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Adopted June 22, 2015
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⬚ figure | Certified per TCA 13-4-202 as a part of the Nashville-Davidson County General Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Commission and including all amendments to this part as of June 22, 2015. |
| Richard Bernhardt | |
| Executive Secretary |
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“BE IT RESOLVED by The Metropolitan Planning Commission that NashvilleNext is approved in accordance with the staff report and recommendations in the staff report with the following amendments: 2; 3; 4; 5; 14; 15; 16; 18; 20; 22a, 22c; 23; 24; 25; 31; 32; and the deferral of 11 areas identified in the Whites Creek area until the August 13, 2015 Planning Commission meeting with the Public Hearing closed. (9-0)”
Resolution No. RS2015-256
WHEREAS, Section 13-4-203 of the Tennessee Code, Annotated, authorizes a General Plan “with the general purpose of guiding and accomplishing a coordinated, adjusted and harmonious development of the municipality which will, in accordance with existing and future needs, best promote public health, safety, morals, order, convenience, prosperity and the general welfare, as well as efficiency and economy in the process of development, and identify areas where there are inadequate or nonexistent publicly or privately owned and maintained services and facilities when the planning commission has determined the services are necessary in order for development to occur;” and
WHEREAS, Chapter 5, section 11.504 (c) of the Metro Nashville Charter gives the Metro Planning Commission the power to “Make, amend and add to the master or general plan for the physical development of the entire metropolitan government area;” and
WHEREAS, Section 18.02 of the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requires that zoning regulations be enacted by the Council “only on the basis of a comprehensive plan prepared by the Metropolitan Planning Commission;” and
WHEREAS, the last General Plan, Concept 2010, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County was adopted in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Karl Dean, seeing fit to update the General Plan, announced on May 22, 2012 that the General Plan would be updated, assigning the task to the Metro Planning Department; and
WHEREAS, under the leadership of the NashvilleNext Steering Committee and the Community Engagement Committee, the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission worked with stakeholders in Nashville/Davidson County, holding over 420 public meetings and events and soliciting input through online forums, engaging over 18,500 participants in providing public input to update the General Plan;
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, empowered under state statute and the Charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County to adopt master or general plans for smaller areas of the county, finds that the process followed to develop the NashvilleNext General Plan included diverse, widespread, and meaningful community participation and substantial research and analysis and therefore finds that replacing the Concept 2010 General Plan with the NashvilleNext General Plan is warranted; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Metropolitan Planning Commission hereby ADOPTS NashvilleNext, A General Plan for Nashville/Davidson County in accordance with sections 11.504 (e), (j), and 18.02 of the charter of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, and Davidson County as the basis for the Commission’s development decisions in the county.
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James McLean, Chairman Adoption Date: June 22, 2015
Attest:
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J. Douglas Sloan, III, Secretary and Executive Director
Each part of the plan has a role to play. Some parts are broad and visionary, while others are specific and detailed. This section helps users of the plan understand how the parts fit together and support one another. No part of the plan is intended to stand alone; each can only be understood as working together with the rest of the plan.
Volume I presents the role and powers of the plan, key trends and issues that the plan addresses, a summary of the plan's strategy and approach to the future, and implementation goals and policies.
Nashville’s Community Plans provide history and context for Nashville’s 14 Community Planning Areas, along with community-specific issues, strategies, and sketches of how different places in the community could change over time. Detailed Community Character Maps link the broad, county-wide Growth Concept Map to character policies that guide zoning and development decisions.
Community Character Manual The Community Character Manual provides detailed explanations of the character policies used in the Community Character Maps.
Specific tasks for Metro departments and partners to undertake, within a recommended timeframe.
Volume V is the overarching vision of how transportation works under NashvilleNext.
Actions for...
Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure 3
Art, Culture & Creativity 14
Economic & Workforce Development 21
Education & Youth 28
Health, Livability & the Built Environment 47
Housing 61
Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation 67
NashvilleNext does automatically cause any changes to happen. In order to be implemented, Metro Departments and community partners must change particular practices in line with the community’s vision for the future of Nashville. Volume IV of NashvilleNext is an Action Plan to identify the changes needed to implement the goals and policies presented in Volume II (Plan Elements). Actions are specific tasks to carry out the Policies included in each Element. They identify particular programs, regulations, funding needs, or partnerships.
These actions are collected in a separate volume of the plan because they should be updated frequently. Updates recognize actions that have been completed. However, updates may also recognize when an action included in the plan is found to be the wrong tool to accomplish its Policy. In that case, the Policy guidance still holds and an alternate action should be found.
Each action includes five parts.
» Policy: Each action is linked to one or more Policies, which it is to implement. The Action Plan is organized by Plan Element and Policies. When an action implement more than one Policy, it appears underneath each Policy. This means some actions appear in the Plan multiple times. » Action statement: This statement provides what each action is intended to accomplish. Some statements are simple and straightforward, while others provide greater detail and specific guidance. All actions require further work and study. » Time frame: Each action includes a time frame, in which the action should be carried out. These are intended to provide a general sense of how long it will take to implement the action. » Ongoing: Some actions require continuous monitoring or effort. These are identified as ongoing actions. » Immediate: Begin work immediately. » Near term: Begin work within 1 to 3 years. » Mid term: Begin work within 4 to 7 years. » Long term: Begin work within 7 to 10 years. » Implementers: Agencies and partners most likely to carry out the action. Most actions include one or more Metro Departments. In some cases, however, the action is entirely within the private or non-profit sector.
New commercial and residential growth improves the quality of life for Nashvillians by supporting their vision for Nashville’s future.
Invest in the near term in the places identified by the Growth & Preservation Concept Maps as most critical to shape or manage demand in order to create mixed income communities that support a healthy environment, strong neighborhoods, high-capacity transit, walkability, and a prosperous economy.
