Reclaiming the Waterfront -Downtown Nashville’s riverfront redevelopment and history

April 29, 2019 1:17 pm Published by admin

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You never know where you’re going to find inspiration

At the ULI Spring Meeting, I had the opportunity to tour the downtown Nashville riverfront redevelopment area. It was highlighted by the historic “bridge building” which goes high up and connects to a bridge that connects over the Columbia River to downtown Nashville. So, we kicked off the meeting getting a historical overview of the riverfront by referencing antique maps.

Then we walked the bridge and explored the greenway. It was blue skies and the weather was around 68-69 degrees. Sunny, great day to be outside.

Then we crossed the pedestrian bridge over to the new outdoor music venue that the city of Nashville had developed in a public-private partnership. The venue stage had an open back area so you can see downtown Nashville from the lawn seats, very well done. As we toured through the greenway, I thought about several important areas to people who visit, and this gave me ideas on how to market greenways.

Consider the priorities of your greenway and emphasize them. Highlights included:

• Bridge access
• Play areas for kids
• Dog parks
• Recreational access
• Interactive fountains
• Finally, make sure you retain and leverage the views

As we wrapped up the day, it was great to reflect on the benefits and uses people can take advantage of. We see great marketing opportunities for developers and greenways and hope the greenway trends continue to flourish.