes may include reversible lanes on arterials to handle peak traffic congestion or accommodating transit vehicles at intersections with queue jump lanes to let people taking transit through the intersection first. *Key steps to managing travel lanes:* #### Funding » Ensure adequate funding is provided at the state and local levels to operate traffic management centers, law enforcement, and motorist assist programs. #### Outreach » Develop a real-time, automated, centralized reporting system for closures and detours for all modes of transportation, including a publicly accessible website and a machine readable data feed with real-time information for application developers. #### Prioritization » Conduct a study with the Nashville Area MPO, TDOT, Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA, RTA, and Metro Planning to assess regional corridors for managed highway lane concepts that include HOV lanes, reversible lanes, high-occupant toll (HOT) lanes, and ramp metering that would be most effective and feasible. Also explore concepts for transit to utilize bus-on-shoulder applications on highways and queue jump lanes with transit signal prioritization at specific intersections on arterial streets. » Assess and prioritize streets appropriate for road reconfigurations and transitions into Complete Streets to incorporate turning lanes, bike lanes, on-street parking, transit accommodations, parklets, plazas, and other spaces for all transportation modes. Actively work with neighborhoods and residents to determine potential strategies for implementation within the public right-of-way. » Enhance highways and arterials with additional ITS components to assess traffic conditions and pavement conditions, adjust signal phasing and timing, inform motorists of conditions, and direct motorists to alternative routes in real time. Coordinate traffic signals across major corridors and during high traffic events. Consider smart components to integrate infrastructure systems. ### *Design* » Assess special event impacts upon walking, biking, transit, and traffic through a study of the downtown core while major events or festivals are taking place at the arena, ballpark, convention center, and amphitheater and provide recommendations that balance all modes of transportation to improve people’s access to downtown during major events. » Assess with the Nashville Area MPO, TDOT, Metro Public Works, Metro Planning, and adjacent counties, a Freight Movement Plan that identifies routes for trucks traveling through Nashville to other destinations and routes for trucks with their destination within the city. ### *Policy* » Establish a Department of Transportation to implement and manage a comprehensive transportation management system that considers and serves all modes. » Adjust permit fees to incentivize street closures to occur primarily on festival streets. Establish standard, consistent alternative traffic patterns and bus detours for festival closures. *Example components that manage travel lanes:* » Reversible lanes » Bus-on-shoulder applications » HOV lanes » HOT lanes » Reversible highway lanes » Ramp metering <
> **Hermitage Avenue has reversible lanes to handle peak traffic hours.** <
> **Ramp metering on I-94 in Milwaukee** *source: By Patriarca/2 (own work) via wikipedia commons.* <
> **An example of buses using the shoulder in Minneapolis to bypass congestion** *Source: Metrotransit, Minneapolis* ### Why completing strategic connections is important The street network within Nashville/Davidson County and Middle Tennessee is mostly built. However, there are missing, but strategic connections that could provide additional access between areas and safer access for other transportation modes. One recent street example connects north Nashville to Midtown via the 28th[^th]-31st[^st] Avenue Connector Bridge, which includes protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and bus shelters. Another proposed project is the planned extension of Division Street across the railroad to connect SoBro with the Gulch. A non-motorized connectivity example is the greenway bridge over the Cumberland River connecting Shelby Bottoms to Two Rivers. Other strategic connections for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists are identified in Green Hills, Antioch, and Madison that could have tremendous impact in improving access and generating economic development. #### Key steps to completing strategic connections: » Consult the prioritized list of strategic connections in NashvilleNext as funding and redevelopment opportunities arise. Work through public-private partnerships as necessary to complete connections. Regularly review projects with the community for feedback and inclusion in the Capital Improvements Budget and MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan for funding. » Secure funding so strategic connections can be completed as properties redevelop in Centers through land readjustment. Coordinate with redevelopment plans to provide these connections and balance surrounding property owner concerns with overall community transportation needs. » Incorporate walking, biking, and transit components within new strategic connections. #### Examples where completing strategic connections have been important: » KVB extension » Division Street extension concepts » 28th[^th]-31st[^st] Avenue Connector Bridge » Greenway bridge over Cumberland River <
> The Gateway Bridge and Korean Veterans Boulevard has been a strategic connection into downtown Nashville. Buffered bike lanes were recently installed on the bridge. # Why maintaining existing transportation infrastructure is important Metro Nashville, the state of Tennessee, and the United States have made large investments in the region’s transportation infrastructure. As funding remains stagnant, maintenance of the existing street and transportation networks is critical. Enhancing these networks with other modes also capitalizes on the investments that have already taken place. For example, reinvesting along an arterial by constructing sidewalks to connect transit riders to bus stops provides additional transportation choices in a safer manner. Resurfacing streets and reconstructing structurally deficient bridges is essential to keep the region’s economy vibrant. *Key steps to maintaining existing transportation infrastructure:* ### Funding » Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance and operations of components in the transportation network. ### Outreach » Work with Metro Public Works and TDOT to regularly monitor infrastructure conditions. Explain to the community, through a transparent process, the budget for transportation maintenance and the need to identify and prioritize investments. ### Prioritization » Enhance highways and arterials with additional ITS components to assess traffic conditions and pavement conditions, inform motorists of conditions, and direct motorists to alternate routes. Consider smart components to integrate infrastructure systems. ### Policy » When possible, use cost-efficient preventive maintenance or rehabilitation techniques that extend the life of transportation facilities instead of reconstruction. *Examples of issues related to maintaining transportation infrastructure:* » Pavement potholes » Interstate cameras or highway message boards » Deficient bridge » Constructing sidewalks along a street » Asphalt damaged through trucks, braking, etc. <
> Street maintenance is important to Nashville's economy. <
> Large road structures are a significant maintenance issue over time. <
> Metro Nashville Police Department has a unit that investigates the causes of crashes. ### Why achieving zero deaths on Nashville streets is important On average from 2009-2013, Nashville reported 69 deaths annually on its streets.[^p86-13] In the United States, we have become accustomed to thinking that traffic fatalities are an inevitable occurrence; but there are a number of opportunities working together that makes zero deaths possible: » Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per capita, a measure of how much people are driving, continues to decrease despite increases in population.[^p86-14] Two examples describe how our culture has changed reducing our reliance on automobiles—computer technology and redevelopment with a mixture of land uses. The Internet reduced the need for people to drive to access some goods and services. Communications between colleagues can now take place through virtual technologies. Previously, people would make trips to the grocery store or overnight trips for work activities mostly by car. Today’s land use planning concepts focus on encouraging a mixture of land uses closer to one another meaning more people can walk, bike, and take transit for their goods and services. Land uses are not segregated as much by type which promotes automobile dependence. As people drive less, they reduce their exposure or odds of being involved in a fatal crash. » Reducing behaviors that cause fatal crashes has been a goal of safety advocates in the United States. Educational campaigns tied with strategic traffic enforcement that enforces traffic laws such as buckling up while people drive and only driving while sober continue to reduce risky behavioral choices. » As transit ridership increases,[^p86-15] people are putting themselves in a vehicle with others that is operated by a professional whose job is to get people to their destinations safely. Transit travel has about a tenth the casualty (death or injury) rate of car travel, and residents of transit-oriented developments have about a fifth the per capita casualty rate as in car-oriented communities.[^p86-16] Riding transit is one of the safer forms of surface transportation, especially compared to driving. [^p86-13]: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, 2014 Calculated by Planning Department [^p86-14]: Transportation in Transition: A Look at Changing Travel Patterns in America’s Biggest Cities by Benjamin Davis, Frontier Group, and Phineas Baxandall, U.S. PIRG Education Fund - http://www.frontiergroup.org/reports/fg/transportation-transition; Our Nation’s Highways: 2011, by FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information - http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/pubs/hf/pl11028/chapter4.cfm [^p86-15]: The Nashville MTA Connection, Jan-Feb 2013 http://www.nashvillemta.org/news/pub148.pdf [^p86-16]: Todd Litman http://www.vtpi.org/safer.pdf Safer Than You Think! Revising the Transit Safety Narrative December 2014 » State DOTs have more comprehensive and timely datasets about crashes which informs their implementation of safety countermeasures.[^p87-17] They analyze crash data regularly and identify traffic safety hot spots to review during interdisciplinary road safety audits.[^p87-18] Proactive safety improvements along with comprehensive improvements through regular maintenance such a rumble stripes and guardrail replacement makes strides in reducing fatalities. » Vehicle safety technology that alerts drivers to hazards have improved safety. As vehicles become more autonomous, technology is likely to alert drivers to hazards that may have been missed. Technology changes that improve a person’s driving performance are likely to further reduce fatal crashes. » Response to crashes is critical in getting injured people stabilized and to hospital facilities. Nashville has good emergency care coverage with hospitals throughout Davidson County and Vanderbilt University Medical Center designation as a Level OneTrauma Center for the region. *Key steps to achieving zero deaths on Nashville streets:* ### Funding » Adequately fund the maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure and address proven safety issues first within the multimodal transportation network. ### Outreach » Continue the “Moving in Harmony” public outreach that encourages sharing the road with all people. » As part of Access Nashville’s future reporting mechanism, track fatality and disabling injury trends on Nashville streets. [^p87-17]: State of Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/incident/StrategicHighwayplan09.pdf [^p87-18]: Tennessee Department of Transportation Road Safety Audit Website Accessed February 6, 2015 http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/projectplanning/rsa.htm ### *Prioritization* » Metro along with the Nashville Area MPO, Nashville MTA, and TDOT should take the lead to assess crash data on local streets, generate a list of high-crash locations for public review and comment, assess potential multimodal conditions, and implement low-cost safety improvements. Work with residents and local stakeholders on determining the appropriate solutions. » Create a forum for interdisciplinary dialogue on transportation safety in the region to include professionals from transportation planning, traffic engineering, safety education, public health, emergency response, and traffic enforcement. <
> **Traffic enforcement can be an effective tool to reduce injuries and deaths on Nashville streets. This is an example of educating parents on proper child safety seat restraints.** <
> **A highway message sign encourages motorists and passengers to buckle up along I-440.** <
> **Transit is a safer form of travel compared to driving a car.** ### *Design* » Consult the key recommendations for developing an exceptional walking environment, creating a robust biking network, and creating dedicated mass transit lanes, which support expanding transportation choices to encourage people walking, biking, and taking transit. » Assess transportation safety methods in other cities that may be appropriate to utilize in Nashville. ### *Policy* » Explore “slow zones” where speed limits might be reduced to 25 mph with targeted traffic enforcement to encourage walking, biking, and transit use while reducing the severity of injury in crashes. *Examples of issues related to achieving zero deaths on Nashville streets:* » Traffic enforcements » Vehicle improvements such as airbags, safety restraints, and autonomous technologies » Transportation safety messaging through campaigns and educational materials » Using transit and ridesharing trips to replace single-occupancy vehicle trips # NASHVILLE’S 21^ST CENTURY TRANSPORTATION FRAMEWORK PLAN A multimodal transportation system can promote economic prosperity while encouraging sustainable growth and development practices, and protecting and preserving valuable community and natural assets. The key recommendations highlighted below are essential to balance these objectives, improve accessibility, and achieve the vision laid out in NashvilleNext Additional projects and concepts described and details of projects will need to be thoughtfully examined for older adults’ needs and for people of all ages and abilities to complete the trip. A prior section describes research, assessment, policy, planning and budgeting actions to create an exceptional walking environment. The following maps and concepts depict the backbone of sidewalks, streets, transit, and bikeway networks for the city as well as specific design techniques to meet Access Nashville Accessibility Principles . Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities are presented based on the outlined criteria for each transportation mode. The Countywide Critical Needs that meet the strategic transportation initiatives are listed for each transportation mode. Not every sidewalk, bikeway, and street project are included, however, compared to the many important projects not included below, the Countywide Critical Needs significantly implement the NashvilleNext vision for improving accessibility and generally meet broader transportation objectives beyond one Community Plan area. The Community Priorities are often transportation projects important within the appropriate Community Plan area. All of the priorities from each community are weighed with the NashvilleNext Guiding Principles to implement NashvilleNext. ## Walking Network All people are pedestrians at some point during their trip, whether they are walking to work, school, or shopping, to a bus stop, or through a parking lot from their car. Nashville’s streets offer mobility to people traveling through and across the region. They must also provide access to people walking or using a mobility device. In balancing these functions, Nashville should begin by providing safe and comfortable accommodations for the people who are most exposed to traffic hazards—pedestrians. Walking is often the first and last components of trips, or completing the trip. Understanding the history of Nashville’s evolution is critical to grasp where sidewalk needs are most urgent in Nashville/Davidson County. Nashville’s major arterial streets, or pikes, connect to downtown in a spoke pattern and have functioned as the foundation for the city’s transit network since the first streetcar lines were established. These pikes—Clarksville, Gallatin, Dickerson, Nolensville, Charlotte, 21ˢᵗ Avenue/Hillsboro, West End/Harding, Franklin, Lebanon, and Murfreesboro—connected the city’s first neighborhoods. Neighborhoods like Lockland Springs, Cleveland Park, Sunnyside, Hillsboro-West End, Buena Vista Heights and Jefferson Street thrived as a result of their connectivity and closeness to jobs in downtown. Markets, schools, and libraries were nearby, and people could walk or take a streetcar to access daily needs. As more people obtained cars, Nashville’s streetcar system was phased out, and the pikes were widened in anticipation of increased vehicular traffic. New housing was built with cars in mind. The sidewalk systems in these inner-ring neighborhoods and areas along the pikes closer to downtown are largely intact today. The role of the arterial pikes began to change as their increased auto capacity encouraged more residents to drive to meet their daily needs. The streets were intended to move cars quickly, and sidewalks were excluded. Dickerson Pike north of Douglas Avenue, Gallatin Pike through the Rivergate area, Charlotte Pike west of White Bridge Road, Murfreesboro Pike near Nashboro Village, and Lebanon Pike through Donelson are examples of this evolution. These corridors typically have large gaps in the sidewalk network despite being the heart of today’s mass transit system. Small cottage neighborhoods in Woodbine, Madison, and Bordeaux transitioned into neighborhoods of ranch homes on large lots near <
> **Dickerson Pike was one of the first routes into Nashville. Its role has changed and needs sidewalks to link transit stops.** <
> **Hillsboro Pike has changed over the years from a rural country road to a major urban street.** <