Nashville strives to ensure that all communities share in the county’s prosperity and enjoy a high quality of life.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement the recommendations of the Diversity Advisory Committee to improve recruitment, hiring, promotions and retention of a workforce that is inclusive and representative of local demographics. | |
| Implementers: Diversity Advisory Committee, Metro Human Resources, Mayor’s Office, Metro Human Relations Commission | 362 | |
| Ongoing | Review annually the progress of Metro and the city in improving opportunity and inclusion and reducing disparities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations Commission | 363 |
Engage affected communities when making long-term land use decisions, with particular attention to communities vulnerable due to residents’ lack of time or resources to participate, historic or current discrimination, or other barriers to participation.
Create mixed income communities that support good health and access to quality educational opportunities by maintaining affordability in gentrifying areas and incorporating affordable and workforce housing when new development occurs across the county.
Ensure jobs, education, and training opportunities are located close to transit service, in centers, or in high-need areas.
Build a complete, efficient transportation system that gives Nashvillians access to work, housing, cultural activities, and other needs throughout the county and region.
Recognize and reflect Nashville’s cultural diversity and diverse needs when delivering programs or building, improving, or maintaining infrastructure, the built environment, or access to public art.
Ensure all communities have access to parks, green areas, cultural amenities, and recreation opportunities that support mental and physical well-being.
Support efforts to improve equity throughout Middle Tennessee.
Nashville conserves its natural resources in order to mitigate floods and other natural hazards, ensure clean air and water, raise food locally, provide outdoor recreation, and preserve the culture and character of Davidson County.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Design and initiate a process to review old, undeveloped or partially developed PUDs and SPs that impact environmentally sensitive features. |
| 373 |
Nashville’s neighborhoods provide residents with a choice of places to live, preserving neighborhood character and history while accommodating housing choices across income levels, interests, ages, abilities, and races or ethnicities.
Nashville’s neighborhoods include mixed-use, walkable centers, commercial districts, and corridors that fit within their context and character and offer housing affordable across a range of incomes.
Invest in the built environment in and around centers to improve quality of life and attract private investment. The built environment includes grey infrastructure (such as buildings, streets, sidewalks, parking, sidewalks, and water and sewer pipes), green infrastructure (like trees, parks, and landscaping), and placemaking (such as urban design, public art, gateways, or creative signage).
| Near term (1-3 years) | Optimize sewer, water, stormwater, and other infrastructure within Nashville's Centers and Corridors to prepare for or coordinate with redevelopment. Use green infrastructure to reduce the need for upgrades and to improve streetscapes. | |
| Implementers: MWS, NES, MPW, MPC | 76 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Establish a modest charge on electricity bills to pay for burying utilities in walkable activity centers or to relocate utilities that obstruct pedestrian access, with particular attention to accessibility for people with disabilities. | |
| Implementers: NES | 156 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify strategic sidewalk, transit, greenway, and bikeway improvements in each center to transform them into more walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented places. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPW | 185 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Reduce the use of in-lieu fees for sidewalks within Centers or along Corridors. This could be accomplished by increasing the fees in these locations or by reducing when they can be paid. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Finance | 281 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Give priority to acquiring open space such as plazas, parks, or civic buildings in prominent locations in Tier One Centers to frame new development and create a place that welcomes new homes, shops, and jobs and provide public space to the community. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Parks | 289 |
Create mixed income communities by encouraging more market-rate housing at lower price levels, preserving affordable housing in gentrifying neighborhoods, and creating new affordable homes when new market-rate homes are built.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Amend policies, zoning, and codes to encourage mixed use redevelopment in Centers that are appropriate to their context, provide a range of housing and commercial building options, and meet high levels of environmental performance. Regulations should support building forms, massing, and character that create walkability, a welcoming streetscape, and a variety of building styles, stocks, sizes, and ages that support adaptable uses as centers change over time. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 280 |
Provide jobs, transit access, groceries, schools, childcare, parks, cultural amenities, and other daily needs within centers. Align social services, health care, workforce development opportunities, and other critical services within centers.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify appropriates centers to establish Business Improvement Districts (or similar tool) to generate funding to manage parking districts, maintain and enhance streetscapes, and work with surrounding neighborhoods to address concerns of business owners and residents. The BID should focus on creating high-quality public spaces and developing consensus for critical infrastructure improvements. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Mayor's Office, Finance | 158 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create a parking management program and parking districts to support redeveloping centers with tools to manage parking across the entire center, rather than lot by lot. The parking program and districts should improve livability and quality of place within and near the center, support complete streets, improve affordability of residential and commercial space, and manage parking pressures in transitional areas and nearby residential neighborhoods. The program should investigate, develop, and use tools such as modified off-street parking standards, on-street parking rules and rates, privately or publicly maintained lots, community benefits, residential parking programs, car-sharing access, and shared parking agreements. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPW, Metro Council, Traffic and Parking Commission | 127 |
Use Metro services and programs and private community-building efforts to build relations between old and new residents.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop an educational framework that describes and visualizes the evolution of Nashville's centers over time and promotes the redevelopment and benefits of investment within and near centers among private sector developers and residents. | |
| Implementers: MPC, NCDC | 291 |
Nashville uses housing infill along mobility corridors to provide more housing choices that support walking and transit use and to transition gracefully between residential neighborhoods and more intense mixed use and commercial centers and corridors.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess Centers and Corridors to determine ways to transition density and housing options appropriately into adjacent neighborhoods so walking, biking, and transit is viable while maintaining the character in identified neighborhood maintenance areas. | |
| Implementers: MPC, NCDC | 279 |
Nashville residents have safe, meaningful transportation choices within their neighborhoods for commuting to work, meeting daily needs, and getting to all of the places Nashvillians want to go throughout the county.
