This is what Alexia Poe was talking about...

...in her editorial that I quoted yesterday. The Urban Land Institute is holding a presentation tomorrow offering their expertise on future development of 4th Ave South & 8th Ave South and the areas in between. Keith Moorman explains:

Dear Neighbor,

This is an exciting opportunity for all of you who care about future development in the area, especially the Fairgrounds.  On Thursday, February 11, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m., there will be a presentation by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) at the Nashville Children's Theater (at 25 Middleton St., off 2nd Avenue, behind the Howard School Building).  The topic of the presentation will be "Place-Making through Infill and Corridor Development".  The focus of the discussion will be South Nashville, between Franklin Rd./8th Ave. and Nolensville Rd./2nd Ave.

Nashville is one of only four cities nationwide which will benefit this year from the expertise of a special Advisory Services panel, provided to us by the ULI as part of a Rose Fellowship recently awarded to Mayor Dean.

Nashville’s unusual wheel-and-spoke street pattern reflects the city’s early history as a regional center with connections to surrounding towns. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, however, development along the spokes transitioned into auto-driven sprawl, and corridors became throughways rather than destinations, resulting in a development pattern oriented to the car.  Commercial uses with expansive parking and intense signage designed to attract drivers took precedence over pedestrian facilities; this pattern is not an asset to the neighborhoods that flank the corridor.

Nashville will focus on two such corridors – 4th Avenue South and 8th Avenue South – as transferrable models. In addition, the neighborhoods between these corridors will be examined to determine tools and techniques to encourage appropriate infill development.

Proposed stategies:

▪        Provide complete transportation options with choices for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and individual autos;

▪        Support surrounding neighborhoods with housing and services in a pedestrian-friendly environment;

▪        Encourage infill to utilize existing infrastructure and maximize transit opportunities; and

▪        Are feasible and doable given the existing and evolving economic realities.

To date, Nashville has utilized planning and zoning strategies to reinvigorate its corridors, and is interested in evaluating these tools and considering additional tools such as capital investments and economic development strategies.

ULI is a nonprofit education and research organization that fosters and encourages high standards of land use planning and development.  Established in 1936, ULI is recognized as one of North America's most respected and widely quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, growth, and development.  The members of this panel have been selected from the ULI national membership for their expertise relevant to the problems and opportunities facing this project.  All panel members donate their time, effort, and expertise to the Advisory Services program as a personal contribution to further the Institute's work and objectives.

I hope you can come and join some of your neighbors in exploring this issue with experts on corridor development.  See you there!

Keith

I'm going to try to be there, if I can convince my boss to let me come in a little late.