> A new development along Woodland Street rebuilt the sidewalks to include street trees. Donelson, Goodlettsville, Green Hills, West Meade, and Bellevue. Most people living in these areas drove to services and jobs, and neighborhoods were often built without sidewalks. Many of these neighborhoods, built between the mid-1940s and the 1980s, still lack complete sidewalk networks. Today, as residents place a greater emphasis on transit and walkability, these corridors struggle to provide the safe walking environment attractive for taking mass transit. Because Nashville does not have an extensive network of sidewalks beyond the urban core, identifying a large number of streets with future sidewalk needs is not helpful without adequate funding to make improvements. The Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways has been the planning framework for implementation decisions involving sidewalks. NashvilleNext supports the implementation of sidewalks where people walking currently lack accommodations along arterial-boulevards with mass transit service. Sidewalks along these corridors will provide an immediate accessibility need and also help generate economic development potential by supporting more mixed use along corridors and walkable centers. With limited funds, Metro should consult the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in the Community Plans for guidance on implementing walking infrastructure tied to other transportation modes and that improve communitywide accessibility. Below are infrastructure design strategies that create a more exceptional walking environment and address the demand for walkability that has been a common refrain during the NashvilleNext process. These design strategies should be applied comprehensively by Metro and private-sector development: ### Raised intersections Raised intersections create a safe, slow-speed crossing and public space at minor intersections. They reinforce slow speeds and encourage people driving to yield to people walking at the crosswalk.[^p92-19] ### Wide sidewalks with street trees The sidewalk is the area where people interact with both one another and with businesses and houses in an urban environment. Numerous studies have shown that good walking network connectivity and conditions have [^p92-19]: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide a positive impact on land values. Nashville’s sidewalk standards require a landscape buffer and sidewalk unless significant constraints exist, and these standards recognize increased pedestrian demand by widening the sidewalk. Pedestrians and businesses thrive where sidewalks have been designed to match the scale and use of surrounding buildings, with sufficient lighting, shade, and street-level activity. These considerations are especially important for streets with higher traffic speeds and volumes, where people who are walking may otherwise feel unsafe. Relocation of fixed objects, such as utility poles, light fixtures, and other street furniture should not impinge on or restrict the adjacent walkway. Walkways must be clear of fixed objects in coordination with ADA accessibility guidelines.[^p93-24] ### Curb extensions Curb extensions visually and physically narrow the roadway, creating safer and shorter crossings for people walking, particularly older adults and those with mobility devices, while increasing the available space for street furniture, benches, plantings, and street trees. Curb extensions increase the overall visibility of those walking by aligning them with the parking lane and reducing the crossing distance for them. Curb extensions tighten intersection curb radii and encourage slower turning speeds.[^p93-20] Nashville has successfully improved the comfort and safety of walking environments in both urban and neighborhood settings by installing curb extensions. Moving forward, curb extensions should be installed as standard treatments on roads with on-street parking unless significant constraints exist. Curb extensions have existed along portions of Lower Broadway for many years. ### Crosswalks Safe and frequent crosswalks support a walkable environment. They should be applied where walking is anticipated and encouraged. While application of crosswalk markings alone is not a viable safety measure in all situations, crosswalks benefit and guide pedestrians, while reinforcing their right-of-way at intersections. Designers should take into account both existing as well as projected pedestrian crossing demand. Judgment on the application of a crosswalk should be based on multiple factors, including land uses, present and future demand, pedestrian compliance, speed, safety, and <
> Korean Veterans Boulevard is an example of a street that uses curb extensions and a planted median to help people crossing the wide street. <
> An activated crosswalk helps pedestrians cross Edmondson Pike near the library. *** [^p93-20]: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide <
> Pedestrian countdown signals indicate how much time one has to cross the street. crash history. Volumes alone are not enough to determine whether or not a particular device should be used. The practice of discouraging people from crossing streets by leaving uncontrolled crossings unmarked is not a valid safety measure. Instead, it encourages unsafe, risk-taking behavior and discourages walking citywide. Efforts should be made to enhance or highlight desired crossings wherever practicable. Hybrid beacons, rapid flashing beacons, raised crossings, medians, and other safety counter-measures may be suitable and less expensive than full signalization. These should all be considered before leaving an uncontrolled crossing.[^p94-21] Furthermore, motorists should be educated that every intersection is an unmarked crosswalk and to expect people crossing. ### Pedestrian countdown timers Pedestrian countdown timers provide a numeric display that indicates the number of seconds remaining to walk across a street. Metro currently replaces older pedestrian signals with countdown timers. Countdown timers should be timed to allow people crossing of all ages and abilities to safely walk across the street. New timer installations should include both audible and tactile feedback as standard accessibility features. ### Leading pedestrian interval A Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) typically gives pedestrians a three- to seven-second head start when entering an intersection with a corresponding green signal in the same direction of travel. LPIs enhance the visibility of people walking in the intersection and reinforce their right-of-way over turning vehicles, especially in locations with a history of conflict. To increase the effectiveness of an LPI and improve visibility of those walking at high-conflict intersections, install a curb extension at the intersection.[^p94-22] ### Corner radii Corner radii directly impact vehicle turning speeds and pedestrian crossing distances. Minimizing the size of a corner radius is critical to creating compact intersections with slower, safe turning speeds. In urban settings, smaller corner radii are preferred and actual corner radii exceeding 15[^] feet should be the exception. A large corner radius should not be used to facilitate a truck turning from the right lane into the right lane.[^p94-23] *** [^p94-21]: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide [^p94-22]: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide [^p94-23]: NACTO Urban Street Design Guide ### Criteria for Walking Priorities There are thousands of miles of street without sidewalks in Nashville/ Davidson County, but funding for projects is limited. Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities are identified below and should be incorporated into any update of the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways. The following criteria, in no particular order, helped establish these projects: » Estimated Cost – rough planning estimate based on project’s scope » Number and Complexity of Environmental Constraints – assessment of project’s impact on streams, floodplains, and slopes » Number of Historical Constraints – assessment on project’s impact on cultural assets » Link to a Tier One Center – project strongly ties to planned growth areas » Link to Other Centers – project ties to other planned growth areas » Location Along a High Capacity Transit Corridor with Immediate Need – project strongly ties to future mass transit » Link to Existing Services – project connects to a school, civic building, park, senior facility, or hospital » Functional Design of the Street – projects along arterial-boulevards and collector-avenues are higher priority because those streets carry more traffic » Volume and Speed of Vehicles on the Street – the amount traffic and the speed of traffic impacts walking conditions » Existing Character of Street Compared to Future Character of Street – assessment on how the project ties to future land use objectives of the corridor » Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS) – the existing walking conditions of a street » Latent Pedestrian Demand (LPD) – the potential for walking activity » Pedestrian Generator Index (PGI) – another assessment on the potential for walking activity » Sidewalk Priority Index (SPI) Greater than 20 – need for sidewalk infrastructure based on existing conditions » High Health Impact Area – the project is located in an area with identified health disparities » Crashes – the number of crashes involving pedestrians » Perceived Safety Need – the project addresses concerns voiced by residents » Need for Public Investment – the level that the project addresses maintenance needs or areas overlooked in the past » Need for Interdepartmental Collaboration – coordinated projects may be more difficult but will likely have larger benefits » Community Support – has the community identified this need? » Elected Official Support – has a Council member or other elected official identified this need? » Anticipated Population Density – the project connects to planned growth area with housing ## Walking Priorities Walking priorities are numbered on the Access Nashville Walking Priorities Map and include sidewalks, studies for walking improvements related to complete streets, and other new pedestrian facilities. Needs far outweigh financial constraints, but projects identified best meet the criteria analyzed related to the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Plan and Community Plans. Countywide Critical Needs are denoted in light blue that substantially improve access for those living, working, or visiting an area and closely correlate to the Tier One Centers and Immediate Need High Capacity Transit Corridors in NashvilleNext, which improves citywide accessibility. This list should be consulted by Metro during the development of the Capital Improvements Budget and Capital Spending Plan each year, the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Three Year Improvement Plan, and the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan and related Transportation Improvement Program. Each project is described below. For additional discussion regarding the projects priorities, consult each Community Plan, found in Volume III. ### List of Walking Projects 1. Hickory Hollow Area Sidewalks 2. Nashboro Village Area Complete Streets 3. Airport Area Complete Streets 4. Antioch Cluster Sidewalk Connections 5. Old Harding Pike Sidewalks 6. Bordeaux Area Sidewalks 7. Bordeaux Area Civic Sidewalks 8. Baptist World Center Drive Sidewalks 9. West Trinity Lane Walking Improvements 10. Gateway to Donelson 11. Elm Hill Pike Sidewalks 12. Lower Broadway Walking Improvements 13. James Robertson Viaduct Retrofit Study 14. Dickerson Pike Complete Streets 15. Gallatin Pike Complete Streets 16. Gateway to Green Hills 17. South Green Hills Sidewalks 18. Midtown Walking Improvements 19. Edgehill Walking Improvements 20. Downtown Joelton Civic Sidewalks 21. Rivergate Area Complete Streets 22. South Madison Complete Streets 23. Madison to Rivergate Complete Streets 24. Downtown Madison Walking Improvements 25. North Nashville Bridge Replacement 26. Gateway to Heritage Walking Improvements 27. Brick Church Pike Sidewalks 28. Skyline to Bellshire Sidewalks 29. Old Hickory Boulevard Walking Improvements 30. Paragon Hills Area Complete Streets 31. Harding Place East Sidewalks 32. Tusculum Area Complete Streets 33. South Nolensville Pike Sidewalks 34. Harding Place West Sidewalks 35. Murfreesboro Pike Complete Streets 36. Woodbine Area Walking Improvements 37. Charlotte Pike Sidewalks 38. White Bridge Pike Walking Improvements #### Figure 15: Countywide priority walking projects Countywide Critical Needs Community Priorities <
> ### Antioch-Priest Lake *Access Nashville Walking Project #1* **Hickory Hollow Area Sidewalks**—Construct sidewalks along Bell Road, Mt. View Road, and Rural Hill Road in the Hickory Hollow area. *(see related Street Project #1: Gateway to Antioch)* *Access Nashville Walking Project #2* **Nashboro Village Area Complete Streets**—Study opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping along Murfreesboro Pike from Smith Springs Road to Bell Road. *Access Nashville Walking Project #3* **Airport Area Complete Streets**—Study opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping along Murfreesboro Pike from Briley Parkway to Smith Springs Road. *Access Nashville Walking Project #4* **Antioch Cluster Sidewalk Connections**—Construct sidewalks and improve street crossings along Hobson Pike and Pinhook Road between Kennedy Middle School, Antioch High School, and Mt. View Elementary School. ### Bellevue *Access Nashville Walking Project #5* **Old Harding Pike Sidewalks**—Construct sidewalks along Old Harding Pike in Bellevue from Highway 70S to Learning Lane. ### Bordeaux-Whites Creek *Access Nashville Walking Project #6* **Bordeaux Area Sidewalks**—Construct sidewalks along Clarksville Pike between Ashland City Highway and Briley Parkway. *(see related Street Project #4: Clarksville Pike Widening)* *Access Nashville Walking Project #7* **Bordeaux Area Civic Sidewalks**—Construct sidewalks and improve street crossings near the Northwest YMCA to nearby senior center on John Mallette Drive. *Access Nashville Walking Project #8* **Baptist World Center Drive Sidewalks**—Complete the sidewalk network along Baptist World Center Drive from Vashti Street to Trinity Lane. *Access Nashville Walking Project #9* **West Trinity Lane Walking Improvements**—Improve street crossings on West Trinity Lane from Clarksville Pike to Brick Church Pike as redevelopment occurs. ### Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory *Access Nashville Walking Project #10* **Gateway to Donelson**—Construct sidewalks, streetscaping, and gateway features along Old Lebanon Road and Lebanon Pike from Briley Parkway to Donelson Pike. *Access Nashville Walking Project #11* **Elm Hill Pike Sidewalks**—Construct sidewalks along Elm Hill Pike from Briley Parkway to Donelson Pike. ### Downtown *Access Nashville Walking Project #12* **Lower Broadway Walking Improvements**—Implement wider sidewalks, public space features, and streetscaping improvements along Broadway between First Avenue and Fifth Avenue that support a transition to a festival street *(a street that can easily be closed to vehicular traffic to host concerts, performances, and other community events)*. *Access Nashville Walking Project #13* **James Robertson Viaduct Retrofit Study**—Study how to retrofit the James Robertson Parkway viaduct under Charlotte Pike with good walking and biking infrastructure. ### East Nashville *Access Nashville Walking Project #14* **Dickerson Pike Complete Streets—Study** opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from Douglas Avenue to Briley Parkway. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. *(see related Bicycling Project #18: East Nashville Bikeway)* As redevelopment occurs, consolidate access points to create a limited number of vehicular/pedestrian conflict points. *Access Nashville Walking Project #15* **Gallatin Pike Complete Streets—Study** opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from Fifth Street to Briley Parkway. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. *(see related Bicycling Project #18: East Nashville Bikeway)* As redevelopment occurs, consolidate access points to create a limited number of vehicular/pedestrian conflict points. ### Green Hills-Midtown *Access Nashville Walking Project #16* **Gateway to Green Hills—Fill** in sidewalk gaps along Hillsboro Pike, improve street crossings and streetscaping, and limit vehicular access points with redevelopment from Crestmoor Road to Hobbs Road. *Access Nashville Walking Project #17* **South Green Hills Sidewalks—Construct** sidewalks along the west side of Hillsboro Pike from Harding Place to Hobbs Road. *Access Nashville Walking Project #18* **Midtown Walking Improvements—As** redevelopment occurs, secure wider sidewalks along the Broadway-West End corridor and adjacent streets, and limit vehicular access points along the Broadway-West End corridor from downtown to White Bridge Road. *Access Nashville Walking Project #19* **Edgehill Walking Improvements—Improve** street crossings along 12th Avenue South from the Gulch near I-40 to Ashwood Avenue in 12South. ### Joelton *Access Nashville Walking Project #20* **Downtown Joelton Civic Sidewalks—Construct** sidewalks along Whites Creek Pike from Old Clarksville Pike to I-24, and develop walking connections between the Joelton Community Club Park and schools to Whites Creek Pike. ### Madison *Access Nashville Walking Project #21* **Rivergate Area Complete Streets—Study** opportunities to implement complete street components along Gallatin Pike with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from Alta Loma Road to Riverchase Boulevard. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. As redevelopment occurs, consolidate access points to create a limited number of vehicular/pedestrian conflict points. *(see related Bicycling Project #26: Rivergate Multi-Use Path)* *Access Nashville Walking Project #22* **South Madison Complete Streets—Study** opportunities to implement complete street components along Gallatin Pike with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from Walton Lane to Due West Avenue. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. As redevelopment occurs, consolidate access points to create a limited number of vehicular/pedestrian conflict points. *Access Nashville Walking Project #23* **Madison to Rivergate Complete Streets—**Study opportunities to implement complete street components along Gallatin Pike with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from One Mile Parkway to Alta Loma Road. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. As redevelopment occurs, consolidate access points to create a limited number of vehicular/pedestrian conflict points. *Access Nashville Walking Project #24* **Downtown Madison Walking Improvements—**Assess street crossings along Gallatin Pike from Due West Avenue to Anderson Road for walking improvements. ### North Nashville *Access Nashville Walking Project #25* **North Nashville Bridge Replacement—**Replace bridge overpasses to improve safety and provide access to those walking along Alameda Street, Meharry Boulevard, and Albion Street. This project would also improve the likelihood of future commuter rail access to Clarksville along this route. *Access Nashville Walking Project #26* **Gateway to Heritage Walking Improvements—**Assess walking conditions across bridges that span I-40 along Jefferson Street at 12th Avenue North and I-40 at D.B. Todd Boulevard, so they function as gateways linking the community, reducing vehicular speeds, and increasing safety for people walking. ### Parkwood-Union Hill *Access Nashville Walking Project #27* **Brick Church Pike Sidewalks—**Construct sidewalks along Brick Church Pike from Briley Parkway to Bellshire Drive. *Access Nashville Walking Project #28* **Skyline to Bellshire Sidewalks—**Fill in sidewalk gaps and improve street crossings along Dickerson Pike between Briley Parkway and Old Hickory Boulevard. *Access Nashville Walking Project #29* **Old Hickory Boulevard Walking Improvements—**Improve street crossings on Old Hickory Boulevard near Mt. Zion Baptist Church. ### Southeast *Access Nashville Walking Project #30* **Paragon Hills Area Complete Streets—**Study opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping on Nolensville Pike from Zoo Road to Edmondson Pike. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. *Access Nashville Walking Project #31* **Harding Place East Sidewalks—**Construct sidewalks and improve street crossings from I-24 to Nolensville Pike. *Access Nashville Walking Project #32* **Tusculum Area Complete Streets—**Study opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping on Nolensville Pike from Edmondson Pike to Old Hickory Boulevard. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects. *Access Nashville Walking Project #33* **South Nolensville Pike Sidewalks—**Construct sidewalks and improve street crossings along Nolensville Pike between Old Hickory Boulevard and Lenox Village. *(see related Street Project #23: Nolensville Pike Widening)* *Access Nashville Walking Project #34* **Harding Place West Sidewalks—**Construct sidewalks and improve street crossings from Nolensville Pike to I-65. ### South Nashville *Access Nashville Walking Project #35* **Murfreesboro Pike Complete Streets**–Study opportunities to implement complete street components with sidewalks, protected bikeways, transit improvements, street crossings, and streetscaping from Spence Lane to East Thompson Lane. Implement as coordinated capital improvements projects and as redevelopment occurs. *Access Nashville Walking Project #36* **Woodbine Area Walking Improvements**–Improve street crossings along Nolensville Pike from Craighead Street to Zoo Road. ### West Nashville *Access Nashville Walking Project #37* **Charlotte Pike Sidewalks**–Construct sidewalks along Charlotte Pike from White Bridge Road to Annex Avenue. *(see related Street Project #27: Charlotte Pike Widening)* *Access Nashville Walking Project #38* **White Bridge Pike Walking Improvements**–Improve street crossings on White Bridge Pike at Fountain Place and Brookwood Terrace. <
