Take Action
Audience member giving feedback to presenter at Urban Design Forum
Our urban landscape does not change in a vacuum. Neighborhoods and communities are often drastically affected by new construction and infrastructure. Those effects may come in the short term due to changes in traffic or they may develop over the long term where housing prices change, culture shifts, and people are displaced.
While it shouldn’t be the people’s responsibility to make sure they are engaged in community process, we have provided resources below so that anyone can share their experiences and perspectives with local stakeholders.
“Transforming ideas into facts will depend on the collective will of [the] public, as well as political representatives and government officials, neighborhood and corporate leaders, developers and educators, architects and planners—and the degree to which they can and will cooperate.”
submit a Work Order
Underutilized spaces in your neighborhood or dangerous intersections in your neighborhood got you down? Tactical urbanism is an approachable way to inspire change that promotes placemaking and pedestrian safety.
Write a Community Voice Blog Post
We are raising the voices of our Nashville neighbors. One way to raise your voice is to write an blog about a topic relating to civic design or something that is happening in your neighborhood. Often, we take TURBO Work Orders one step further where our designers vision an idea and we ask you to write the blog post!
mentor Local Youth
You can volunteer as a Youth Voice Mentor to help young people understand the value of their experiences and perspectives early in life. Provoke creativity in Nashville’s youth with our Design Your Neighborhood program.
Write Your Elected Official
Is there a policy at the local level that is affecting your community? It’s important to engage with your local elected officials so they have a running tally of what policies their constituents support or would like to see changed. If you are passionate about a national cause, you can contact your state or federal representative.
Vote
It is important to be registered to vote in time for local elections because you could affect local referendums, tax votes, and policies that are important to your community. Tennessee is ranked 44 out of 50 states in terms of voter turnout, which means there is only room to grow in terms of civic engagement. Your voice matters, so register to vote now.
Join Your Neighborhood Organization
While voting counts in making the final decisions, the people who shout the loudest greatly influence their peers’ opinions. Local neighborhood groups, the voice of an entity, add power to community perspectives. Join a group so that your organized voice can positively influence your peers.