By Kayla Anderson, Research Fellow

Special thanks to Mike Thompson, Anastasiya Skvarniuk, and Elizabeth Crimmins for their work on this article.

In our first blog post introducing University Connections, we told you about the history of redlining in Edgehill, Wedgewood-Houston, and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods that made it difficult for community members to navigate around Nashville. The following post will focus on precedents in other cities that we can use to inform a Nashville that prioritizes multimodal transportation to repair the fissures between crosstown neighborhood connections.

Need more context about crosstown transportation and what that has to do with universities? Read about it in the first University Connections blog post!

crosstown public Transportation Precedents

*NACTO example rendering of a complete street*

The proposed University Connector transit route seeks to improve connectivity between six major universities within Nashville, as well as improve mobility within neighborhoods and enhance access to public spaces. There are few cities within the United States that have implemented transit routes similar to the proposed University Connector. Durham-Chapel Hill, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Indianapolis have all implemented or are in the process of implementing routes that, like the University Connector, connect universities to one another and to public spaces. As a result, these routes seek to increase access to educational, civic, and cultural spaces for people of all means and abilities. The following are case studies of specific routes from cities that use universities to define an educational transit connection.

Philadelphia Route 49

*Route 49 goes through many neighborhoods*

In February 2019, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) launched a new cross-town route in Philadelphia, Route 49. This new route improved North-South connection within the city, and increased access to employment destinations. Route 49 connects two hospitals, two universities, shopping areas, museums, a state penitentiary, Amtrak station and several neighborhoods. Buses run every 15 minutes during peak hours on the weekdays, and every 20 minutes during weekend midday hours allowing for a convenient and efficient crosstown route.

Durham-Chapel Hill Go Triangle

*GoTriangle Route 405 connects several cities, universities, and public resources*

GoTriangle is the regional transit system in the Triangle region of North Carolina. GoTriangle’s Route 405 connects universities and public spaces in Durham and Chapel Hill. The route provides a direct connection from Duke University to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, as well as connects the American Tobacco Campus in Durham, the Varsity Theater in Chapel Hill, and downtown Carrboro. Buses run every 30 minutes from 5:45am to 9am, and then from 3:10pm to 7:17pm. Though this route provides direct access from Duke to UNC-Chapel Hill, its limited hours of service inhibits its convenience.

Baltimore Collegetown Route

The Baltimore Collegetown Route is a free shuttle for students, staff, and faculty between six participating colleges in the Baltimore region; Goucher College, Towson University, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Johns Hopkins University (Homewood Campus), and Morgan State University. The route also connects the universities to various public spaces, and additional transit routes. The Collegetown route has two distinct routes, the blue route, and the red route, which connect different schools within the region.

The shuttle runs 7 days a week, but has varying schedules depending on the day. Though the shuttle connects numerous schools it only runs during the school year, with no service during Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Easter, or over the summer. Additionally, the service is limited to only college students, faculty, and staff, thus limiting the population who is able to utilize the route.

Atlanta Route 813

*MARTA Route 813 connects 4 universities, but excludes 2 largest schools in Atlanta*

MARTA’s Route 813 Atlanta University Center, connects Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, and Georgia State University. In addition, the route provides easy access to hospitals, parks, and K-12 schools. Buses run every 30 minutes between 4:35am and 12:32am, making it a convenient route for individuals with varying schedules. Though the bus runs frequently and connects numerous schools within Atlanta, the Atlanta University Center route excludes Georgia Tech University and Emory University, two of the largest schools in the city.

Indianapolis Indy Go Red Line

*Map depicting future rapid transit in Indianapolis*

Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, IndyGo, is currently in the process of developing a North-South crosstown rapid transit bus route, the Red Line, which cuts through the center of downtown Indianapolis. The Red Line will connect Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and the University of Indianapolis, as well provide access to downtown, green spaces, shopping centers, and other civic and cultural spaces.

This transit route was designed to increase accessibility for all residents and connect individuals to employment and educational opportunities. The Red Line will operate daily from 5am to 1am, with buses running every ten minutes during peak hours. In addition to the new route, new transportation and pedestrian infrastructure will be implemented along the route to improve efficiency and safety.

Learning From Other University Transit Connectors

By taking cues from other transit systems in our region and beyond, we can start to form ideas on how a Nashville university-linked route could be established. The geography of the educational institutions within Nashville’s urban core can create a looped pathway that could be a connector to major employment centers and many other points of interest for users of this route beyond the educational sectors.

In the final part of this series, the Civic Design Center will propose a specific route and interventions that will support multimodal transit pathways around the inner highway loop of Nashville.

This is Part 2 of 4 in the blog series. There are subsequent articles published pertaining to the University Connections Project.

Jump to University Connections: Part 1

Jump to University Connections: Part 3

University Connections: Part 2