> **Improving street crossings along Nolensville Pike in Woodbine is identified as a Countywide Critical Need.** ### Bicycling Network The Bikeways Network Map shows a framework that strives to create a more seamless spoke-wheel system by integrating existing and planned greenways, bike lanes, multi-use paths, strategic connections, and pockets of bikeability, while also encouraging bikeshare expansion. These low-stress, foundational facilities warrant individual inclusion in the Capital Improvements Budget. The Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways and Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan should build upon this spoke-wheel framework to establish a robust biking network for a range of bicyclists. In addition to these bikeways, other bike lanes and greenways have been identified in previous planning efforts, so previous versions of these plans may be consulted to fill in additional gaps until they are updated. Nashville B-cycle should also refer to this framework for expansion plans to more closely tie to anticipated redevelopment. ### Bicycling Priorities Criteria The following criteria, in no particular order, are used to determine the priority projects that are part of the Bikeways Network Map: » Estimated Cost – planning estimate based on project’s scope » Number and Complexity of Environmental Constraints – assessment of project’s impact on streams, floodplains, and slopes » Number of Historical Constraints – assessment on project’s impact on cultural assets » Link to a Tier One Center – project strongly ties to planned growth areas » Link to Other Centers – project ties to other planned growth areas » Location Along a High Capacity Transit Corridor with Immediate Need – project strongly ties to future mass transit » Assumptions about Right-of-Way Needs – will more right-of-way be needed to achieve the project? » Link to Existing Services – project connects to a school, civic building, park, senior facility, or hospital » Functional Design of the Street – projects along arterial-boulevards and collector-avenues are higher priority because those streets carry more traffic » Volume and Speed of Vehicles on the Street – the amount traffic and the speed of traffic impacts walking conditions » Existing Character of Street Compared to Future Character of Street – assessment on how the project ties to future land use objectives of the corridor » Bicycle Level of Service (BLOS) – the existing biking conditions of a street » High Health Impact Area – the project is located in an area with identified health disparities » Crashes – the number of crashes involving bicyclists » Perceived Safety Need – the project addresses concerns voiced by residents » Need for Public Investment – the level that the project addresses maintenance needs or areas overlooked in the past » Need for Interdepartmental Collaboration – coordinated projects may be more difficult but will likely have larger benefits » Community Support – has the community identified this need? » Elected Official Support – has a Council member of other elected official identified this need? » Anticipated Population Density – the project connects to planned growth area with housing #### Figure 16: Bikeways Network Map <
> | Planned Facilities | Existing Facilities | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **=====** Protected Bikeway | **═════** Buffered Bike Lane | ▬ Greenway, Unpaved | | **- - - - -** Bike Lane | ─── Bike Lane | █ Priority Bikeway Projects | | **- - - - -** Signed Shared Route | ─── Signed Shared Route | █ Anchor Park | | **=====** Bike Boulevard | ─── Wide Outside Lane | █ Green network | | **- - - - -** Greenway or Multi-Use Path | ─── Greenway, Paved | █ Centers | Based on the Bikeways Network Map, the following changes are needed in readoption of the MCSP: ### 1. *Update right-of-way widths for streets identified in the Bikeways Network Map that include a planned bikeway facility (adjacent multi-use path, protected bikeway facility, or bike lanes).* Currently, the MCSP includes an additional right-of-way amount for multi-use paths in streets identified as Rural (T2). The updated right-of-way amounts will reflect the adjacent multi-use paths identified in the Bikeways Network Map. Additionally, protected bikeways identified in NashvilleNext will be indicated in the Major and Collector Street Plan with a "Protected Bikeway Planned" designation. Bike lanes newly identified in NashvilleNext will also be added to the MCSP designations as needed. Right-of-way widths will be updated to accommodate changes in the planned bikeway facilities *Bicycling Priorities:* Bicycling priorities are numbered on the map and include studies for appropriate biking accommodations, bicycle boulevards, multi-use paths, greenways, and bikeway connections. Projects that are listed multiple times span more than one Community Plan area. Needs far outweigh financial constraints, but projects identified as Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities best meet the criteria analyzed related to the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map and Community Plans. Countywide Critical Needs are denoted in light blue that substantially improve access for those living, working, or visiting an area and closely correlate to the Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors in NashvilleNext, which improves citywide accessibility. This list should be consulted by Metro during the development of the Capital Improvements Budget and Capital Spending Plan each year, the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Three Year Improvement Plan, and the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan and related Transportation Improvement Program. Each project is described below. For additional discussion regarding the projects priorities, consult each Community Plan, found in Volume III. ### List of Bicycling Projects 1. Mill Creek Greenway 2. Mt. View Road Multi-Use Path 3. The Trace Connector 4. Old Hickory Boulevard Multi-Use Path 5. Highway 100 Connector 6. North Nashville Protected Bikeway 7. Trinity Lane Protected Bikeway 8. Ashland City Highway Bike Lanes 9. Bells Bend Greenway Bridge 10. Lebanon Pike Protected Bikeway 11. McGavock Pike Multi-Use Path 12. Peeler Park Greenway Bridge 13. Opry Mills Connector 14. East Nashville Protected Connections 15. Gateway to Downtown 16. Downtown North-South Connectors: a. Sixth Ave. South Protected Bikeway b. Third Ave. Bikeway c. Tenth Ave. Bike Boulevard 17. Five Points to Downtown Protected Bikeway 18. East Nashville Bikeway 19. Richland Park to Downtown Bike Boulevard 20. Green Hills to Downtown Bike Boulevard/Protected Bikeway 21. Edgehill Avenue Protected Bikeway 22. Woodmont-Thompson Lane Bike Lanes 23. I-440 Multi-Use Path 24. West End Bike Safety Improvements 25. Madison Bike Boulevard 26. Rivergate Multi-Use Path 27. Old Hickory Boulevard North Multi-Use Path 28. TSU Cumberland River Greenway Connector 29. Buena Vista Protected Bikeway 30. Jefferson Street Bike Lanes 31. Ewing Creek Greenway 32. Nolensville Pike Protected Bikeway 33. Old Hickory Boulevard South Multi-Use Path 34. Seven Mile Creek Greenway 35. Murfreesboro Pike Multi-Use Path 36. White Bridge Pike Multi-Use Path 37. 51[^st] Avenue Protected Bikeway 38. England Park Greenway Connector 39. Mill Creek Greenway, Southeast ### Figure 17: Countywide priority biking projects <
> ### Antioch-Priest Lake *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #1* **Mill Creek Greenway–**Complete the Mill Creek Greenway from the Antioch-Hickory Hollow area to the Donelson area. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #2* **Mt. View Road Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Mt. View Road from Una Antioch Pike to Rural Hill Road at the Southeast Community Center and Library. ### Bellevue *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #3* **The Trace Connector–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Highway 100 from the Natchez Trace Parkway to Warner Parks and designate as a United States Bicycle Route (USBR) 23 Spur. *(see related Street Project #3: Highway 100 Widening)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #4* **Old Hickory Boulevard Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Old Hickory Boulevard from Edwin Warner Park to Charlotte Pike. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #5* **Highway 100 Connector–**Implement a buffered bike lane on Highway 100 from the Williamson County Line to the Natchez Trace Parkway. ### Bordeaux-Whites Creek *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #6* **North Nashville Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Clarksville Pike from the Whites Creek Greenway, across the MLK Bridge, along D.B. Todd Boulevard, over Jubilee Bridge to Jo Johnston Avenue. *(see related Street Project #4: Clarksville Pike Widening)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #7* **Trinity Lane Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Trinity Lane from Clarksville Pike to Gallatin Pike. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #8* **Ashland City Highway Bike Lanes–**Connect the existing bike lanes north of Briley Parkway to Clarksville Pike. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #9* **Bells Bend Greenway Bridge–**Connect people walking and biking with a bridge over the Cumberland River from West Nashville to Bells Bend. ### Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #1* **Mill Creek Greenway–**Complete the Mill Creek Greenway from the Antioch-Hickory Hollow area to the Donelson area. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #10* **Lebanon Pike Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Lebanon Pike from the Mill Creek Greenway to the Donelson YMCA. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #11* **McGavock Pike Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to McGavock Pike from Lebanon Pike to the Stones River Greenway. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #12* **Peeler Park Greenway Bridge–**Connect people walking and biking with a bridge over the Cumberland River from the Stones River Greenway to Peeler Park. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #13* **Opry Mills Connector–**Create a direct bicycle and pedestrian connection between the Stones River Greenway and Opry Mills. ### Downtown *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #14* **East Nashville Protected Connections—Implement** protected bikeways along the Woodland Street Bridge, the Jefferson Street Bridge, and under Interstate overpasses that connect Edgefield and McFerrin Park to the East Bank and downtown. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #15* **Gateway to Downtown—Implement** complete street components such as protected bikeways, transit improvements, streetscaping, public art, and gateway features along Lafayette Street from Chestnut Hill through SoBro. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #16* **Downtown North-South Connectors:** » a. Sixth Avenue South Protected Bikeway - Implement from Demonbreun Street in downtown to Oak Street south of downtown near the Nashville City Cemetery. » b. Third Avenue Bikeway - Implement from Madison Street in Germantown to Lindsley Avenue in Lafayette and Rutledge Hill. » c. Tenth Avenue Bike Boulevard - Implement from Monroe Street in Germantown to Eight Avenue. ### East Nashville *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #14* **East Nashville Protected Connections—Implement** protected bikeways along the Woodland Street Bridge, the Jefferson Street Bridge, and under Interstate overpasses that connect Edgefield and McFerrin Park to the East Bank and downtown. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #17* **Five Points to Downtown Protected Bikeway–** Implement a protected bikeway from Five Points to the East Bank parallel to Woodland Street. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #18* **East Nashville Bikeway–**Study the appropriate protected or separated facilities for people biking along Dickerson Pike and Gallatin Pike where roadway right of way and buildings constrain the corridors. *(see related Walking Project #14: Dickerson Pike Complete Streets and Walking Project #15: Gallatin Pike Complete Streets)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #7* **Trinity Lane Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Trinity Lane from Clarksville Pike to Gallatin Pike. ### Green Hills-Midtown *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #19* **Richland Park to Downtown Bike Boulevard–** Implement a Bike Boulevard along Nebraska Avenue, Long Boulevard, and Patterson Street from Richland Park through Centennial Park to Church Street. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #20* **Green Hills to Downtown Bike Boulevard/Protected Bikeway–**Implement a Bike Boulevard connecting Green Hills Mall to protected bikeways on Belmont, Music Row, and Demonbreun Street through Midtown to the Riverfront. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #21* **Edgehill Avenue Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway on Edgehill Avenue from 21st Avenue South to Chestnut Street. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #22* **Woodmont-Thompson Lane Bike Lanes–**Complete connectivity gaps between existing bike lanes along Woodmont Boulevard and Thompson Lane. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #23* **I-440 Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path generally parallel to I-440 connecting North Nashville to Woodbine. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #24* **West End Bike Safety Improvements–**Develop bike-friendly crossings across West End at 18th Avenue and 28th Avenue. ### Joelton No immediate priorities identified. ### Madison *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #25* **Madison Bike Boulevard–**Implement a Bike Boulevard that connects street stubs in Madison from Shelby Bottoms to the Rivergate area adjacent to the Cumberland River. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #26* **Rivergate Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Gallatin Pike between Madison and Rivergate. *(see related Walking Project #21: Rivergate Area Complete Streets)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #27* **Old Hickory Boulevard North Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Old Hickory Boulevard and State Route 45 between Old Hickory and Cedar Hill Park. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #12* **Peeler Park Greenway Bridge–**Connect people walking and biking with a bridge over the Cumberland River from the Stones River Greenway to Peeler Park. ### North Nashville *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #6* **North Nashville Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Clarksville Pike from the Whites Creek Greenway, across the MLK Bridge, along D.B. Todd Boulevard, over Jubilee Bridge to Jo Johnston Avenue. *(see related Street Project #4: Clarksville Pike Widening)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #28* **TSU Cumberland River Greenway Connector–**Complete connecting Tennessee State University to the Cumberland River Greenway. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #29* **Buena Vista Protected Bikeway–**Implement a protected bikeway along Buchanan Street, Arthur Avenue, and Monroe Street through Buena Vista. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #30* **Jefferson Street Bike Lanes–**Implement bike lanes along Jefferson Street. ### Parkwood-Union Hill *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #27* **Old Hickory Boulevard North Multi-Use Path–**Develop a multi-use path adjacent to Old Hickory Boulevard between Cedar Hill Park and Whites Creek. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #31* **Ewing Creek Greenway–**Develop the Ewing Creek Greenway from the Whites Creek Greenway to East Nashville. ### Southeast *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #1* **Mill Creek Greenway–**Complete the Mill Creek Greenway from the Antioch-Hickory Hollow area to the Donelson area. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #32* **Nolensville Pike Protected Bikeway–**Develop a protected bikeway adjacent to Nolensville Pike through South and Southeast Nashville. *(see related Walking Project #30: Paragon Hills Area Complete Streets and Walking Project #32: Tusculum Area Complete Streets)* *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #33* **Old Hickory Boulevard South Multi-Use Path–** Develop a protected bikeway adjacent to Old Hickory Boulevard from Antioch to Brentwood. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #34* **Seven Mile Creek Greenway–** Connect Southeast Nashville to the Mill Creek Greenway with a connection along Seven Mile Creek. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #39* **Mill Creek Greenway, Southeast–** Complete the Mill Creek Greenway from Mill Creek Park to the Antioch-Hickory Hollow area. *(see related Walking Project #33: South Nolensville Pike Sidewalks and Street Project #23: Nolensville Pike Widening)* ### South Nashville *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #1* **Mill Creek Greenway–** Complete the Mill Creek Greenway from the Antioch-Hickory Hollow area to the Donelson area. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #35* **Murfreesboro Pike Multi-Use Path–** Construct a multi-use path adjacent to Murfreesboro Pike from Mill Creek Greenway to Lafayette Street. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #22* **Woodmont-Thompson Lane Bike Lanes–** Complete connectivity gaps between existing bike lanes along Woodmont Boulevard and Thompson Lane. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #32* **Nolensville Pike Protected Bikeway–** Develop a protected bikeway adjacent to Nolensville Pike through South and Southeast Nashville. *(see related Walking Project #30: Paragon Hills Area Complete Streets and Walking Project #32: Tusculum Area Complete Streets)* ### West Nashville *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #19* **Richland Park to Downtown Bike Boulevard–** Implement a Bike Boulevard along Nebraska Avenue, Long Boulevard, and Patterson Street from Richland Park through Centennial Park to Church Street. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #36* **White Bridge Pike Bikeway–** Develop a bikeway from Robertson Avenue/Urbandale Avenue to Woodmont Boulevard along White Bridge Pike using a mixture of protected facility types. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #37* **51st Avenue Protected Bikeway–** Implement a protected bikeway along 51st Avenue from Centennial Boulevard to Charlotte Pike. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #38* **England Park Greenway Connector–** Develop a greenway connector between England Park and Richland Park. *Access Nashville Bicycling Project #9* **Bells Bend Greenway Bridge–** Connect people walking and biking with a bridge over the Cumberland River from West Nashville to Bells Bend. ## Mass Transit Network The NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map depicts the High Capacity Transit Corridors. Nashville MTA will assess and prioritize the High Capacity Transit Corridors and potential Neighborhood Mini-Hub locations in developing a long range transit plan in 2015 and 2016 that will help outline future transit investments. The map does not indicate transit mode, which will need to be determined with additional study; but it indicates where anticipated changes in land use to support more frequent transit service should occur. The High Capacity Transit Corridors are adopted as part of NashvilleNext. The following criteria, in no particular order, are used to determine the High Capacity Transit Corridors that are part of the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map: » Link to a Tier One Center – corridor strongly ties to planned growth areas » Link to Other Centers – corridor ties to other planned growth areas » MPO Regional Transit and Land Use Studies Completed, Underway, or Anticipated – is the region studying the need for transit along the corridor? » Existing Bus Service Routes – corridor has existing service that is viable » Bus Ridership – corridors with existing higher ridership are prioritized » Functional Design of the Street – corridors along arterial-boulevards and collector-avenues are higher priority because those streets carry more traffic » Input from Nashville MTA Professional Staff – planning staff has coordinated feedback with MTA staff to identify the most viable corridors » Feedback from Residents at Community Meetings and Other Forums – has the corridor been mentioned by residents? » Anticipated Population Density – the corridor connects to planned growth area with housing *Based on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map, the following changes are needed in readoption of the MCSP:* 1. *Adjust the Urban Multimodal (UM) and Regional Multimodal (RM) designations to use these designations on the High Capacity Transit Corridors identified.* Currently, the UM and RM designations closely correlate to the arterial-boulevards or “pikes” that lead into downtown Nashville and existing bus service. The intent of this change is to highlight the corridors that Nashville MTA might study in the future for High Capacity Transit and a need to achieve good building placement while providing optimal walking and biking infrastructure connections. These changes include crosstown connections that have not typically been identified as part of this arterial-boulevard network. Additionally, the designations are not carried all the way to the county line in every instance, but they may stop at Centers identified for growth in the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Plan. ### 2. *Update right-of-way widths for streets identified in the Frequent Transit Network Map to reflect additional studies and conceptual plans.* Building placement along these corridors is critical to provide space for future transit and other modes of travel. Urban design principles and zoning encourage the new development to be closer to the street. It is important to ensure that the new street character supports walking in those areas by getting building entrances closer to the street, managing access more strategically, while ensuring that there is enough room for an appropriate streetscape that includes wide sidewalks with street trees where possible. As portions of the transit network have conceptual plans and engineering completed, right-of-way amounts need to be updated to ensure enough room is left for future transit vehicles and pedestrians. Each of these additional corridor studies will need to be amended into the MCSP as they are completed. ### Mass Transit Priorities Mass transit priorities will be included as Nashville MTA updates the Strategic Transit Master Plan in 2015-2016. <