| Mid-term<br>(4-6 years) | Empower a multimodal department of transportation to coordinate transportation planning, design, and capital improvements with development regulations to improve livability and safety, promote workforce access and economic development, maximize state and federal grants, and reduce transportation impacts to Middle Tennessee’s environment. This department would coordinate with Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Metro Planning, Nashville MTA, Metro Nashville Airport Authority, Metro Traffic and Parking Commission, Metro Transportation Licensing Commission, and the Mayor’s Office. The department should coordinate with regional transportation groups, including the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Regional Transit Authority, local utilities, and railroad companies, as well as key Metro stakeholders like Metro Nashville Public Schools, Metro Development and Housing Agency, and the Metro Public Health Department. Consider examples from peer cities (Seattle, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Portland, and Baltimore). | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office | 173 | |
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Continue the implementation of the Mayor’s Complete Streets Executive Order and assess Metro departments and partner agencies annually for compliance with the Executive Order that includes not only the design of transportation modes within new infrastructure projects but documents the process and potential recommendations for implementing Completes Streets. When designing Complete Streets, include green infrastructure to manage stormwater where appropriate. Metro Public Works, Metro Planning, MTA, TDOT, the Nashville Area MPO, Nashville B-Cylce, Metro Parks and Greenway, Metro Water Services, and Metro General Services are primary departments and agencies to review. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPW, MTA, TDOT, MPO, MWS, Parks, General Services, Bcycle | 70 | |
| Ongoing | Balance the accessibility and safety needs of all road users when streets are closed for special events or detours posted for construction projects. Primary accommodations should be made for Nashvillians who are disabled; whose mobility is impaired; or who walk, bike, or use transit, since these road users are most negatively impacted by detours and unsafe site conditions. | |
| Implementers: MPW, MTA | 71 | |
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Develop a multi-year program of projects with public review to reflect the city’s multi-modal transportation vision as part of the Capital Improvements Budget which is coordinated with NashvilleNext and within the framework of the Nashville Area MPO’s RTP update and TIP amendment cycle. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Nashville Area MPO, Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA, RTA, Nashville B-cycle, Metro Parks, Metro Health Department | 278 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify potential corridors for a road diet within the Major and Collector Street Plan to into livable streets. Prioritize corridors for study, which should engage local residents and businesses in an affected area to address concerns about traffic speeds, on-street parking, biking, walking, street crossings, streetscaping, and access. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPW, TDOT, MTA, Mayor's Office, Metro Council | 277 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Major and Collector Street Plan on a regular basis to reflect updated land use policy changes and capital investment decisions of Metropolitan Government and TDOT. Coordinate this planning process with the Nashville Area MPO’s RTP updates and TIP amendment cycle. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA | 276 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Improve the connection between transportation infrastructure and technology with additional ITS components to assess traffic conditions, pavement conditions, inform motorists of conditions, and direct motorists to alternate routes; coordinate traffic signals across major corridors and during high traffic events; and develop a real-time, automated centralized reporting system for closures and detours for all modes of transportation. Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance and operations of ITS components in the transportation network. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA, RTA, Nashville B-cycle, Nashville Area MPO, Metro Planning, Metro Police, TDOT, Tennessee Highway Patrol | 130 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop a strategy for shared parking and implementation of car-sharing programs in new development so that it enhances multimodal choices. See LUTI 4.11 regarding parking in Centers. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 275 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways to incorporate priorities identified by Nashville Next public outreach as well as other local studies and best practices from other cities, as seen in Sidewalks and bikeways sidebar ("Improving sidewalks and bikeways in Nashville" in the Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure Element, page II-52). The Strategic Plan should inform the Planning Commission, the Mayor, and Metro Council when establishing capital improvement budgets. | |
| Implementers: MPW, MPC, MPO | 274 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance of existing sidewalks. Explore all available funding mechanisms for walking infrastructure in transparent process to create a plan that meets the needs and desires of the community. Review sidewalks projects with the community for feedback annually as the Capital Improvements Budget is developed. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Metro Public Works, Metro Planning Department | 154 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Review Metro and State sidewalks standards and adjust design to correspond with the city’s adopted Major and Collector Street Plan design guidelines which carry out the Mayor’s Complete Streets Executive Order. | |
| Implementers: TDOT, Metro Public Works, Metro Planning Department | 273 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Ensure adequate funding is available for regular maintenance of greenways, bike lanes, multi-use paths, bikeshare stations, and for the construction of new bikeways. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Nashville B-cycle | 272 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand the city’s Moving in Harmony educational and encouragement program as the umbrella campaign for transportation safety in Nashville. As part of that program, the city should consider a Vision Zero policy which will require Metro and State departments to assess crash data on local streets, generate a list of high crash locations for public review and comment, assess potential multi-modal conditions, and implement low-cost safety improvements through a forum for interdisciplinary dialog on transportation safety in the region to include professionals from transportation planning, traffic engineering, safety education, public health, emergency response, and traffic enforcement. As part of a future reporting mechanism, track fatality and disabling injury trends on Nashville streets. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Nashville Area MPO, Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA, RTA, Nashville B-cycle, Metro Parks, Metro Police, TDOT, Tennessee State Highway Patrol, Metro Health Department, Mayor’s BPAC, Walk-Bike Nashville, Transit Now | 271 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Assess the best methods to fund the regional mass transit system through the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee and Mayor’s Caucus, then work with local, State, and Federal officials to support a funding mechanism to expand mass transit to implement the regional mass transit system as outlined in the Regional Transportation Plan and prioritized in the Strategic Transit Master Plan. | |
| Implementers: Mayors Caucus, MPO, Transit Alliance | 132 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Strategic Transit Master Plan and Nashville Area MPO RTP to closely align with the vision of NashvilleNext for land use and redevelopment of Centers and Corridors. Prioritize corridors and implementation of transit upgrades during a transparent planning process that explores the transit system’s limited budget and implements the most important community needs. | |
