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Housing Challenges in Nashville
Education & Advocacy, Mobility & Land-use, Affordable Housing Eric Hoke Education & Advocacy, Mobility & Land-use, Affordable Housing Eric Hoke

Housing Challenges in Nashville

You said something about the housing challenges in Nashville, and it wasn’t surprising to hear the overwhelming feeling of deficiency - of not having enough. You cited a lack of housing, lack of housing types, lack of diversity, lack of connection to green spaces. We could add a lack of funding, lack of a comprehensive plan, and lack of public support to that list.

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Victory Memorial Bridge Park
Mobility & Land-use, Shaping Healthy Communities Eric Hoke Mobility & Land-use, Shaping Healthy Communities Eric Hoke

Victory Memorial Bridge Park

With development along the Cumberland Riverfront on the horizon, it is imperative to consider how improvements to connectivity and public space can increase the quality of life in and around downtown Nashville. Throughout Nashville’s history, the Cumberland River has played the role as the epicenter of Nashville’s identity and evolution. It served as a means of transportation and survival in Nashville’s early Native American history, and later European settlements. “It was the river that was the initial lifeline to the rest of the world, connecting Nashville to the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi Rivers—and beyond.” (The Plan of Nashville: Avenues to a Great City). Throughout the early 1800s, the Cumberland continued to act as a key contributor to the economic development of Nashville, connecting the emerging city to major ports like New Orleans by steamboat. By the end of the 19th century, the Cumberland River was at the core of Nashville’s successful industrial economy.

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Capping The Interstate
Reclaiming Public Space, Shaping Healthy Communities, Sustainability Eric Hoke Reclaiming Public Space, Shaping Healthy Communities, Sustainability Eric Hoke

Capping The Interstate

Cities across the US are revisiting the functionality of interstate highways in downtown areas to better connect neighborhoods bisected from mid-century infrastructure. Areas with existing interstates below the grade of a city’s primary street grid have the potential to be capped with a more functional addition, reconnecting the two sides of the interstate. Most examples accomplish this by creating a new public space, in the form of a park, or by constructing a larger bridge to accommodate new liner buildings.

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Preserving History & Culture in The Jefferson St corridor
Jefferson Street Eric Hoke Jefferson Street Eric Hoke

Preserving History & Culture in The Jefferson St corridor

Over the last two decades the city of Nashville has experienced unprecedented growth. According to population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau, the region grew by an average of one hundred people, per day, over a twelve-month period, ending in July 2016. Due to population increase, among additional factors, Nashville neighborhoods have enjoyed rapid development. Some neighborhoods, however, have remained stagnant. The Jefferson Street corridor is one of many unique communities in Nashville that, despite historic contributions to the city’s culture and history, has not shared in recent growth. From the booming music venues to esteemed colleges and universities, this neighborhood has been a vital part of making Nashville the “it” city it is today. Despite its historical significance, some development around Jefferson Street has further stalled growth. The 1960s construction of the I-40 interstate bisected the corridor’s main commercial district. Since then, the neighborhood has struggled to recover.

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