> Businesses along Jefferson Street contribute to Nashville's identity. ## Streets Network The Major and Collector Streets Plan (MCSP) Map indicates the arterial-boulevard, collector-avenue, and arterial-parkway network in Nashville/Davidson County. The following criteria, in no particular order, are used to determine priority projects involving streets and strategic connections: » Estimated Cost – planning estimate based on project’s scope » Number and Complexity of Environmental Constraints – assessment of project’s impact on streams, floodplains, and slopes » Number of Historical Constraints – assessment on project’s impact on cultural assets » Historical Traffic Counts and Analyzing Average Daily Traffic at Locations – the amount that traffic has increased along the corridor » Future Traffic Projections – does the MPO’s travel demand model forecast increased traffic? » Completes a Strategic Connection – ties to an area lacking access » Existing Character of Street Compared to Future Character of Street – assessment on how the project ties to future land use objectives of the corridor » Need for Public Investment – the level that the project addresses maintenance needs or areas overlooked in the past » Community Support – has the community identified this need? » Elected Official Support – has a Council member of other elected official identified this need? » Potential for Public-Private Partnership – assessment on the impacts to the private sector and potential to partner » Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS) – the existing walking conditions of a street » Bicycle Level of Service (BLOS) – the existing biking conditions of a street » Completed Preliminary Engineering, Design, Utility Relocation, or Right-of- Way Acquisition Phases or Anticipated Imminent Funding – completed phases means there is already investment underway » MPO Regional Need – the region has identified the project as a need » Link to a Tier One Center – project strongly ties to planned growth areas » Link to Other Centers – project ties to other planned growth areas » Crashes – the amount of vehicular crashes » Perceived Safety Need – the project addresses concerns voiced by residents » Anticipated Population Density – the project connects to planned growth area with housing ### Figure 18: Major & Collector Street Plan <
> **Major and Collector Street Legend** | | | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | ![Potential Multimodal Freeway Corridor] | Potential Multimodal Freeway Corridor | ![Planned Arterial-Boulevard] | Planned Arterial-Boulevard | ![Local Street] | Local Street | | ![Planned Multimodal Freeway Corridor] | Planned Multimodal Freeway Corridor | ![Collector-Avenue] | Collector-Avenue | ![Planned Local Alley] | Planned Local Alley | | ![Arterial-Parkway Scenic] | Arterial-Parkway Scenic | ![Planned Collector-Avenue] | Planned Collector-Avenue | | | | ![Arterial-Boulevard Scenic] | Arterial-Boulevard Scenic | ![Downtown Local Street] | Downtown Local Street | ![Ramp] | Ramp | | ![Planned Arterial-Boulevard Scenic] | Planned Arterial-Boulevard Scenic | ![Planned Downtown Local Street] | Planned Downtown Local Street | ![Planned Ramp] | Planned Ramp | | ![Arterial-Boulevard] | Arterial-Boulevard | ![Planned Downtown Alley] | Planned Downtown Alley | | | **Centers** | | | | :--- | :--- | | ![Tier 1] | Tier 1 | | ![Tier 2] | Tier 2 | | ![Tier 3] | Tier 3 | <
> The interchange at I-24 and Bell Road is identified for needed improvements for pedestrians and cyclists in the area. ### Based on the criteria listed and the Major and Collector Street Plan Map, the MCSP is readopted with the following changes: #### 1. _Change the designation of the Southeast arterial parkway to a scenic arterial-boulevard._ The Southeast arterial parkway has been proposed in southeast Davidson County connecting Nolensville Pike near Concord Road to Murfreesboro Pike near Hobson Pike. An interchange has been planned at I-24. Some alignment studies and conceptual analysis was done in the mid-1990s. The Interchange Justification Study (IJS) was completed in 1996 and has now expired. Since that time, some development has contributed to right-of-way for this corridor while another development was approved that prohibits the interchange connection as described in the 1996 study. There is still a need to make an east-west mobility connection across this portion of Davidson County; but it will be difficult given funding constraints, expiration of the IJS, development that is prohibiting a connection to I-24, and the fact this project is not a top priority for state officials. The Southeast arterial parkway should be downgraded from an arterial parkway to scenic arterial-boulevard within the MCSP. It is much more likely for an arterial-boulevard street connection to be established as development occurs in the southeast portion of Davidson County than for state, federal, and local funding to come together to build this significant road project with limited access. #### 2. _Reflect existing travel lane conditions on one segment of Gallatin Pike._ Along Gallatin Pike between Conference Drive and Myatt Drive, the MCSP indicated seven lanes in the future. The MCSP designation has been changed to indicate the five lanes that exists today. Traffic counts have stabilized and do not support the widening in this area. Focus in this area should be on improving transit access and providing infrastructure for other travel modes. #### 3. _Adjust the arterial-boulevards and collector-avenues in the rural Transect (T2) to include potential multi-use paths and bikeways adjacent to the roadway._ Currently, all rural streets include dimensions for a multi-use path in their right-of-way calculations. The rural streets will now be identified where specific greenway projects are planned and connected to the Access Nashville Bikeway Priorities Map. 4. *Update MCSP designations and right-of-way widths based on changes to the Transect and Land Use Policy that align with the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map.* Some MCSP designations have had their Transect changed and a new right-of-way established reflecting their anticipated character as per NashvilleNext. Also, if land use policies were changed, some dimensions related to sidewalks and planting strips also change to reflect the future uses. In both cases, new right-of-way widths are proposed. 5. *Study with Metro Public Works appropriate constrained rights-of-way amounts and incorporate all local streets within the Downtown Code into the Major and Collector Street Plan as Downtown Local Streets with constrained right-of-ways.* The urban form of redevelopment downtown is conducive to walkability and bikeability. Street functions in downtown are about providing access to those walking. Organizing streets per an arterial-boulevard and collector-avenue designation describes a street’s movement of traffic in relation to the broader street network. Constrained rights-of-way on Downtown Local Streets will ensure the redeveloping urban fabric within downtown provides exceptional sidewalks improving access for pedestrians. These constrained rights-of-way are developed through guidance from the Downtown Code and assessing existing street character, future street character, and building program needs. Without a constrained right-of-way, anticipated street needs can overly burden building programs on smaller lots or sidewalk accommodations will often be narrowed to accommodate building program needs. Constrained rights-of-way balance building placement with street needs. 6. *Flag streets within the Major and Collector Street Plan for potential Roadway Reconfigurations.* Roadway Reconfigurations, also known as road diets or right-sizing a street, which reorganize the number of vehicular travel lanes are conducted to dedicate more road space to other road users, slow traffic, and make a more livable, walkable street. The Major and Collector Street Plan should identify potential road diet locations that, with further evaluation, can be implemented as corridors redevelop into more walkable places. Engineering guidance published by the Federal Highway Administration indicates that four-lane streets that carry fewer than 20,000 cars per day warrant further consideration for a Roadway Reconfiguration. <
> A development approved prior to the MCSP was adopted, provides minimal sidewalks. <
> A development approved after the MCSP adoption addresses the street better with a wider sidewalk. 7. *Update MCSP right-of-way widths to reflect planting strip dimensions in the Suburban (T3), Urban (T4), and Center Transects (T5) for improved street tree health, and reflect tree well dimensions outlined in the Downtown Code in the Downtown Transect (T6).* Wider street tree area is needed to ensure longer-term street tree health. Street trees have a direct impact on reducing warming in cities, improving aesthetics, and increasing property values. A wider dimension for trees to establish will also assist with regular maintenance. 8. *Remove suggested minimum dimensions for streetscaping in the MCSP.* Although flexibility will still be needed based upon individual building program needs, minimum dimensions should not be utilized unless there is a specific site constraint prohibiting the standard dimensions. The deletion of minimums will reduce confusion on standards and assist with providing sidewalk dimensions in a more transparent manner. 9. *Remove the Planned collector-avenues identified north of I-24 in the Joelton community.* NashvilleNext reaffirms that the area north of I-24 near Joelton should remain Rural (T2) in the future. A series of connecting streets are not needed in this area to correspond with the land use policies. ### Street Priorities Street Priorities are numbered on the Access Nashville Street Priorities Map and include street reconstruction, widening, and strategic connections. Future projects should be designed to meet complete streets objectives. Needs far outweigh financial constraints, but projects identified best meet the criteria analyzed related to the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map as Countywide Critical Needs or Community Priorities. Countywide Critical Needs are denoted in light blue that substantially improve access for those living, working, or visiting an area and closely correlate to the Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors in NashvilleNext, which improves citywide accessibility. This list of Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities should be consulted by Metro during the development of the Capital Improvements Budget and Capital Spending Plan each year, the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Three Year Improvement Plan, and the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan and related Transportation Improvement Program. Each project is described below. Street connectivity projects for consideration are indicated with an asterisk. For additional discussion regarding the projects priorities, consult each Community Plan, found in Volume III. ### List of Streets Projects (* indicates street connectivity projects) 1. Gateway to Antioch 2. Crossings Boulevard* 3. Highway 100 Widening 4. Clarksville Pike Widening 5. Central Pike Widening 6. Stewarts Ferry Pike Widening 7. Central Pike Widening Phase 2 8. Downtown Accessibility Study 9. Molloy Street Realignment 10. SoBro Accessibility Improvements Study 11. East Nashville Civic Square 12. Eastland Avenue Realignment* 13. Northeast Corridor Preliminary Design 14. Crestmoor/Glen Echo Road Realignment* 15. Bosley Springs Connector* 16. Abbott Martin Road Extension* 17. Benham Avenue Extension* 18. 19th Avenue & Division Street Realignment* 19. Midtown Couplets Study 20. Douglas Street Connector 21. Northeast Corridor Station Area Planning 22. North Nashville Street Connections* 23. Nolensville Pike Widening 24. Thompson Lane Improvements Study 25. Glenrose Avenue & Rosedale Avenue Realignment 26. University Row Connector* 27. Charlotte Pike Widening 28. Highway 100 & Highway 70 Improvements Study 29. Sylvan Park Mobility Study ### Figure 19: Countywide Priority Street Projects Countywide Critical Needs Community Priorities <
> ### Antioch-Priest Lake *Access Nashville Street Project #1* **Gateway to Antioch**–Reconstruct the existing I-24/ Bell Road interchange and include appropriate walking, biking, and streetscaping infrastructure. (see related Walking Project #1: Hickory Hollow Area Sidewalks) *Access Nashville Street Project #2* **Crossings Boulevard***–Extend Crossings Boulevard as a four/five lane facility to Old Hickory Boulevard and include sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscaping. ### Bellevue *Access Nashville Street Project #3* **Highway 100 Widening**–Widen Highway 100 from two/three lanes to three lanes from McCrory Lane to Temple Road and include an adjacent multi-use path on one side connecting to the Natchez Trace Parkway. Designate the route as United States Bicycle Route (USBR) 23 Spur. (see related Bicycling Project #3: The Trace Connector) ### Bordeaux-Whites Creek *Access Nashville Street Project #4* **Clarksville Pike Widening**–Widen Clarksville Pike from two/three lanes to five lanes from Ashland City Highway to Briley Parkway and include a multi-use path connecting to the Whites Creek Greenway, protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and streetscaping. (see related Walking Project #6: Bordeaux Area Sidewalks and Bicycling Project #6: North Nashville Protected Bikeway) ### Donelson-Hermitage-Old Hickory *Access Nashville Street Project #5* **Central Pike Widening**–Widen Central Pike from Old Hickory Boulevard to Lebanon Pike from two/three lanes to five lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes. *Access Nashville Street Project #6* **Stewarts Ferry Pike Widening**–Widen Stewarts Ferry Pike from I-40 to Lebanon Pike from two/three lanes to five lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes. *Access Nashville Street Project #7* **Central Pike Widening Phase 2**–Widen Central Pike from Old Hickory Boulevard to the Wilson County Line from two/three lanes to five lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes. ### Downtown *Access Nashville Street Project #8* **Downtown Accessibility Study**–Study access within and to downtown while major events are taking place to assess impacts upon walking, biking, transit, and traffic and provide a range of multimodal recommendations to improve access during major events. *Access Nashville Street Project #9* **Molloy Street Realignment**–Straighten Molloy Street between Second Avenue South and Third Avenue South. *Access Nashville Street Project #10* **SoBro Accessibility Improvements Study**–Study the potential for access to Mulberry Street from the I-40 ramps at Fourth Avenue South and reconnecting the ramps to Third Avenue South. Also assess the Second and Fourth Avenue one-way couplets for improved access to properties and meeting complete street objectives. ### East Nashville *Access Nashville Street Project #11* **East Nashville Civic Square**–Construct a roundabout, streetscaping, and public art at Main Street and North 11[^th] Street. *Access Nashville Street Project #12* **Eastland Avenue Realignment\***–Realign the intersection of West Eastland Avenue/Eastland Avenue at Gallatin Road. *Access Nashville Street Project #13* **Northeast Corridor Preliminary Design**–Begin alternatives study, engineering, and design on the mass transit recommendations from the Nashville Area MPO’s Northeast Corridor Mobility Study. ### Green Hills-Midtown *Access Nashville Street Project #14* **Crestmoor/Glen Echo Road Realignment\***–Realign the intersection of Crestmoor Road/Glen Echo Road at Hillsboro Pike. *Access Nashville Street Project #15* **Bosley Springs Connector\***–Connect Harding Pike to White Bridge Pike with a new Four/five-lane facility that includes sidewalks, bike lanes, streetscaping, and connection to the Richland Creek Greenway. *Access Nashville Street Project #16* **Abbott Martin Road Extension\***–Extend Abbott Martin Road to Hillmont Drive with a new three-lane facility that include sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscaping. *Access Nashville Street Project #17* **Benham Avenue Extension\***–If the Hillsboro High School property is redeveloped, extend Benham Avenue as three/four lanes to Richard Jones Road and develop internal street connections, include adjacent multi-use path on one side, sidewalks, and streetscaping. *Access Nashville Street Project #18* **19th Avenue and Division Street Realignment\***–Realign the intersection of 19[^th] Avenue South with Division Street. *Access Nashville Street Project #19* **Midtown Couplets Study**–Study the one-way couplets in Midtown around the hospitals for improved access to properties and meeting complete street objectives. ### Joelton No immediate priorities identified. ### Madison *Access Nashville Street Project #20* **Douglas Street Connector\***–Connect Douglas Street as a three lane facility to Neelys Bend Road with sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscaping. *Access Nashville Street Project #21* **Northeast Corridor Station Area Planning**–Conduct station area planning with adjacent transportation improvements based upon the recommendations from the Nashville Area MPO’s Northeast Corridor Mobility Study along Vietnam Veterans Boulevard. ### North Nashville *Access Nashville Street Project #22* **North Nashville Street Connections\***–Connect 21[^st] Avenue across the railroad tracks, include sidewalks. Connect Booker Street to Merry Street, include sidewalks. Connect 24[^th] Avenue North to Merry Street, include sidewalks. ### Parkwood-Union Hill No immediate priorities identified. ### Southeast *Access Nashville Street Project #23* **Nolensville Pike Widening**–Widen Nolensville Pike from Old Hickory Boulevard to the Williamson County Line from two/three lanes to five lanes with adjacent multi-use path connecting to the Mill Creek Greenway and sidewalks *(see related Bicycling Project #39: Mill Creek Greenway, Southeast and Walking Project #33: South Nolensville Pike Sidewalks)* ### South Nashville *Access Nashville Street Project #24* **Thompson Lane Improvements Study**–Study improvements to the area of Thompson Lane between Powell Lane and Bransford Avenue. *Access Nashville Street Project #25* **Glenrose Avenue and Rosedale Avenue Realignment\***–Realign the intersection of Glenrose Avenue/Rosedale Avenue at Nolensville Pike. *Access Nashville Street Project #26* **University Row Connector\***–Connect Walsh Road as a three-lane facility to Murfreesboro Pike to complete the University Connector mass transit concept, include sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscaping. ### West Nashville *Access Nashville Street Project #15* **Bosley Springs Connector\***–Connect Harding Pike to White Bridge Pike with a new four/five-lane facility that includes sidewalks, bike lanes, streetscaping, and connection to the Richland Creek Greenway. *Access Nashville Street Project #27* **Charlotte Pike Widening**–Widen Charlotte Pike from two/three lanes to five lanes between White Bridge Pike and River Road and include sidewalks and bike lanes. Modify the street design to preserve the historic and environmental character of hte south side near Old Charlotte Pike. *(see related Walking Project #37: Charlotte Pike Sidewalks)* *Access Nashville Street Project #28* **Highway 100 & Highway 70S Improvements Study** – Study the intersection of Highway 100 and Highway 70S for traffic and walking improvements. *Access Nashville Street Project #29* **Sylvan Park Mobility Study**–Study the need for strategic