| Implementers: Nashville MTA, RTA, Metro Planning, Nashville Area MPO | 270 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop off-site examples or mock-ups of transit components that may be implemented like BRT and Light Rail for the community to see firsthand, explore, and discuss. – Nashville MTA, RTA, Transit Now, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee | |
| Implementers: Nashville MTA, RTA, Transit Now, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee | 144 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess and establish a supplemental transportation program for older adults guided by land use, transportation, social services, and non-profit agencies along with private-sector collaboration for a growing segment of Nashville/Davidson County’s population. | |
| Implementers: Council on Aging of Greater Nashville; Nashville MTA; Metro Planning; TDOT; Nashville Area MPO; Franklin Transit; Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability; Non-Profit Foundations; Private-Sector Partners | 269 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Prioritize Street Connectivity Projects identified in Access Nashville and assess policies and funding programs to implement connections. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works | 365 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Evaluate Special Impact Areas on a regular basis so negative impacts upon surrounding neighborhoods are reduced by exploring potential remedies, implementing advance technologies, and determining opportunities to use the areas more efficiently. Assess opportunities for relocation of these facilities to more appropriate areas of less impact if necessary. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 99 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Study existing and potential industrial land to assess their adequacy for current and future needs, while recognizing the changing character of industrial uses. Recent technological innovations allow for traditional industrial activities (such as manufacturing) to happen with fewer and lower impacts to surrounding properties. Meanwhile, population growth means additional needs for industrial services. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 170 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Evaluate the need for a home buyout program for neighborhoods near Special Impact Areas whose homes have historically been negatively impacted. Use the flood program program as a model. Properties that take advantage of a buyout should be converted to open space to assist with Nashville's resiliency efforts. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Finance, MWS | 172 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Assess the need to retrofit obsolete and deficient Metro properties for energy efficiency and resiliency efforts within Special Impact Areas. See related action items in NRHA re: recycling expansion to reduce the need for landfills | |
| Implementers: MPC, General Services | 166 |
Provide regular reports on the condition of Nashville’s infrastructure and the cost of repair, upgrades in new infrastructure.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Establish an infrastructure task force to report on the condition of Nashville's infrastructure and create a capital investment program to align nashvillenext priorities, responding to immediate health and safety issues, balancing countywide equity, and complying with legal mandates. The plan should include recommendations for funding and priorities. |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, MPC | |
| 56 |
Create infrastructure plans that are in line with community goals and growth strategies, recognize lifecycle costs of new infrastructure, and maximize and maintain existing infrastructure investments.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a Smart Cities Advisory Council to assess opportunities to connect infrastructure through emerging technologies, so data can be analyzed to make smarter decisions, improve efficiency, and provide better services. Team members may consist of elected officials, government, non-profit, and private sector to bridge between Metro departments, other municipalities, state agencies, and other major stakeholders. Areas that could be addressed include transportation, water management, public safety, energy, buildings, and IT and connectivity. |
| 374 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a decision support tool for assessing infrastructure proposals in light of environmental, equity, and economic factors, including climate |
| 375 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Planning Commission’s Infrastructure Deficiency Area policy to match current Community Character Policies, and infrastructure needs and the vision for the community’s growth and preservation. Once updated, extend the policy to all parts of the county deficient in infrastructure. Currently, the policy only applies to transportation deficiencies in certain partly developed portions of the Southeast Community Planning Area. See that Community Plan for more information. |
| Implementers: MPC | |
| 364 |
Recommend expansions to the Urban Services District over time to include all areas identified as T3 Suburban or more intense.
Recognizing its status as the center of a thriving region, Nashville embraces coordination with surrounding cities and counties to ensure greater prosperity and well-being for all.
| Ongoing | Support the creation of a Regional Open Space and Greenways Plan that serves Metro Nashville, surrounding counties, and municipalities with the help of the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. | |
| Implementers: MPO, Mayors Caucus | 84 | |
| Ongoing | Assess infrastructure involving water, sewer, and energy regionally to determine how to work with surrounding counties, utilities, and the Tennessee Valley Authority on smart growth, energy efficiency concepts, and resiliency. Nashville should continue to model policies for Middle Tennessee communities. | |
| Implementers: Mayors Caucus | 72 | |
| Ongoing | Align land use and transportation policies to support the regional vision for mass transit in the Nashville Area MPO's Regional Transportation Plan. Determine regional incentives for land uses that support the transit vision. | |
| Implementers: MPO, Mayors Caucus, MPC | 100 |
Every Nashvillian has genuine access to opportunities to participate in the arts and cultural activities.
Grow public funding for arts and culture so that Nashville remains competitive with peer cities.
| Ongoing | Establish a dedicated stream of revenue for grants to support arts and cultural programming throughout the city. Metro Arts Strategic Plan | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Finance | 2 | |
| Ongoing | Create a fund to support additional neighborhood festivals, cultural heritage programs, and exhibits. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Finance | 24 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand artist residencies and direct funding for artist projects like THRIVE microfund. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Finance | 23 |
Expand cultural facilities and venues in neighborhoods.
| Ongoing | Coordinate spending on cultural and artistic programs and capital improvements across Metro departments. | |
| Implementers: Finance, Metro Arts Commission, all metro agencies | 20 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a public inventory of facilities, such as multi use, incubator, studio spaces, etc. available for public use and rental (eg. Fractured Atlas Space Finder Program). | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Greater Nashville Chamber of Commerce | 39 |
Increase Cultural Equity and Inclusion practices within nonprofit and city cultural providers.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Launch Cultural Equity Speaker and Learning Series for Metro (parks, libraries, metro arts) and nonprofit cultural partners. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 18 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Initiate Cultural Equity and Inclusion Peer-Learning Network within area non-profits. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 17 |
Better integrate art activation and public art into core city infrastructure planning for Parks, MDHA, MTA, and Public Health.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop art/culture/placemaking protocols with key Metro Departments | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Arts Commission, Public Works, Parks, | 16 |
Nashville artists and creative entrepreneurs have clear pathways to grow their professional practices and businesses.
