21st Century (2000–present)

Nashville nMotion / NashvilleNext

2016 · United States · North America · Transit-oriented urbanism and corridor planning · Planned by MTA + Metro Nashville
Lower Broadway, downtown Nashville, the core served by the nMotion transit plan and NashvilleNext.
Lower Broadway, downtown Nashville, the core served by the nMotion transit plan and NashvilleNext. · CC BY-SA 4.0

Core idea

Transit plan + comp plan

Why it matters

Sun Belt attempts at big shift

Description

NashvilleNext, adopted in 2015 by Metro Nashville, and the nMotion transit strategy prepared by the Nashville MTA in 2016 together formed a coordinated comprehensive plan and regional transit programme for the fast-growing Tennessee capital. The plans directed growth to centres and corridors, proposed a network of high-capacity transit lines including light rail and bus rapid transit, and sought to manage suburban sprawl across the consolidated city-county. They were produced through extensive public engagement at a metropolitan scale.

Significance

The pairing exemplifies Sun Belt cities' attempts to pivot from automobile-led growth towards transit-oriented urbanism, and the rejection of the associated transit funding referendum in 2018 made Nashville a much-cited case in debates over financing such shifts. It illustrates both the ambition and the political fragility of comprehensive planning in fast-growing American metropolitan areas.

What shaped it

Sources

Open it on the interactive timeline →
hub.toekom.st — History of Urbanism · an interactive timeline of 850 planned cities across 6,000 years.