left-turn lanes at key intersections along Charlotte Pike between I-440 and White Bridge Pike. ## Transportation Network Plans The Key Recommendations, Countywide Critical Needs, and Community Priorities within this plan guide the modal transportation plans for Nashville/Davidson County to align with the NashvilleNext vision. The following four transportation-related plans are developed by city agencies. Other transportation plans are developed by partner agencies that impact the transportation network in the region by the Nashville Area MPO, TDOT, RTA, the Nashville International Airport, and others. ### Major and Collector Street Plan Implementing Complete Streets: Major and Collector Street Plan for Metropolitan Nashville was the most significant and recent update to the Major and Collector Street Plan (MCSP). It was adopted by the Metro Planning Commission in 2011. This update changed how streets are planned to move people and goods by incorporating the Mayor’s Complete Streets Executive Order. The MCSP improves the city’s street system to provide safe and effective access for all users while addressing streetscape design in context with the existing or envisioned character of the community. Context and character of a street are important, so the transportation facility fits its physical setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic, and environmental resources, while maintaining safety, improving access, and providing mobility. The MCSP helps tie transportation to land use. Complete Streets and Context-sensitive Solutions also advance environmental sustainability and community health. With the completion of NashvilleNext, the MCSP is readopted with changes. These changes involve a re-evaluation of potential road widenings to align theses streets’ roles within Centers and High Capacity Transit Corridors and anticipated financial constraints; coordination in identifying bikeways on major streets; adjustments to the context or character of a street relative to changes in land use policies identified in the community plans, inclusion of all streets within downtown to ensure a good interface between the public and private realms, identification of street segments for potential road diets, and updates to design standards to continue Nashville’s efforts to achieve good urban form that is safe, convenient, and welcoming for multiple modes of transportation. ### Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways The Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways was updated by Metro Public Works in 2008 and provides a functional framework for the city’s implementation of sidewalk and bikeway facilities. Since it was originally created in 2002, Nashville has changed and grown significantly, and at the same time, Nashville’s peer and competitor cities have built upon early cycling successes and are now taking a proactive approach to Complete Streets by providing separated biking facilities, new pavement markings for bicyclists, signals, and narrower street crossings through curb extensions to increase pedestrian safety, parklets, and other innovations in roadway design. Today, development now occurs most frequently in urban areas, and residents strongly express a preference for a more walkable and bikeable Nashville. Metro Public Works endorsed the National Association of City Transportation Officials’ Urban Street Design Guide in 2014. The Strategic Plan needs to be updated to respond to current market trends and to implement the new infrastructure techniques described in the Urban Street Design Guide and the MCSP to increase the safety and comfort of walking and biking, encourage active transportation for utilitarian trips, and make all modes of transportation safer. ### Strategic Transit Master Plan Nashville MTA last updated the Strategic Transit Master Plan in 2009. The MTA Board of Directors adopted that five year plan to guide transit infrastructure improvements. Since the plan’s completion, many of the identified projects such as creating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Lite service on Gallatin Pike and extending service frequencies to Bellevue have been implemented. In 2015, MTA has begun an update to the plan with a more comprehensive, longer range vision of Nashville’s transit system. This planning process is called nMotion 2015. The High Capacity Transit Corridors on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map serves as the foundation to further explore transit priorities during the nMotion process by closely linking anticipated redevelopment areas with improved transit. Once completed, the new nMotion 2015 Plan will help implement the objectives of NashvilleNext. ### Parks and Greenways Master Plan The Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan was updated in 2008. It outlines a vision for the parks and greenways systems through the development of new community centers, greenways, nature centers, playgrounds, and other parks improvements. Although not primarily a transportation plan, the greenways portion of the Master Plan has directed the development of the extensive greenways network in Nashville. These facilities were developed for recreational and environmental purposes. As this system has evolved over time, residents increasingly use portions of the system for transportation purposes and should be further encouraged. Metro Parks and Greenways anticipates updating the Master Plan in 2015 and 2016. The new Master Plan should support and supplement the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways and carry forward the NashvilleNext vision which outlines open space opportunities and an expansion of the greenways system to incorporate multi-use paths connected to bike lanes. # Figure 20: Greenways map <
> ### Map Legend | | | | | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | ![green dashed line] | Greenways Master Plan | | | | ![solid green line] | Trails Completed | ![light blue dashed line] | Future Trail Development | | ![brown line] | Unpaved Trails | ![light green line] | Community Planned Greenways | | ![orange dashed line] | Trails Coming Soon | ![thin brown dashed line] | Bike Lanes # NEXT ACTION STEPS The Accessibility Principles, Strategic Initiatives, and Key Recommendations of Access Nashville can be achieved through specific action steps to thoroughly examine existing plans, policies, and agency responsibilities, and adjust them to direct multimodal transportation improvements that support the NashvilleNext vision. The result will be Countywide Critical Needs, Community Priorities, and related policies and programs are carried through to implementation. The following action steps are the most rational, economical, and expedient ways to accomplish Nashvillians’ goals for multimodal transportation. Action Items based on these essential next steps are included in the NashvilleNext Elements under the Land Use, Transportation, and Infrastructure Element; the Health, Livability, and Built Environment Element; and the Natural Resources and Hazard Adaptation Element. ### 1. Develop a multiyear program of projects to reflect the city’s multimodal transportation vision (see Action Item 278). » Coordinate the prioritization of projects and selection of projects in a transparent manner, emphasizing Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext, and within the framework of the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan updates and Transportation Improvement Program. Update metrics to assess potential projects regularly with new, meaningful tools and data. Example measures might include calculating greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation projects, determining future multimodal projections based upon regional modeling, establishing consistent land use and transportation goal metrics for Nashville/ Davidson County to achieve, and other robust datasets and tools. Metro can use these tools and measures to prioritize transportation projects in the future. » Adjust Metro’s Capital Improvements Budget process to coordinate with the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan update and the Transportation Improvement Program process. Ensure projects for the Capital Improvements Budget are assessed in meeting the vision of NashvilleNext. Consult the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified. ### 2. As goals are achieved and/or NashvilleNext is updated, update policies, Accessibility Principles, Strategic Initiatives, Key Recommendations, Countywide Critical Needs, and Community Priorities in Access Nashville and Community Plans and associated concepts in the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, the Strategic Transit Master Plan, the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan, and the MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan. Prioritize projects in each plan to maintain a robust and evolving multimodal transportation vision (see various action items referenced below). » Readopt the Major and Collector Street Plan with the proposed changes and amend the MCSP as updates to NashvilleNext are adopted. Amend as necessary to reflect updated land use policy changes and capital investment decisions of Metropolitan Government and TDOT. Coordinate this planning process with the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan updates and Transportation Improvement Program. Consult the Major and Collector Street Plan for guidance on street widenings and future strategic connections (see Action Items 276 and 277). » Update the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways on a regular basis. In the next update, reflect the vision, policy direction, Countywide Critical Needs, and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext. Restructure the planning process for sidewalks and bikeways to include low-stress bikeways and innovative bicycling infrastructure concepts being implemented in peer cities, the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan, and the city’s bikeshare system. The city’s bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure planning process should set transparent, short- and mid-term priorities for all of its components within given financial constraints. Monitor funding opportunities for sidewalks and bikeways through the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan updates and Transportation Improvement Program (see Action Items 203, 273, and 274). » Complete the update to the Strategic Transit Master Plan, and update it on a regular basis. Reflect the vision and policy direction of NashvilleNext to prioritize High Capacity Transit Corridors with projected increases in employment and housing. Use the Strategic Transit Master Plan to develop corridor plans with community input that involve land use, walking, biking, transit, streetscaping, and other infrastructure components to create more complete streets as redevelopment occurs and through the CIB process. Monitor funding opportunities for transit and connections from transit to sidewalks and bikeways through the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan updates and Transportation Improvement Program (see Action Items 132 and 270). » Complete the update to the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan, and update it on a regular basis. Tie the vision for greenways to the vision, policy direction, Countywide Critical Needs, and Community Priorities of NashvilleNext and future updates to the sidewalks and bikeways network established in the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways. Monitor funding opportunities for greenways through the Nashville Area MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan updates and Transportation Improvement Program (see Action Items 203, 221, and 274). ### 3. Coordinate between transportation agencies and land use planning agencies on planning studies, development plans, and capital improvements projects within Metro Nashville and adjacent counties in Middle Tennessee. Consult the Countywide Critical Needs and Community Priorities identified in NashvilleNext as the starting point for future transportation improvements. Encourage additional input on the review of development projects among transportation agencies and the public. Broaden the review process to assess health impacts, safety, and return on investment with development proposals (see Action Items 70, 71, 130, 132, 173, 270, 271, 273, 274, 276, 277, 278, and 365). ### 4. Adequately fund the maintenance and operation of existing transportation infrastructure and its components. Coordinate investments between transportation agencies to leverage funding opportunities (see Action Items 154, 200, 203, 272, and 281). ### 5. Secure dedicated revenue to fund transportation plans where federal transportation funds have not kept pace with inflation and local needs (see various action items referenced below). » Foster coordination and collaboration among the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus, the Nashville Area MPO, RTA, and local transit agencies to identify, comprehend, and establish political consensus around options for local/regional dedicated funding for transportation (see Action Items 100 and 132). » Collaborate with the private sector through organizations like the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Cumberland Region Tomorrow to educate businesses and the public about the need to expand and modernize the region’s transportation system (see Action Items 83, 132, 144, and 271). » Consider mechanisms to fully fund sidewalk implementation throughout Nashville/Davidson County (see Action Items 154, 200, 203, 281). » Assess and establish a supplemental transportation program for older adults to provide a needed transportation service for a growing segment of our population in the region. This service will need to be guided by land use, transportation, and social services agencies with various state and local partners and the private sector to start and eventually lead to a self-sustaining organization (see Action Items 102 and 269). ### 6. Explore options for consolidation of local transportation functions to better align future city planning activities guided by NashvilleNext to capital improvements. Research the strengths and weaknesses of various models of collaboration and at a minimum, the functions within Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Metro Planning, Nashville MTA, Metro Nashville Airport Authority, Metro Traffic and Parking Commission, Metro Transportation Licensing Commission, Nashville Area MPO, Metro Health, MDHA, the Mayor’s Office, and their roles and responsibilities should be evaluated. A discussion about their functions and linkages to planning, prioritizing, implementing, and constructing is needed, so functions of Nashville’s transportation system are maximized across modes, balanced in their evaluation, and delivered to areas most in need and with anticipated future potential. This evaluation and reorganization should lead to a balanced multi-year program of transportation projects (see Action Items 173 and 278). 7. Continue to develop the Access Nashville 2040 Report Card as a mixed-methods annual evaluation mechanism and published report that highlights multimodal transportation projects completed in Nashville/Davidson County by transportation agencies, as well as their associated costs and impacts. Include private-sector contributions to the transportation network. Assess basic transportation indicators and report on their progress with the public. Update metrics as new tools are developed and start establishing specific transportation goals for Nashville/Davidson County to achieve. Align the release of the report with Metro’s budget process, so that residents and elected officials have facts about our transportation network and NashvilleNext progress when considering transportation related budget requests (see Action Items 56, 70, 169, 271, and 363). --- ## Housing — Housing - Source: https://www.nashville.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/next-volume2-Elements_Housing.pdf?ct=1759252132 - Pages: 32 - Covers: housing - **Transcription findings were recorded for this document;** check figures against the source. <
> # nashvillenext ## A General Plan for Nashville & Davidson County Adopted June 22, 2015 # Volume II: Elements <
> Certified per TCA 13-4-202 as a part of the Nashville-Davidson County General Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Commission and including all amendments to this part as of June 22, 2015. Rick Bernhardt Executive Secretary # Housing # METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION # OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE ### Resolution No. RS2015-256 “BE IT RESOLVED by The Metropolitan Planning Commission that NashvilleNext is approved in accordance with the staff report and recommendations in the staff report with the following amendments: 2; 3; 4; 5; 14; 15; 16; 18; 20; 22a, 22c; 23; 24; 25; 31; 32; and the deferral of 11 areas identified in the Whites Creek area until the August 13, 2015 Planning Commission meeting with the Public Hearing closed. (9-0)” Resolution No. RS2015-256 WHEREAS, Section 13-4-203 of the Tennessee Code, Annotated, authorizes a General Plan “with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with existing and future needs, best promote public health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare, as well as efficiency and economy in the process of development, and identify areas where there are inadequate or nonexistent publicly or privately owned and maintained services and facilities when the planning commission has determined the services are necessary in order for development to occur;” and WHEREAS, Chapter 5, section 11.504 (c) of the Metro Nashville Charter gives the Metro Planning Commission the power to “Make, amend and add to the master or general plan for the physical development of the entire metropolitan government area;” and WHEREAS, Section 18.02 of the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requires that zoning regulations be enacted by the Council “only on the basis of a comprehensive plan prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Commission;” and WHEREAS, the last General Plan, *Concept 2010, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* was adopted in 1992; and WHEREAS, Mayor Karl Dean, seeing fit to update the General Plan, announced on May 22, 2012 that the General Plan would be updated, assigning the task to the Metro Planning Department; and WHEREAS, under the leadership of the *NashvilleNext* Steering Committee and the Community Engagement Committee, the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission worked with stakeholders in Nashville/Davidson County, holding over 420 public meetings and events and soliciting input through online forums, engaging over 18,500 participants in providing public input to update the General Plan; WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, empowered under state statute and the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to adopt master or general plans for smaller areas of the county, finds that the process followed to develop the *NashvilleNext* General Plan included diverse, widespread, and meaningful community participation and substantial research and analysis and therefore finds that replacing the *Concept 2010* General Plan with the *NashvilleNext* General Plan is warranted; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Metropolitan Planning Commission hereby ADOPTS *NashvilleNext, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County* in accordance with sections 11.504 (e), (j), and 18.02 of the charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, and Davidson County as the basis for the Commission’s development decisions in the county. <
> James McLean, Chairman Adoption Date: June 22, 2015 Attest: <