Establish the Mayor’s Office of Cultural and Creative Economy to coordinate Metro and private sector planning and investments in creative economic development.
| Ongoing | Coordinate councils and trade groups such as Music City Music Council, Film/Transmedia Council, and Nashville Fashion Collaborative. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Mayor's Office, Music City Music Council, Film/Transmedia Council, Nashville Fashion Collaborative, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 15 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish and implement a creative microbusiness incentive program and priority investment zones. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 13 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Partner with Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Vision 2020 plan to integrate resources and planning for building creative sectors. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Greater Nashville Chamber of Commerce | 10 |
Expand existing workforce training and development for creative jobs.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create a coalition of universities and business leaders to research and assess the gaps in degree programs that will aid and assist in the future of the creative economy (see 1.2) | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 6 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Coordinate development of targeted non-degree certificate programs with Nashville State and NCAC to increase readiness in artisan manufacturing, film, and media design. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 4 |
Increase the visibility of local art and artisans through citywide marketing and branding.
| Ongoing | Collaborate with artisans and the private sector to create and market a campaign that promotes and supports businesses that make local artisan products. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Greater Nashville Chamber of Commerce, arts advocacy organizations | 3 |
Support funding and zoning practices that retain affordable housing and space for creating art throughout the county.
| Ongoing | Develop partnerships with the Housing Fund and others to create replicable lending tools for artist retail and co-op residential projects. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Housing Fund | 48 | |
| Ongoing | Establish a Metro-wide “Studio Trust Fund,” based on the land trust model, which provides tax benefits to private developers that designate a percentage of building space in new or redevelopment projects. Explore opportunities for transfer of development rights (TDR) for private developers who preserve studio spaces. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 47 |
Expand professional training and tools for artists and creatives
| Ongoing | Support expansion of web-based tools like NowPlayingNashville.com and ExploreNashvilleArt.com | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 46 |
| Ongoing | Expand Periscope Artist Training Program | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Arts & Business Council | 45 |
Nashvillians embrace arts education and lifelong cultural literacy as a core value.
Incorporate and fund arts and creativity as a key component in Metro School’s core curriculum, as well as priority programs and activities.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Annually fund MNPS Pre-K – 12 visual arts, dance, music, and theater instructional programs as requested through the annual budget process. | |
| Implementers: Finance, Metro Arts Commission, Metro Nashville Public Schools | 44 | |
| Ongoing | Support greater collaboration and integration between educational facilities and the city’s cultural resources. Provide the necessary staff to manage teacher training options in a manner similar to those offered for music education through the Online HUB, managed by Music Makes Us. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Music Makes Us | 43 | |
| Ongoing | Create new and/or expand existing pathways in middle and high schools to include opportunities for students to explore the arts, and to encourage more interdisciplinary learning (such as STEM to STEAM). | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Metro Nashville Public Schools | 42 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand opportunities for professional development in arts integration for teachers. | |
| Implementers: Metro Nashville Public Schools | 40 |
Foster student career and technical training options in the arts, design and creativity in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Conduct an assessment of the art and design- related offerings provided by the region’s colleges and universities. Evaluate the needs of local creatives to identify gaps between what is being offered and what is needed in order to advance in creative careers. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 26 |
Expand arts and cultural education opportunities for the general public.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Increase the funding and expand offerings for arts education programming within Metro Departments (MNAC, Parks, Libraries, Community Education). | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Metro Parks, Libraries, Nashville Community Education | 38 |
Nashville has thriving creative and cultural neighborhoods dispersed throughout the region.
Integrate cultural amenities, facilities and creative economic activation in all commercial corridors and neighborhoods.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Invest in a countywide cultural and creative economy plan that includes a long range plan for community cultural enhancement, and focuses on creative economy investments. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 50 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish a GIS database mapping cultural facilities and assets within the county. Use this tool to assess existing cultural amenities and to identify opportunities for cultural investment. (Culture Here with Chamber already in process) | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 36 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a Nashville Heritage Tourism Walking and Biking Trail that integrates the Trail of Tears, the Civil War sites, historic sites including cemeteries, music industry landmarks, and significant architectural contributions, and iconic Nashville landmarks. (formerly NR 2.2.4) | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Metro Historical Commission | 35 |
Create or streamline land use, zoning, and permitting tools to encourage the creation and enhancement of creative neighborhoods and cultural districts.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Study and establish the parameters for special event permitting. Revise the permitting procedures and online application process to be transparent and user friendly. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Zoning and Permitting | 34 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create a revenue-generating process for permitting temporary building uses, such as stores/artisan markets, or other pop-up models. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 33 | |
| Ongoing | Create/revise zoning provisions for retail guidelines and live/work allowances for makers/artisans in targeted areas. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Arts Commission, Metro Council | 32 |
Expand funding sources for permanent and temporary public art while also funding public art maintenance throughout the region.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a public art master plan for the county that identifies locations and types of art for areas in the region, and includes guidelines for public art and publicly visible art (art on private land that is accessible to the public). | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 31 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish developer-based incentives for inclusion of public art and/or areas for creatives to work (studios or multipurpose areas that can be used for performance or exhibits). (See Santa Rosa, CA for example) | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 30 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a Metro-wide monuments and memorials proposal and art donation acceptance policies. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 29 |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Update the Percent for Public Art Ordinance to include provisions for maintenance of the public art collection. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Metro Council | 27 |
Nashville will have a thriving economy, built on a diversity of economic sectors that are nationally and internationally competitive, mid- to large-size businesses that provide a large and diverse number of employment opportunities, and entrepreneurial and small businesses that support our quality of life.
