By Naffie Njie, Content and Marketing Intern

3 min read On June 10th, 2021, the Civic Design Center hosted the June Urban Design Forum at Church Street Park. This month’s forum asked community members to give their opinions about the park.

CHURCH STREET PARK IS BACK OPEN

“This is just a testament of what can happen when the entire community takes ownership of a space and gets involved”

— Monique Odom, Metro Parks

The Civic Design Center held this month’s Urban Design Forum at Church Street Park. The goal for the event was to solicit public opinion about the park, and its future and celebrate its reopening. The Civic Design Center has been working with downtown public spaces to promote their health and success since it was established in 2002. We have created a survey for people to express their ideas about the park.

Church Street Park is a 11,800 square foot green space in Downtown Nashville. It sits on Church Street, across the street from the Nashville Public Library, and adjacent to Anne Dallas Dudley Boulevard. The fate of this park has been debated for about 20 years, and once a new plan to rebuild the space was set in motion in 2020, COVID-19 halted it. It has been stripped down, redesigned, and renovated multiple times. This time around, the park is open to the public and hosting daily events and activities like yoga classes, live music, movie nights and more.

Ann Butterworth (from left), Community Member, Monique Odom, and Gary Gaston pose for a photo in Church Street Park [Photo by: Veronica Foster] — *Ann Butterworth (from left), Community Member, Monique Odom, and Gary Gaston pose for a photo in Church Street Park* [Photo by: Veronica Foster]

The event featured remarks from Civic Design Center CEO, Gary Gaston, District 19 Council Member, Freddie O’Connell, Metro Parks Director, Monique Odom, and Historic Capitol Corridor Foundation President, Ann Butterworth. WeGo Public Transit, formerly the Nashville MTA, also created a survey about service changes in their bus system.

Church Street’s surrounding neighborhood is a dense, residential area. Council Member O’Connell spoke about the growth of Nashville and why the people who live there need a green space.

“This is just a testament of what can happen when the entire community takes ownership of a space and gets involved,” said Odom, Metro Parks Director.

Capitol Corridor President, Ann Butterworth said, “I hope each of y’all will share your feedback as to what you think is working and what we should adjust, and most of all, please make this your park, and invite other people to participate.”

Community Member takes survey with her dog [Photo by: Veronica Foster] — *Community Member takes survey with her dog* [Photo by: Veronica Foster]

People filled out surveys on paper or used a Civic Design Center QR code to complete an online survey. Many said they were impressed with the improvements made to the park, and that they were more interested in what it has to offer now.

Event attendees wait out the rain while the strong trio continues to play [Photo by: Veronica Foster] — *Event attendees wait out the rain while the strong trio continues to play* [Photo by: Veronica Foster]

Afterward, Hot Tub Time Machine, a string trio, played live music and folks enjoyed the park and its ambiance – until it rained. The rain was a bummer, but the park tables each had large umbrellas where people were able to wait it out.

Many people want different things for Church Street Park, but we can all agree that an outdoor green space is beneficial for Downtown Nashville. Parks provide open space for people to gather, enjoy activities and events, bring their pets, and experience their neighborhood. Input from the public is the most important aspect of ensuring our cities are serving their community members.

Church Street Park is activating their space and hosting daily events. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Church Street Park Event Calendar