> J. Douglas Sloan, III, Secretary and Executive Director # PARTS OF THE PLAN Each part of the plan has a role to play. Some parts are broad and visionary, while others are specific and detailed. This section helps users of the plan understand how the parts fit together and support one another. No part of the plan is intended to stand alone; each can be understood only as working together with the rest of the plan. ### I Vision, Trends & Strategy Volume I presents the role and powers of the plan, key trends and issues that the plan addresses, a summary of the plan’s strategy and approach to the future, and implementation goals and policies. ### II Elements » Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure » Arts, Culture & Creativity » Economic & Workforce Development » Education & Youth » Health, Livability & the Built Environment » Housing » Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation ### III Communities Nashville’s Community Plans provide history and context for Nashville’s 14 Community Planning Areas, along with community-specific issues, strategies, and sketches of how different places in the community could change over time. Detailed Community Character Maps link the broad, countywide Growth Concept Map to character policies that guide zoning and development decisions. *Community Character Manual* The Community Character Manual provides detailed explanations of the character policies used in the Community Character Maps. ### IV Actions Specific tasks for Metro departments and partners to undertake, within a recommended timeframe. ### V Access Nashville 2040 Volume V is the overarching vision of how transportation works under NashvilleNext. ### Volume II ### Housing #### Contents The Nashville Housing Market 180 Nashville’s Housing Supply 182 Housing Demand in Nashville 184 *When housing supply does not keep up with demand 188* Key Ideas Shaping this Chapter 199 *Creating more context sensitive supply 199* *Addressing the suburbs 201* *Addressing housing affordability 202* Goals and policies 204 *Related plans 204* <
> # HOUSING Housing is a basic human need. It is a source of comfort and shelter for our families, and is a reflection of our individual selves. The right home can heal, protect, and restore, serving as a vessel of our family memories and a refuge from the outside world. The lack of a home can impede participation in civic life, like voting, or seeking a job.[^p5-1] Housing is also critical to our local economy and is a source of personal economic stability. For local economies, housing that is affordable can help create jobs, attract new employers and a skilled workforce, and lower the risks of delinquency and foreclosure, which reduces costs to local governments.[^p5-2] Similarly, housing can be a source of economic stability for individuals and families. A home is one of the largest purchases that a person will make.[^p5-3] A home is typically a family’s largest investment and asset, particularly for minorities, where stocks and other similar investments are less common.[^p5-4] An owner can borrow against their home’s equity to pay for college tuition, retirement, or for the initial investment in a small business. Housing can also be the source of economic instability for a community and its residents, as we saw during the Great Recession. Falling home prices and highly leveraged mortgages can impact banking and credit systems, consumer spending, employment, and the job market.[^p5-5] Thus, housing impacts not only our residents, but our city as a whole. Housing can also be a source of economic instability for individuals if housing options (like type, tenure, and price) are not available as people and families age and grow. Providing housing for all Nashvillians is necessary for active and productive residents, stable neighborhoods, and a stronger city. Housing is a significant component of planning for Nashville’s future. Following is a discussion of Nashville/Davidson County’s diverse housing market, and how growth patterns, demographic change, and evolving market preferences are shifting the housing that is being built today and that will be built in the future. Nashville’s type, tenure (renter or owner occupied), and location of housing will look different in the future. Nashville can guide that change to provide diverse housing options for a [^p5-1]: *House as a Mirror of Self*, Author – Clare Cooper Marcus, pages 15, (introduction) page 4. [^p5-2]: *Center for Housing Policy “Insights From Housing Policy Research – The Role of Affordable Housing in Creating Jobs and Stimulating Local Economic Development”*; Author – Keith Wardrip, Laura Williams, and Suzanne Hague, January 2011 [^p5-3]: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/upshot/housing-small-economic-sector-with-a-big-impact.html?abt=0002&abg=1 [^p5-4]: http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/12/10/how-home-ownership-keeps-blacks-poorer-than-whites/ [^p5-5]: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/upshot/housing-small-economic-sector-with-a-big-impact.html?abt=0002&abg=1 In order to maintain the housing market necessary to meet the needs of our city’s varied residents, we must match the supply of housing to the demands of current and future residents. <
> Figure H-1: Townhomes and other missing middle housing types provide housing diversity to meet changing demand. changing population while preserving the homes and neighborhoods that make Nashville a desirable city to call “home.” ## The Nashville Housing Market Housing is part of a market in a particular county or region where homes are subject to the laws of supply and demand.[^p6-6] In order to maintain the housing market necessary to meet the needs of our city’s varied residents, the supply of housing must match the demands of current and future residents. However, due to the market nature of housing, there are increasing situations where the demand for housing is not met by supply. Missing middle housing, low income housing, single room occupancy, and multigenerational housing are some of the areas where the supply does not meet the demand. Housing supply is the amount and variety of housing available for owners and renters. Housing demand is all of the preferences consumers have for price, tenure, location, and type of housing. Within a housing market, homes are purchased and sold between a buyer and a seller. Landlords make contracts with tenants for rental units at a certain price for a given time. Other parties also influence the housing market. Private developers, investors, and property owners provide market rate housing. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency and affordable housing developers use Federal, State, and charitable financing to provide affordable housing. Local governments intervene in the housing market to influence supply through regulations and incentives. The largest of these is the zoning code, which permits or limits where and what kind of housing can be built. Since the mid-20^th century, Nashville’s housing market has been relatively stable largely because supply has kept up with changing demand. As Nashville evolved from compact and walkable neighborhoods supported by street car systems to more auto-centric large lot development patterns (suburban sprawl), private and nonprofit/government developers built housing to meet that demand. More recently however, supply is struggling to keep up with demand as preferences for housing type and location have shifted away from large lot development and congested transportation networks, back to smaller lot development in neighborhoods with quick and convenient access to jobs, services, and transit. [^p6-6]: http://www.housingmarket.org.uk/housing/definition-of-the-housing-market/08/ ### Who Builds Housing in Nashville There are three major players in Nashville’s Housing Market; the private for-profit sector providing market rate housing, the private, nonprofit sector providing affordable housing, and public sector providing affordable housing. Each plays a unique role. The role of private, for-profit sector is to provide market rate housing units that meet the ever-changing demand in Nashville. In providing market rate housing, this sector works closely with Metro departments to create housing that meets Metro’s zoning code, storm water regulations and the like. The private, for-profit sector may also work with the Metropolitan Planning Commission and Metro Council to rezone land to allow for new housing. The private, nonprofit sector provides housing typically for families and individuals making less than 80 percent of the Median Family Income. The nonprofit sector provides affordable multifamily and single family homes for renting or owning, emergency and transitional housing, and educational services to help people become successful renters and owners. Nonprofit providers have operated in Nashville for many years. The nonprofit sector works closely with the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, and other funding agencies specializing in administering federal funding opportunities for affordable housing and housing for other special needs populations. The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency comprises the public sector and provides public housing. Established in 1938, MDHA administers on behalf of Nashville–Davidson County, State, and Federal programs for affordable housing and community development, including the Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Emergency Solutions Grant, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and Weatherization Assistance Program. To foster urban growth, MDHA also oversees nine redevelopment districts to remedy blight, assists private developments with tax increment loans, and manages public improvements. MDHA assists more than 13,000 families with housing by providing 5,400 public housing units, 110 market rate units, and 15 HOME units at 20 properties throughout the county as well as by administering 6,591 Housing Choice Vouchers and 416 VASH vouchers. MDHA also assists 349 individuals and families through Single Room Occupancy and Shelter Plus Care programs. The agency also owns eight non-public housing properties to provide 603 affordable units to Nashvillians. <
> **Figure H-2: The Gulch is an urban neighborhood that spearheaded Nashville’s urban revitalization through numerous public and private sector initiatives.** <
> **Figure H-3: Mayor Karl Dean and other officials break ground on an affordable housing complex in North Nashville, part of the Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing, April 10, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn.** <
> **Figure H-4: Rolling Mill Hill, a project of MDHA, is a mixed use, mixed income neighborhood, that also includes affordable housing for artists.** **By 2040, Nashville will need a total of 352,600 housing units. This would require building 113,000 new homes, or about 3,800 housing units per year.** ## Nashville’s Housing Supply Nashville has relied primarily on the private market and the public housing agency MDHA to develop housing that meets the diverse needs of the community in terms of housing type, price, tenure, and location. Beginning in the 1930s public housing agencies began building public housing, where the availability of land in low income areas and federal housing policies resulted in poorly designed, income segregated housing.[^p8-7] Similarly, beginning in the 1950s, major factors affecting where new private market housing was built included ample undeveloped or greenfield land available for development, the housing finance system, Federal and State policies, zoning, and a lack of attention to environmental constraints. This resulted in suburban sprawl. More recently, new considerations for where and how public and private market housing is built includes increasing congestion and travel time within the region, gas prices, and less readily available greenfield land without environmental constraints. With these new considerations, much of the housing supply is being newly built or redeveloped in or near Nashville’s urban core. Since 1997, urban areas saw increases in land value—matching national and local demand trends for communities that tend to be more walkable, providing access to transit, employment, and other community amenities. From 1997 to 2001 (left map), increases in land value were concentrated to the southeast, reflecting the conversion of greenfield or vacant land to (primarily) one- and two-family subdivisions. From 2009 to 2013 (right map), increases in land value were focused in and near downtown Nashville, reflecting increasing demand for existing urban neighborhoods due to their location and access to jobs, services, and transit. By 2040, Nashville will need a total of 352,600 housing units. This would require building an additional 113,000 new homes, or about 3,800 housing units per year. This new stock of homes should meet current and future demand by adding diversity to Nashville’s housing supply, unlike in past years where the majority of new homes were single family. From 2005 to 2010, an average of 3,553 homes were built in Davidson County. Most of these were permits for single family homes. One-quarter were multifamily building permits for five or more units. [^p8-7]: Redesigning Cities, Author Jonathan Barnett – Chapter 7 Reinventing Inner City Neighborhoods, pg. 118 ### Figure H-5: Change in land values, 1997 to 2001 and 2009 to 2013 These changes in demographics and housing demand are already beginning to appear in development patterns. Compare changes in land value from 1997 to 2001 (left) with changes from 2009 to 2013 (right). From 1997 to 2001, increases in land value were concentrated to the southeast, reflecting the conversion of vacant land to (primarily) one- and two-family subdivisions. From 2009-2013, increases in land value were focused in or near downtown, reflecting increasing demand for existing urban neighborhoods. <
> Source: Metro Nashville Assessor ### Legend - -29% to no change - no change to 52% - 52% to 95% - 95% to 210% ### Building Permits, Davidson County, 2005-2010 | | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total | | :--- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | Single Family | 3,818 | 4,089 | 3,253 | 1,548 | 1,111 | 1,040 | **14,859** | | Two Family | 220 | 216 | 80 | 28 | 8 | 8 | **560** | | Three & Four Family | | 4 | 12 | | 3 | 6 | **25** | | Five or More | 981 | 819 | 2,198 | 791 | 530 | 553 | **5,872** | | Total | 5,019 | 5,128 | 5,543 | 2,367 | 1,652 | 1,607 | **21,316** | | Yearly Average | | | | | | | **3,553** | ### Figure H-6: Building Permits, Davidson County, 2005-2010 The majority of building permits administrated between 2005 and 2010 were either for single family or five or more multifamily units leaving very little room for housing diversity to meet growing demand. Source: Metro Codes Department ## Housing Demand in Nashville In Nashville, and within the region, housing demand is changing; change is driven by population, demographic, and economic trends. Davidson County will gain an additional 185,000 new residents. All ethnic and racial minorities will account for 121 percent of population growth in Davidson County. Baby boomers and millennials will compose a large share of the population growth in Davidson County (36 percent and 27 percent respectively). The Great Recession also influenced the current housing market demand—impacting potential consumers’ desire and ability to purchase a home.[^p10-8] With these changes come new market demands. Consumers are looking for neighborhoods that have the design and locational characteristics of walkable neighborhoods. Consumers are also willing to trade larger lots and homes for smaller lots and homes in these desirable locations. There is also a higher propensity to rent than own. These changes impact the supply of housing in Nashville—the price, tenure, location, and type—and the actions necessary to ensure that supply keeps up with the demand.[^p10-9] ### Population influences on housing demand Population growth in the county and region influences housing demand. Over the next 25 years, the Middle Tennessee region will gain an additional 1 million people; Nashville’s share of that growth is anticipated to be 185,000 new residents. This population growth will facilitate the need for new housing in Davidson County. In addition, population growth in outlying counties will outpace growth in Nashville as the demand for more affordable housing options with closer proximity to moderate wage jobs increases. Additional growth in outlying counties will also impact how residents move around the region, traveling between work and home. Considering housing, employment, and transportation, each county, city, and town in the Middle Tennessee region will have to make decisions about what is best for its residents. Outlying counties do recognize the need to provide a more diverse housing supply to meet changing demand. Regional strategies and collaborations will help counties plan for the long-term livability, economic vitality, and sustainability of the region. In the future, sustainability will be defined by how well the Middle Tennessee [^p10-8]: Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 - Author Andrew Nelson pages 2, 17, 10 [^p10-9]: Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 - Author Andrew Nelson region provides a range of housing options, amenities, and transportation options for the region’s growing population. ### Economic influences on housing demand Employment and economic development decisions will influence the location and type of new housing provided in the region. Over the next 25 years, employment is expected to grow by 80 percent in the Middle Tennessee region; roughly 38 percent of that job growth will occur in Davidson County.[^p11-10] As land in Nashville increases in value, many employers with lower-skill and lower-wage jobs will seek development sites in counties with lower land costs. Employees will seek housing close to these jobs, placing residents in outlying counties. Similarly, rising home prices in Nashville can force residents to outlying counties and the “drive until you qualify” method of finding an affordable place to live. As a result, transportation costs become a factor for residents who must travel throughout the region for employment and housing. The Great Recession of 2007–2009 also had a lasting impact on the housing market. During the Great Recession, slowed consumer spending impacted the employment and job market.[^p11-11] As a result, between 2000 and 2010, incomes continued to decline due to lagging employment and educational attainment (especially for minorities).[^p11-12] As a result, earning potential declined for a segment of the population, making future homeownership less likely for those most affected by these trends. Since the recession, mortgage availability has also declined and underwriting standards have tightened. Many potential homebuyers now face significant hurdles to purchasing a home, including impaired credit, the lack of a down payment, or the inability to meet other mortgage requirements. This <
> **Figure H-7: Regional growth projections** Middle Tennessee expects another 1 million people by 2040. Nashville-Davidson County’s share is estimated to be 30%. *Woods & Poole projections; Provided by the MPO* <
> **Figure H-8: Per capita income by race or ethnicity, from 1999 to 2011-2013, adjusted for inflation.** An overall decline in per capita income minimizes the number of potential homebuyers. *Source: US Census 2000; American Community Survey (2011-2013, 3-year estimate)* [^p11-10]: *NashvilleNext Demographic Trends White Paper (Woods & Poole Economics Inc. 2012 State Profile Tennessee. 2011), page 14* [^p11-11]: *http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/upshot/housing-small-economic-sector-with-a-big-impact.html?abt=0002&abg=1* [^p11-12]: *Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 – Author Andrew Nelson, page 8* would disqualify a significant number of potential homebuyers, resulting in fewer home sales and fewer homes being built per year.[^p12-13] With this trend in mind, future housing introduced in the Nashville housing market should cater to consumers with specific demands in terms of housing type, location, and tenure. This will prevent an oversupply of housing that does not meet the market demand. ### *Demographic influences on housing demand* Demographic changes in terms of race, ethnicity, ages and household size influence housing demand. By 2040, Nashville and the Middle Tennessee region will see a “new majority” which includes all racial and ethnic minorities, and baby boomers and millennials who will make up a large share of the population. Households are also getting smaller as baby boomers’ children leave home and millennials wait longer to start families. Housing demand reflects these demographic changes; the demand for rental housing, smaller housing units, and housing in more convenient and walkable locations will all increase over the next 25 years. # Population Diversity #### Davidson County Ethnic and Demographic changes, 1980-2040 <