Support entrepreneurs and small businesses by providing locations to develop and grow new businesses, business development training, support for small-business and start-up districts, and clear laws and regulations.
| Ongoing | Collaborate with artisans and the private sector to create and market a campaign that promotes and supports businesses that make local artisan products. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission, Greater Nashville Chamber of Commerce, arts advocacy organizations | 3 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create rules that allow home-based businesses in existing neighborhoods without disrupting the character and enjoyment of those neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 205 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish and implement a creative microbusiness incentive program and priority investment zones. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 13 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Prioritize community needs for surplus and underused Metro property. In addition to space for Metro agencies, community needs include affordable housing, open space, urban agriculture, business incubation space, and community services. Ensure surplus properties from foreclosures have clear deeds. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Finance | 206 | |
| Ongoing | Create/revise zoning provisions for retail guidelines and live/work allowances for makers/artisans in targeted areas. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Arts Commission, Metro Council | 32 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Review best practices for encouraging small and disadvantaged businesses participation in Metro projects, such as establishing a business development academy to provide support and mentorship for new entrepreneurs. Conduct this review regularly to maintain appropriate support for small and disadvantaged businesses. | |
| Implementers: Business Assistance Office, Council | 207 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Conduct market and design feasibility studies of creating a waterfront eco-industrial district in Cockrill or Hadleys Bends. An eco-industrial district locates green manufacturing and industries, such as recycling, together in a district where they can link inputs and outputs to reduce costs and waste. Existing green and recycling businesses should be engaged to ensure site characteristics meet their needs. |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, MPC | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify ways to streamline and simplify tools and regulations affecting small businesses. Models include the Development Services One Stop Shop or an online portal. This effort could assist with licenses, business planning, Metro incentives, and small- and minority-business opportunities to support existing small businesses and prospective future entrepreneurs. It could also provide education for business owners on topics such as major changes in law (such as the Affordable Care Act), ensuring visitability for people with disabilities, and cultural sensitivity. It should coordinate with related workforce and business development services. |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Business Assistance Office |
Create an adequate inventory of investment-ready places to match the diverse needs of different kinds of businesses. Investment-ready means places whose entitlements are in line with market demand, infrastructure, political, and community support.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify future places for business location and expansion and identify the investments and tools necessary to make them attractive. A number of investment-ready sites have been identified as ready for job growth. Metro Nashville should help prepare the next set of sites by improving infrastructure in areas that are otherwise ready for investment. |
| Implementers: MPC, Mayor, MDHA, Finance | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Empower a multimodal department of transportation to coordinate transportation planning, design, and capital improvements with development regulations to improve livability and safety, promote workforce access and economic development, maximize state and federal grants, and reduce transportation impacts to Middle Tennessee’s environment. This department would coordinate with Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Metro Planning, Nashville MTA, Metro Nashville Airport Authority, Metro Traffic and Parking Commission, Metro Transportation Licensing Commission, and the Mayor’s Office. The department should coordinate with regional transportation groups, including the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Regional Transit Authority, local utilities, and railroad companies, as well as key Metro stakeholders like Metro Nashville Public Schools, Metro Development and Housing Agency, and the Metro Public Health Department. Consider examples from peer cities (Seattle, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Portland, and Baltimore). |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a plan to achieve the general availability of gigabit ethernet by 2020. The plan should reflect private and public roles and opportunities and should identify multiple approaches to ensuring access for low income people. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro | 231 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify and prioritize brownfield redevelopment opportunities and create or enhance the tools necessary to capitalize on those opportunities in order to create investment ready places, and improve environmental quality. Brownfields are developed sites that have high levels of pollution. Large brownfield sites include intense industrial sites, while smaller ones include gas stations and drycleaners. These sites may need environmental remediation, beyond typical redevelopment needed for "greyfield" sites, like strip commercial developments with large parking lots. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPHD, MDHA | 175 | |
| Ongoing | Build a high capacity transit system in Davidson County and within the region to expand access from homes to major concentrations of employment in order to create economic prosperity. | |
| Implementers: MTA | 81 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify innovative opportunites for providing lower-cost parking in and near downtown to lower the transportation costs for lower-wage workers. While transit service into and out of downtown is currently improving, and will improve substantially in the long term, many current workers on evening or night shifts face immediate pressure as the high cost of parking dramatically reduces their take-home pay. Opportunities could include the football or baseball stadia or the parking garage at Metro facilities outside of daytime business hours. | |
| Implementers: Downtown Partnership, MPC | 219 | |
| Ongoing | Identify and promote existing investment-ready sites to private sector businesses, lenders, and developers. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 82 |
| Ongoing | Actively participate in and support regional economic development activities and organizations, such as the Mayor's Caucus, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's Partnership 2020, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Workforce Board | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Caucus, P2020 Partnership, NCAC | 83 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Research and propose programs for existing Nashville businesses and those considering locating in the city to contribute to the education and well-being of Nashville’s children and youth. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 328 |
Search for opportunities for new and emerging industries and economic sectors with the potential to grow and support rising incomes to locate in Nashville.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create a revolving loan fund to pay for long-term energy efficiency improvements and distributed renewable energy installations to create a new source green jobs. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Electric Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, Finance | 133 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Check for alignment between clean energy research, development, and technical training among colleges and universities. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Electric Service | 134 |
Nashville will increase the quality of life and business opportunities throughout Davidson County to make life better for existing residents and attract new residents.
Expand business opportunities, retail, and services that fit within the character and context of underserved areas.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Analyze barriers to entry for areas underserved by essential retail to identify necessary steps to improve access. A special focus should be on retail such as grocery stores that can improve quality of life for residents and catalyze additional private sector investment. Based on the studies, create an ongoing program to incentivize to these essential retail and services. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Metro Council | 171 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Engage property owners in underserved areas to identify barriers to private investment and provide guidance on what is appropriate in current zoning and community plans. | |
| Implementers: MPC | 213 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Work with state and local partners to develop public, private, or non-profit banking services to reduce reliance on predatory lending. Banking services include access to checking and savings accounts, credit, and low-interest loans. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro Council | 214 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify ongoing funding source for Financial Empowerment Center. The Financial Empowerment Center was created in 2013 using a three-year grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, but does not have a funding source beyond its grant period. Funding could come from a mix of Metro, State, and private sources, including banks. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, FEC, private and non-profit partners | 226 |
Nashville’s workforce will match skills needed by today’s employers as well as be prepared for the shift to increasingly higher skilled jobs that will account for most of our expected employment growth.
Ensure secondary, post-secondary, and vocational opportunities in the Nashville region are matched to current employer needs and future job trends.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Coordinate with Nashville State Community College to co-locate appropriate workforce and social services and transit access as it adds branch campuses. | |
| Implementers: NSCC, MSS, NCAC, MTA | 125 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Coordinate development of targeted non-degree certificate programs with Nashville State and NCAC to increase readiness in artisan manufacturing, film, and media design. | |
| Implementers: Metro Arts Commission | 4 | |
| Ongoing | Ensure post-secondary education institutions and workforce training programs are able to respond quickly to changes in skills demanded by emerging and changing industries. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, NCAC, Nashville Workforce Network | 98 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Encourage local colleges, universities, and certificate programs to establish or expand programs to develop installation, design, and engineering talent in support of clean energy infrastructure. | |
| Implementers: NCAC, Nashville Electric Service | 126 |
| Ongoing | Explore collaborative opportunities between local colleges, universities and community programs and MNPS around supporting students’ college aspirations, including, but not limited to, expansion of existing programs in MNPS, in private schools and homeschools where college credit may be earned in high school. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Strategic Plan | 101 | |
| Mid-term | Work with community colleges to establish satellite campuses in public high schools and increase | |
| (4-6 years) | community-based education aimed at providing additional resources outside of schools. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, area colleges and universities | 168 |
Ensure that the region retains college-educated talent from our regional post-secondary institutions to meet workforce needs.
| Long-term | Bring together the region’s colleges and universities to create a seamless collaboration between | |
| (7-10 years) | employers, college and career placement professionals and soon to graduate students to increase the number of students who become employed and stay in the region after graduation. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 123 | |
| Long-term | Increase the number of college internships available as an effective way to retain top talent | |
| (7-10 years) | graduating from the region’s colleges and universities. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 109 | |
| Long-term | Encourage young professionals to actively lead and participate in community issues that support | |
| (7-10 years) | and improve the quality of place to engage and retain this demographic. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce | 108 |
Create direct and available pathways to connect Nashville workers to long-term employment opportunities with identified potential for prosperity with particular emphasis on workers living in poverty.
| Ongoing | Identify a responsible party and funding source to maintain and support a customer-friendly | |
| database of employment and training opportunities. | ||
| Implementers: Nashville Workforce Network | 69 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement the recommendations of the Diversity Advisory Committee to improve recruitment, hiring, promotions and retention of a workforce that is inclusive and representative of local demographics. | |
| Implementers: Diversity Advisory Committee, Metro Human Resources, Mayor's Office, Metro Human Relations Commission | 362 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Re-institute a summer youth employment program that provides low- and moderate-income youth with job skills, soft skills, and experience in workplaces. | |
| Implementers: NCAC | 217 | |
| Ongoing | Review annually the progress of Metro and the city in improving opportunity and inclusion and reducing disparities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations Commission | 363 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify appropriate job opportunities and connect to homelessness service provision to assist homeless people transitioning to stability. | |
| Implementers: Homelessness Commission, Nashville Workforce Network, NCAC | 216 |
Integrate immigrants, migrants, and refugees into the workforce, with resources to allow them to reach their full potential and bring skills from their home countries to good use in Nashville.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Use the Financial Empowerment Center to connect New Americans to banking and training services. | |
| Implementers: FEC | 215 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement the recommendations of the Diversity Advisory Committee to improve recruitment, hiring, promotions and retention of a workforce that is inclusive and representative of local demographics. | |
| Implementers: Diversity Advisory Committee, Metro Human Resources, Mayor's Office, Metro Human Relations Commission | 362 | |
| Ongoing | Use the Financial Empowerment Center to connect New Americans to banking and training services. | |
| Implementers: Financial Empowerment Center, Mayor's Office of New Americans | 67 | |
| Ongoing | Review annually the progress of Metro and the city in improving opportunity and inclusion and reducing disparities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations Commission | 363 |
Pursue a shared, community-wide vision and agenda to provide quality care, education and opportunity to Nashville’s children and youth, considering each child’s learning style, language, culture, special learning needs and economic status, meeting each child where they are in life with the expectation that the child will succeed.