> **Figure H-9: Nashville’s changing racial and ethnic diversity (1980 - 2040)** By 2040, white (non-Hispanic), black (non-Hispanic), and Hispanic will each make up one-third of the population, leaving no majority race or ethnicity. *Source: U.S. Census (1980, 2010); Woods & Poole (2040)* *** [^p12-13]: *Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 – Author Andrew Nelson, page 10* In Nashville/Davidson County, the new majority’s share of the population will increase by 121 percent by the year 2040 (see Figure H-9). In contrast, the white non-Hispanic share of the population growth will decline by 44 percent by the year 2040. Homeownership rates are historically lower for minorities. As their share of the population rises, homeownership levels are likely to fall, unless action is taken. As the homeownership levels fall, the demand for rental housing will increase.[^p13-14] The increase in demand for rental housing is also due to demographic changes in age and household size. As people age and their children leave home, they tend to shift from owners to renters, moving into smaller homes, apartments, or assisted living units, close to services, shopping, and medical assistance.[^p13-15] Considering racial, ethnic, and age demographics, 51 percent of residents will be renters by the year 2040.[^p13-16] Population and age demographics also influence household size. Smaller households mean down-sized homes for older residents who wish to stay in their existing neighborhood and for the growing number of persons who choose to live alone.[^p13-17] Younger households also contribute to smaller household sizes, as individuals and couples delay or forgo marriage and children. As a result, Davidson County is forecast to have the smallest household size in the region at 2.28 persons per household, and will comprise 91 percent share growth of households without children by the year 2040.[^p13-18] Demographically, the biggest changes in Nashville are people who prefer smaller homes on smaller lots when they include a shorter commute. Housing type, tenure, character, and location are critical considerations when planning for Nashville’s future housing market. <
> ### Figure H-10: Households with and without children, 1960-2040 The number of households without children will increase as the children of baby boomers leave home and younger consumers wait longer to start families. *Source: Arthur Nelson* [^p13-14]: *Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 – Author Andrew Nelson, page 21* [^p13-15]: *Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 – Author Andrew Nelson, page 23* [^p13-16]: *Greater Nashville Trends, Preferences and Opportunities 2010 to 2025 and to 2040 – Author Andrew Nelson, page 14* [^p13-17]: *NashvilleNext Housing Background Report, Author Loretta Owens, page 6* [^p13-18]: *NashvilleNext Demographic Trends, Woods & Poole Economics Inc. 2012 State Profile Tennessee. 2011 Author Tifinie Capehart, page 13* ### Context sensitive design A site layout that is related to its surroundings. Elements of the design are created to complement the style, scale, or placement of the adjacent properties and community. Context sensitive design features buildings that are integrated into their settings with a sensitive approach. This involves detailed planning, consideration of the adjacent properties, communication with the surrounding community, and customizing the design to fit and interact with the existing context. Aesthetics and proper connectivity have an enormous role in context sensitive developments. <
> Context sensitive single family infill housing <
> Non-context sensitive single family infill housing <
> Context sensitive mixed use building ### When housing supply does not keep up with demand Nashville’s housing supply has traditionally kept up with demand. The recent increase in housing costs (fair market rents rose between 21 and 39 percent between 2000 and 2013)[^p14-19] in Nashville’s urban core suggests there is not enough supply to meet demand, particularly in high demand areas. As the demand (number of customers) exceeds the supply (housing in locations close to jobs, transit, and services), then the price of housing in those areas will increase. Housing suppliers try to keep up with demand by building housing in the type, tenure, and location demanded by the market. This pressure is most felt in Nashville’s urban core, and has created several issues to be addressed as Nashville plans for the next 25 years—context sensitive development, housing affordability, and suburban revitalization. #### Urban infill housing and the need for context sensitive design In Nashville, few neighborhoods meet the increasing market demand for places with diverse transportation options—sidewalks, safe routes for cycling, transit—and proximity to jobs, services, and good schools. These places exist mostly within Nashville’s urban core. These neighborhoods often do not have the housing types for people seeking these places. In these areas, suppliers are trying to keep up with market demand through infill development. Older housing is being replaced with new housing, and community tension associated with change is rising. Infill development occurs on land with access to existing infrastructure (such as streets, transit, water, sewer, and electricity). Infill development can occur on large commercial parcels or on small residential parcels in a neighborhood. Generally, more intense development replaces less intense development, such as when two large homes replace a smaller one or when a mixed use building replaces a commercial strip. Both are occurring primarily in Nashville’s urban core, and both yield positive and negative impacts for Nashville’s neighborhoods. Infill along corridors and within commercial centers accomplishes several things. First, redevelopment typically increases the amount of development on the land, making use of existing infrastructure and services more efficient. It also increases people and jobs close to *** [^p14-19]: NashvilleNext Housing Background Report, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Author Loretta Owens, page 12 transit service, increasing the frequency of transit service. When infill development occurs in neighborhoods close to corridors and centers, the effect is the same. The location of housing near the corridor or center places people closer to jobs and services. This results in less daily use of cars, which over time reduces daily traffic woes. While there are many positive effects of infill development, many neighborhoods unfortunately feel the negative effects as well. The most argued is the change in neighborhood character caused by the displacement of existing longtime residents and a lack of contextual design. Context sensitive design describes infill development that considers the context around it. Infill development should consider the type of neighborhood (rural, suburban, urban), the existing housing types (single, two, or multifamily) and housing form (how wide, tall, and deep the building may be on the lot). The end result is not homogenous development (where every house on the street looks the same), but development that blends with its neighbors and can coexist together on the same street or block (see Context Sensitive Design on page 188). Contextual design becomes very important as Nashville’s housing market strives to keep up with demand. Demand will continue to be driven by baby boomers and millennials who seek desirable locations over larger lot sizes, and prefer neighborhoods with a variety of housing types that meet their particular household demands. Contextual design will help meet the goal of supplying housing that meets demand, while maintaining neighborhood character. ### Market demand’s impact on housing affordability As the demand for housing increases in a select and few desirable locations, the cost of land increases. The cost of housing includes the cost of the land, the price of the home, insurance, property taxes, and utilities. Transportation costs are also affected by the location of housing. Increasing housing values can be beneficial, as increases in the value of one’s home can lead to personal financial stability. For others, however, increasing home values can lead to financial instability as the costs of housing (taxes, utilities, and maintenance) also increase. As housing costs increase, residents become cost burdened and must seek more affordable housing elsewhere. In many neighborhoods this has resulted in the displacement of residents, and drastic neighborhood change as existing ### As of 2015, Nashville – Davidson County’s Median Family Income was $66,900. *Source: HUD Fiscal Year 2015 Income Limits.* ### Housing is considered affordable when a household spends less than 30 percent of their gross household income on housing. *Source: HUD* ### Nashvillians spend 55 percent of income on housing and transportation. *The Housing and Transportation (H + T) Affordability Index* ### In 2010, traffic congestion in the Nashville area cost every auto consumer $722. *Nashville consumer profile compiled by the Chamber (Nashville Datascape, 2012)* homes are upgraded or replaced with new construction. This has led to neighborhood tension and has brought the issue of housing affordability to the top of Nashville’s consciousness. Housing is considered affordable when a household spends less than 30 percent of their gross household income on housing. When a household spends *more* than 30 percent of their gross income on housing, then they are considered cost burdened. From 2000 to 2010, there was a 59 percent increase in costs burdened households in Davidson County, and in 2010 over 100,000 households were found to be cost burdened.[^p16-20] When transportation costs are included, a household should not spend more than 45 percent of their gross income on housing and transportation. In Nashville, the Center for Neighborhood and Technology’s Housing and Transportation Index calculates that Nashvillians spend 50 percent of income on housing and transportation.[^p16-21] Cost burdened households may have more difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, and medical care after their rent or mortgage payment has been made. Housing cost burden can occur at any income level; extremely low income households making 30 percent of Nashville’s Median Family Income (MFI), very low income households making 50 percent of MFI, or low income households making 80 percent of MFI. Costs burden also affects moderate income households making between 80 to 120 percent of MFI. Cost burden is most felt by those families making 80 percent or below the Media Family Income. In Nashville, 64 percent of individuals and 46 percent of four family households make less than 80 percent MFI.[^p16-22] The number of cost burdened households will continue to increase as housing costs increase and incomes remain stagnant; therefore housing affordability is a significant issue for all income levels over the next 25 years. #### Housing for extremely low, very low income, and homeless Housing for extremely low and very low income families has been supported through subsidies and public housing programs designed to ensure that every person has access to safe and sanitary housing. In 2012, MDHA provided housing for more than 29,700 low income persons *** [^p16-20]: 59 percent, percent change for all renters and owners that are cost burdened between 2000 and 2010. NashvilleNext Housing Background Report, 2000 Census; 2005 and 2010 American Community Survey, Author Loretta Owens, page 12 [^p16-21]: The Housing and Transportation (H + T) Affordability Index http://htaindex.cnt.org/ [^p16-22]: Metropolitan MPO, 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates for Davidson County TN, family income limits assume 1 person individuals and 4 persons in family. through public housing, vouchers, and other programs.[^p17-23] Similarly, a number of smaller nonprofit affordable housing developers benefit from grants and incentives from MDHA, as well as the Barnes Fund—a housing trust fund, to address the needs of the very low income population. In recent years, grants and incentives have dwindled, leaving very low income housing providers with fewer resources.[^p17-24] This is evident in Nashville, where public housing has a 3,000-person, closed waiting list and Section 8 has a 10,000-person closed waiting list, and grants for nonprofit affordable housing providers are becoming more competitive. If affordable housing is not available, this leaves the very low income population vulnerable to homelessness. Situations of homelessness range from chronic homeless to displacement caused by domestic violence or mental/physical health issues. As the housing market improves, barriers to housing for these individuals and families increase. Because of such barriers, on any given night in Nashville, 3,000 to 4,000 individuals and families are homeless.[^p17-25] The answer to minimizing housing barriers includes a housing-first approach, where homeless individuals are housed, and intensive case management services are provided along with stable housing. The housing-first approach provides homeless individuals and families with assistance in finding permanent housing quickly and without conditions.[^p17-26] Providing access to affordable housing that is coupled with supportive services is a significant component of addressing the issue of homelessness in Nashville. ### Housing for low to moderate income Affordable housing is also a challenge for low income and moderate income households. Moderate income households are those making between 80 and 120 percent of MFI. While low income households may benefit from affordable housing supported by subsidies, many moderate income families [^p17-23]: Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, 2015 [^p17-24]: Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, 2015 “MDHA has stretched HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding, which has been cut by 50 percent over the past five years, to accomplish affordable housing goals by leveraging Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that will help create nearly 400 units affordable to households with incomes below 60 percent of area median income.” [^p17-25]: NashvilleNext Homelessness Background Report, Authors Cara B. Robinson, Ph.D., College of Public Service and Urban Affairs, Tennessee State University, Judith Tackett, Metropolitan Homelessness Commission, Brian Huskey, Urban Housing Solutions [^p17-26]: National Alliance to End Homelessness, http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/housing_first <
> Figure H-11: The NashvilleNext Community Conversation on Housing Affordability and Gentrification saw over 300 attendees. do not. This leaves a critical gap in affordable housing for a significant portion of Nashville’s population. In Nashville, 17 percent of individuals and 19 percent of families fall within 80–120 percent of the Median Family Income threshold. Providing housing that is affordable for this income threshold is challenging. The 80–120 income population is primarily served by existing housing supply countywide. As demand for existing housing supply increases in desirable locations, fewer affordable housing options remain available in those areas. With fewer subsidies available to develop and provide new affordable housing in high demand locations, households in this income bracket are more likely to “drive until they qualify,” incurring additional transportation costs or purchasing more home than they can afford in exchange for a desirable location. Housing affordability is a significant issue for Nashville, and remained a top priority throughout the NashvilleNext community engagement process. Affordable housing is also a critical issue for the more than 100,000 households reported as cost burdened in 2010.[^p18-27] Obtaining housing that is affordable, at any income level, leads to a higher quality of life and financial security. It also contributes to greater community stability. As Nashville plans for the next 25 years, housing affordability should be addressed not only through financial incentives and other market interventions, but also by addressing future land use decisions and where and how housing, transportation, jobs, and services are located and accessed. ### Housing market demands impact on suburban communities Housing market demand has had two effects on suburban communities—suburbanization of poverty and minority suburban migration. Nationally and locally, demand for urban neighborhoods has increased in recent years. As a result, suburban communities have seen a market decline with falling home prices and declining retail. The Great Recession lasting from 2007–2009 accelerated these changes, and during that time, homes were foreclosed, and consumer spending slowed. As consumer spending slowed, suburban malls and retailers closed their doors, and employers followed suit, leaving behind only lower wage jobs. As home values in the urban core increased, older suburbs became an important source of lower cost housing. These changes left many suburban communities with a new “suburban poor.” [^p18-27]: 2000 Census; 2005 and 2010 American Community Survey NashvilleNext Housing Background Report, Author Loretta Owens, page 12 <
> # All Nashvillians need housing that is affordable ... In recent years, people making less than 120 percent of Nashville Median Family Income (MFI) have felt the pinch of higher housing costs. This includes seniors and veterans on fixed incomes, those in the hospitality and retail industries, teachers and public safety providers, as well as nurses and technicians in the healthcare profession. Housing is considered affordable when a household spends less than 30 percent of their gross income on housing. Housing affordability leads to economic stability for individuals, families, and our community as a whole. | Extremely Low Income | Very Low Income | Low Income | Moderate Income | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | < 30 % MFI | 30–50 % MFI | 50–80 % MFI | 80–120 % MFI | ### 81% of individuals with income make less than $56,280 <
> 27% make less than $14,050 17% make between $14,050 - $23,450 20% make between $23,450 - $37,450 17% make between $37,450 - $56,280 19% make greater than $56,280 ### 65% of families with income make less than $80,280 <
> 17% make less than $24,250 10% make between $24,250 - $33,450 19% make between $33,450 - $53,500 19% make between $53,500 - $80,280 35% make greater than $80,280 *** **Sources:** Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Market Information, June 2014. Web Access April 2 2015. https://www.jobs4tn.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx **Notes:** All data are derived from 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates for Davidson County TN and HUD FYI 2015 Income Limits. Family income limits in this case assume 1 Person (Individuals) and 4 Persons in a Family. HUD FY 2015 Nashville Median Family Income is reported at $66,900. Taken together, the changing housing markets and preferences, loss of jobs during the recession, the shift of lower wage jobs to the suburbs, and community disinvestment are called the *Suburbanization of Poverty*. The suburbanization of poverty is not solely the result of residents displaced by gentrification in the urban core. It also includes existing suburban residents whose economic circumstances have shifted due to changes in the economy. Between 2000 and 2008, toward the end of the Great Recession, suburbs in the country’s largest metro areas saw their poor population grow by 25 percent.[^p20-28] The maps on the next two pages show poverty in Davidson County in 2008–2012, as well as changes in concentrated poverty from 1970 to 2010. As suburban homeowners found themselves with mortgages for more than their houses were worth, many felt their only option was to stay put until values recover. This limits home owners’ ability to move for job opportunities because they must make up the difference or negotiate with their lender for a “short sale.” This immobility leads to housing/jobs imbalances, rising transportation costs, and higher cost burdens, all of which exacerbate suburban poverty. Nationally, the 2010 Census and migration trends paint a more positive picture of suburban communities. The 2010 Census revealed that more than half of all minority groups in large metro areas now reside in and are finding more opportunities in the suburbs.[^p20-29] Similar to national trends, Nashville’s suburbs are opening up new opportunities to the regions’ New Majority. The Great Recession left a softened housing market, but created opportunity for more affordable housing for new families and individuals. As a result, schools, community organizations, and neighborhoods are becoming more diverse. As minorities find new homes in the suburbs, they are setting political firsts, such as Nashville’s first Latino Council member.[^p20-30] Both nationally and locally, the new majority are choosing suburbs because in many cases the schools continue to perform better, and parks and other amenities are of higher quality than in “inner-city” locations. In addition, the New Majority is finding greater access to jobs in the suburbs [^p20-28]: *The Suburbanization of Poverty: Trends in Metropolitan America 2000 to 2008*, Emily Garr and Elizabeth Kneebone, January 20 2010, http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2010/01/20-poverty-kneebone [^p20-29]: *The State of Metropolitan American: Suburbs and the 2010 Census*, Alan Berube, July 14, 2011 http://www.brookings.edu/research/speeches/2011/07/14-census-suburbs-berube [^p20-30]: *The New Black South*, Alan Greenblatt, June 2012, http://www.governing.com/topics/economic-dev/gov-new-black-south.html ### Figure H-12: Residents living in poverty Source: American Community Survey (2008 - 2012; 5-year estimate) <
> **Residents in poverty by block group** [ ] High-poverty tracts [ ] Less than 10% [ ] 10% - 20% [ ] 20% - 30% [ ] 30% - 50% [ ] More than 50% ### Figure H-13: Census tracts with concentrated poverty, from 1970 to 2010 Tracts with chronic high poverty had more than 30% of their residents in poverty in both 1970 and 2010. Newly poor Census tracts were not high-poverty in 1970, but were in 2010. Source: CityObservatory.org, using U.S Census (1970, 2010) <
> ### Figure H-14: Minority and Hispanic population, 2000 to 2010 Source: U.S Census (2000, 2010) <
> **Percent minority population** (above) | | | | | |---|---|---|---| | | 0 - 20% | | 60 - 80% | | | 20 - 40% | | 80 - 100% | | | 40 - 60% | | | **Percent Hispanic population** (below) | | | | | |---|---|---|---| | | 0 - 20% | | 60 - 80% | | | 20 - 40% | | 80 - 100% | | | 40 - 60% | | | <
> as the economy improves.[^p24-31] As a result, incomes have remained stable. For example, the Antioch–Priest Lake Community (where the share of Hispanic-Latino and African American population between 2000 and 2010 grew by 214 percent and 84 percent, respectively),[^p24-32] per capita income rose slightly from $21,578 to $22,122 between 2010 and 2012. Nashville/Davidson County per capita income in 2012 was $28,513.[^p24-33] These positive trends will no doubt continue over the next 25 years if suburban neighborhoods of the future consider more retrofitting opportunities, implementing land use decisions that consider housing demand, and optimize the relationship between housing, jobs, and transportation. In doing so, suburban communities will meet the needs of those who weathered the “Great Recession” and those who more recently have chosen to call the suburbs home. [^p24-31]: The New Black South, Alan Greenblatt, June 2012, http://www.governing.com/topics/economic-dev/gov-new-black-south.html [^p24-32]: Antioch Priest Lake Community Plan 2010, Background Report, US Census 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates - -Block Groups. [^p24-33]: Census, 2008-2012 American Community Survey ## Key Ideas Shaping this Chapter Given the deficiencies in Nashville’s housing market—where supply is not meeting demand, where an increasing number of Nashvillians are cost-burdened, and where Nashvillians do not have access to housing that meets their needs—the Housing element includes several goals, policies, and action items to address Nashville/Davidson County’s housing needs in the future. ### Creating more context sensitive supply Declining household sizes, retiring baby boomers, and more people looking for walkable neighborhoods are all changing Nashville’s housing market. Most of Nashville’s future housing is already in existence. New homes will primarily be built by the market—property owners and developers building or adding new units for sale or rent. MDHA and nonprofit developers will also add supply targeted to very low and low income households. Redevelopment in and close to existing neighborhoods raises many concerns. Rules that ensure new development is appropriate and compatible with its surroundings are important to maintaining quality of life for existing residents, while also accommodating new residents and changing housing preferences. Nashville’s housing supply has traditionally provided single family and multifamily housing. In recent years, much of Nashville’s residentially zoned land has been rezoned to allow only single-family detached homes. The housing market is now introducing a significant supply of multifamily housing units in the form of mixed use development or stacked flats. This diversity of housing types reflects the market preferences of downsizing baby boomers and millennials entering the housing market; but that mix of housing has its limitations. To truly keep up with the demand, Nashville’s housing supply should look beyond single-family detached developments and mixed use or stacked flats developments and offer a wider variety of housing types. Called missing middle housing,³⁴ these housing types include detached accessory dwelling units, alley housing, triplexes, quads, manor houses, courtyard flats, and live/work units, offering more choices between yard homes and multifamily buildings. <
> **Figure H-15: An alley house provides housing choice in predominately single-family neighborhoods.** *** [^p25-34]: Missing Middle housing, located within walking distance to shops and amenities, fills the gap between single-family homes and apartment buildings. http://opticosdesign.com/category/missing-middle/ Missing middle housing can achieve multiple goals in Nashville’s housing market. It can be used to create transitions—in height, scale and density—between higher density centers and corridors and single family neighborhoods. When located by prominent corridors or commercial centers, missing middle housing allows more residents near transit, services, retail, and other amenities. Finally, missing middle housing can provide new housing options and meet the market demand for smaller units with less maintenance in walkable settings. Missing middle housing provides options that meet the needs of Nashville’s changing owners and renters. Today, the zoning code allows missing middle housing types to be built in areas with competitive land prices: along corridors and within centers. Where missing middle housing is most effective in creating transitions and housing choice is *adjacent* to centers and corridors; however, while land prices are more favorable, the zoning often present in these areas is restrictive. Changes to the zoning code to address transitions, contextual design, and ideal locations to permit the development of missing middle housing will aid in including this housing type in Nashville’s supply. <
> **Figure H-16: Missing middle housing types** ### Why multifamily housing and other higher density housing contributes to sense of place With the recent economic recession in the U.S. cities of all sizes saw a change in housing demand from single family homes to smaller affordable units in multifamily buildings. Multifamily housing provides housing for young singles and families just starting out, and for baby boomers who are downsizing. After the recession, multifamily housing became an important option for those who could not afford to purchase a home. Multifamily is development with three or more dwelling units in a single structure. A common perception by single-family homeowners is that siting higher density, multifamily developments near them will adversely affect their property values. The Metro Nashville Planning Department reviewed several case studies and researched Davidson County property values of single-family neighborhoods with adjacent multifamily developments. The review of these studies and local data suggests that the presence of nearby multifamily development does not adversely affect the value of single-family homes. This also largely is due to how well the multifamily is designed, and how well it blends with its surroundings. <
> **Figure H-17: Multifamily in Lenox Village provides housing options in a suburban setting.** Multifamily buildings and developments can look like high-rise apartment buildings in the Gulch to one story townhouses in Hermitage. The broad range of styles and sizes gives home buyers and renters options in prices and location. ### Addressing the suburbs: making improvements to meet demand Suburban communities developed to meet the demands of the previous generation. They can evolve to meet the needs of Nashville’s future, if the development decisions of the past are not repeated. Suburban communities in Nashville developed during a time of auto-dominance. As demand shifts to neighborhoods that are more walkable places, suburban communities can be retrofitted to make them more walkable. Enhancing suburban communities in this way will ensure that they remain an equally attractive option in the housing market. Retrofitting suburban development[^p27-35] means identifying how older developments (such as large malls or big box stores) can be rebuilt into walkable community centers. Many of these suburban developments have reached the end of their lifespan, but have valuable assets, such as flat land with few environmental constraints, existing utilities, and proximity to major transportation routes. Sometimes, retrofitting will mean rebuilding the entire area. However, creativity can mean reusing some existing structures, adding new buildings in parking lots to create an internal, walkable street network, or adding new housing to offer a more diverse supply in the suburbs. Suburban retrofitting can accomplish several things. Suburban retrofit development supports transit and reduces suburban residents’ reliance on the automobile, increases housing choice, and when a mixture of land uses are introduced, diversifies the local tax base.[^p27-36] These changes, being in line with existing and changing market preferences, can increase the desirability of suburban communities. Suburban retrofitting also means creating new places that encourage walkability and housing choice. Lenox Village in Nashville is an example of a walkable community that is located in a suburban setting. In the development, there are a variety of housing types, and goods and services located within walking distance. Housing types include missing middle homes, mixed use buildings, and single family homes, ranging from smaller lots for those downsizing to larger lots for those with growing households. As noted in previous sections, the “suburbanization of poverty” has not occurred solely as lower-income households are displaced to the suburbs. It is also fueled by the recent recession, during which unemployment [^p27-35]: Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning the Suburbs. Ellen Dunham Jones, June Williamson, December 2008 [^p27-36]: Urban Land Institute, Retrofitting Suburbia, Author Ellen Dunham-Jones, June Williamson, June 2009 ### Reverend Barnes – A Champion for Mixed Income Neighborhoods <
> Figure H-18: Mayor Karl Dean and Reverend Bill Barnes at the ground-breaking for an affordable housing complex in North Nashville, part of the Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing. *2015 Metropolitan Government City of Nashville and Davidson County* A mixed-income neighborhood is defined as an area that has households from more than one category of MFI (Median Family Income). These categories are based on HUD’s six income categories: very low-income, low-income, moderate-income, high-moderate, high-income, and very high-income. Mixed-income housing is approached in two methods to deconcentrate poverty, “the dominant method is to disperse the poor throughout a metropolitan region by providing them with rental vouchers for use in privately owned housing. The other approach is to combine low-income and higher income households in the same development,” from “Mixed-Income Housing: Unanswered Questions”, a study on mixed-income housing in Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research. Both methods work to disperse the very-low income households to areas with more services and better housing quality. Mixed-income housing can be met through state and local government and/or public housing authorities’ initiatives. Locally, Nashville has seen leadership from Reverend Bill Barnes, who has been an advocate for deconcentration of poverty and mixed income neighborhoods for more than 50 years. Reverend Barnes, who serves on the NashvilleNext Housing Resource Team, has lived in many cities and has studied the long-term effects that concentrated poverty has on its residents. Reverend Barnes and his team have been critical to the implementation of mixed-income and affordable housing, and the establishment of The Barnes Fund for Affordable Housing in 2013. The Barnes Fund is one of many initiatives that help address the need for mixed-income and affordable housing. *From “Effects from Living in Mixed-Income Communities for Low-Income Families,” an Urban Institute Report* and softening home values impacted suburban communities as well. This has created two dynamics that require attention over the next 25 years: existing suburban residents trying to recover from the Great Recession and new minority populations discovering new beginnings in the suburbs. To address the changing needs of suburban communities, employment, housing choices, and transit that connects residents to jobs throughout the county should be components of planning for Nashville’s future. Centers in suburban communities should accommodate a mix of employment, services, higher density housing, and other “place making” amenities. This could mean altering the character of development in suburban areas, moving from a sprawling auto-centric place, to being more compact and walkable. When more people and jobs are located in suburban centers, transit services can be provided more frequently. When transit is provided more frequently, suburban residents then have another choice in getting to and from work, there is less reliance on the car, and transportation costs are reduced. This improves the quality of life and reverses the trend of suburban poverty because suburban residents can spend less on housing and transportation costs, and can afford essential goods and services. ### Addressing housing affordability – moving toward equitable development and mixed income neighborhoods Housing affordability is not just an issue for the very low income. It affects all Nashvillians. As housing becomes less affordable, longtime residents are often displaced. Low and moderate income households are excluded from desirable neighborhoods that provide access to jobs, good schools, retail, and services. This dilutes the financial and social diversity that makes many Nashville neighborhoods unique. Not being able to afford a home can limit job opportunities or opportunities to participate in civic life. Declining affordability creates challenges for economic development efforts. Potential residents may look elsewhere for housing. Housing affordability is not only a problem for the very low income; it’s a problem for all of Nashville. The cost of new housing is mostly driven by location, land costs, construction costs, and other costs for the homeowner (mortgage, taxes, and insurance). Land costs drive the location of moderately priced housing to certain parts of the county. With the exception of public housing, housing that is deemed as more affordable is often located in areas outside of the Nashville’s urban core. Interventions in the housing market are needed to ensure that housing affordability occurs countywide, so that all parts of Nashville include homes that are affordable across different income levels. With rising housing costs driven by the increasing demand and limited supply of in-demand housing, parts of Nashville will become more and more unaffordable. To ensure that all Nashvillians have safe, affordable housing, Nashville should take steps to ensure affordability and minimize displacement, especially in high demand neighborhoods, and find ways to remain competitive in a regional housing market. Making Nashville’s housing market more equitable requires a four pronged approach: » **Fund It** – create dedicated financial resources to subsidize equitable development, i.e. affordable housing. » **Build It** – create tools to incentivize the market to build affordable housing units. » **Preserve It** – create tools that preserve the affordable housing units in perpetuity. » **Retain It** – create tools that allow existing residents to remain in their homes, like tax freezes, or home maintenance programs. <
> Using these tools to intervene in the housing market and create or enhance housing affordability can help maintain socioeconomic diversity. In addition, housing that is affordable becomes equitably distributed throughout the county. ### Goals and policies Goals set broad direction for the plan by applying the Guiding Principles to NashvilleNext’s seven plan elements. They identify, for each element, what NashvilleNext is trying to achieve. Policies extend goals by providing more detail. They give more direct guidance on community decision making, without specifying which tools to use. (Identifying and adopting which tool is a job for actions and implementation.) As implementation occurs, if one particular tool is rejected by the public, the policy guidance remains. Actions (Volume IV) are short term steps to carry out these Policies and achieve these Goals. The plan is structured so that the Action plan is updated the most frequently. During the annual update process, actions can be removed if accomplished or if they were deemed infeasible. Removing an action because it’s infeasible leaves the overarching Policy in place. During the update, the Planning Department would seek to identify alternate ways of accomplishing the policy. ### Related plans With a strong commitment to annual updates and review, the General Plan is able to play a key role in providing coordination between other agencies and plans. It helps other departments understand long term goals and how their work shapes that, even if they must focus on short term needs that are out of step with the long term plan. For example, the long term vision for transit is to build a high capacity transit network operating along major corridors, with few deviations from those corridors. In the short term, MTA needs to conduct its operations to connect to riders, who may not live along those major corridors. Eventually, MTA operations should merge with the long range vision, but it will take time to build the infrastructure and housing to support the high capacity network. Thus, Element chapters highlight related plans when discussing NashvilleNext Goals & Policies. Much of what Nashvillians want for the future goes beyond what Metro can achieve on its own. Partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, and the private sector are critical. » Homelessness Commission » MDHA Consolidated Plans # H Goal 1 Nashville maintains economic and social diversity. Housing choices are affordable, available, and accessible to all new and existing Nashvillians. ### H policy 1.1 Develop innovative financing programs to provide affordable housing for all Nashvillians. ### H policy 1.2 Develop standards that guide the design, location, and construction of affordable housing across all neighborhoods. ### H policy 1.3 Provide real transit options to lessen the cost burden, and increase housing affordability. Provide real transit options to also access affordable housing, jobs, services, and amenities. ### H policy 1.4 Provide access to affordable housing and support programs for the homeless and Nashvillians with very low incomes. ### H policy 1.5 Support private, public, and nonprofit housing providers so that they can provide safe and accessible affordable housing. # H Goal 2 Nashville has a strong and diverse housing market that embraces changing housing demand. ### H policy 2.1 Create real housing choices in rural, suburban, and urban areas that respect the rural, suburban, and urban development patterns. ### H policy 2.2 Create tools that encourage context sensitive development in Nashville’s neighborhoods. Work with developers to develop in a context sensitive manner. # H Goal 3 Reduce the negative effects of gentrification in Nashville’s growing residential markets. Ensure that residents of all incomes and both renters and owners take part in and benefit from neighborhood improvements. ### H policy 3.1 Create programs that reduce displacement and exclusion within changing neighborhoods. Create programs that focus on the social, financial, and physical effects of neighborhood change. ### H policy 3.2 Create more transit, public services, and employment in suburban areas to make these communities easier to live, work, and play in regardless of the residents’ income. # H Goal 4 Nashville’s neighborhoods have strong community networks that include residents and supportive organizations and services. The way the neighborhood is built—with homes, parks, streets, and services—promotes real access and social interaction. ### H policy 4.1 Create strong neighborhoods by enhancing existing neighborhood programs and public processes. Empower more residents to take part in policy and decision making. ### H policy 4.2 Strengthen neighborhoods by making them safe and easy to get to and around. Pay special attention to safety and access for Nashvillians who are within special needs populations, including the disabled, elderly, veterans, or have very low incomes. (blank page)