Commit to using information, research, best practices and measurement in designing and implementing the care and education of Nashville’s children, setting the standard for high quality care and innovation in all our work with Nashville’s children and holding ourselves accountable to that standard.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a longitudinal database of educational and career outcomes for Metro Nashville Public School students (PK-16), along with basic demographic data and information on each student’s MNPS experience. Incorporate data from Nashville Public Library and other providers of high-quality, out-of-school programming as appropriate. Use data to determine which educational and out-of-school programming and services led to successful outcomes for MNPS youth. Create regular opportunities to report to the public on the outcomes and changes made to MNPS based on the findings. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, Entities providing out-of-school programming | 303 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Encourage transparency of outcomes for children in public, private and homeschooling settings. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Private Schools, organizations representing homeschooling | 302 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Throughout the action items proposed here, when new programming or models are proposed, begin with inventory and assessments of current offerings, assessing the efficacy of the existing programming. Research best practices locally and nationally on the topic. Determine whether existing programs should be expanded or whether additional programs should be established. In either case, establish baseline data, goals, benchmarks and regular assessments and updates on the efficacy of programming. | |
| Implementers: All entities listed with action items below | 301 |
Provide strong community support and resources for Nashville’s students through evolving and diverse PK-12 school learning environments.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the resources needed to ensure the highest quality education at all public schools in Nashville, with equitable investment across the system, meeting the needs of children in their communities and providing opportunities and the ability to utilize these opportunities across the County. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 300 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create community-wide support for an action plan created from the education and youth action items included in NashvilleNext. Use this action plan — and the community support behind it — to secure necessary resources for public schools. | |
| Implementers: MNPS and all entities listed with action items below | 331 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop a marketing campaign to benefit Metro Nashville public school students that explains to all Nashvillians, the importance of the public schools to Nashville and the region and rallies broad community support. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 354 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Research and propose programs for existing Nashville businesses and those considering locating in the city to contribute to the education and well-being of Nashville’s children and youth. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 328 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create forums for leaders in public, private and homeschooling settings to share ideas and improve children’s educational outcomes. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Private Schools, organizations representing homeschooling | 348 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Work with the media to report on positive news surrounding Nashville/Davidson County’s children and youth; ensure equitable reporting of news events across racial, ethnic and socio-economic communities; and to recognize how reporting that ties a child or youth and their actions to a school or neighborhood, when the school or neighborhood is not relevant to the story, stigmatizes schools and neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 349 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Encourage community leaders and elected officials to undertake the Poverty Simulation program offered through Metro Nashville Public Schools, which raises awareness of the challenges faced by families in poverty in Nashville/ Davidson County. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 350 |
Provide mentors and role models from throughout the community to work with children and youth.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new mentoring programs. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Entities currently providing mentoring programs | 351 |
Empower Nashville’s children and youth to participate in setting the course of their education, activities, employment and other aspects of their life and act upon their decisions by giving them what they need to make informed decisions for their future, a voice in decisions impacting them, and genuine access to resources and opportunities, regardless of their means. Success in achieving this policy can be measured, in part, with action 1.1.1 (longitudinal study of MNPS students).
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop, integrate and maintain a “transition coach” resource person in each educational setting. This person’s sole and explicit role is to define various educational transitions that students experience (PK – 16) and identify barriers to success at these transitions; assist children and youth through educational transitions; track the results of the children and youth’s choices on their educational outcomes; and use this data to help the school provide better support to students to make decisions that ensure their success. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 179 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Coordinate efforts of all persons who serve as school-based or community-based transition coaches – including guidance counselors, life coaches, literacy coaches, instructional coaches, numeracy coaches, etc. – to provide equitable access to these services and to provide a resource among these coaches as they work to meet the needs of the children and youth they serve. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, Other entities providing transition coach services | 178 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Align the middle school design with the high school design - the Academies of Nashville - allowing experiential learning for all students to include career prep, service learning, and research opportunities promoting creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 177 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Conduct ongoing training for staff in Metro departments/facilities that work with children and youth about LGBTQ awareness and affirmation. | |
| Implementers: Oasis Center | 361 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the number of children and youth reading through out-of-school programming or during the summer. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Public Libraries | 353 |
Create positive pathways for children and youth who are facing homelessness, delinquency/gangs, dropping out of school, and other threats to their well-being such as drugs/alcohol.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand upon programming to re-engage older, disconnected youth ages 16 – 24, to connect them to educational environments, expand their understanding of their personal future, and develop their skills to help them become part of a skilled workforce and contribute to the community. Build upon the Community–Based Reengagement Coaches program, Re3, developed by Alignment Nashville. | |
| Implementers: Alignment Nashville, Oasis Center | 346 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new out-of-school-time programming. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: NAZA, Nashville Public Library, MNPS, Alignment Nashville High School Alignment Team, Oasis Center, entities providing out-of-school activities to children and youth | 264 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create and expand short and long term transitional shelters for youth—including shelters that are affirming of LGBTQ youth—that build upon successful models developed in Nashville and other cities. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Oasis Center | 355 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand upon programming to develop youth leaders offering youth positive leadership opportunities. Among the models to consider is the Developing Community Leaders (DCL) program, an initiative of Alignment Nashville and Metro Nashville Public Schools. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Alignment Nashville | 356 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify youth in crisis through screening and referrals for youth in schools, assessments and communication of information regarding children in family shelters, implementing targeted mental health screening in physical healthcare practices, and conducting community data analysis to identify at risk groups for targeted interventions. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, providers of mental health services | 357 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new mental health services, resources and care provided to at-risk youth. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, providers of mental health services | 358 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Review MNPS transportation and enrollment policies and practices for barriers to using the continuity option including, but not limited to attitudes and beliefs of teachers and administrators; funding sources; lack of student and parent awareness, etc. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 359 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Inventory the current mobility rates of children in Metro Nashville Public schools and facilitate a community conversation on issues external to MNPS that impact children’s mobility rates such as family stability. Research best practices for reducing the mobility rate of all children, including homeless children, and develop programming based on the results including benchmarks, goals and tracking of success. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing services to homeless children and other children experiencing significant mobility | 360 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new programming directed to at-risk youth that improves youth self-esteem, establishes high standards for academics and personal conduct, and commits youth to college, redirecting youth away from gangs and juvenile court. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. Note that this action item also achieves policy 2.4 (successful transitions from high school). | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 338 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the number of alternatives to incarceration for MPD and Juvenile Court to address the needs of status offenders. | |
| Implementers: Juvenile Court, entities serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system | 336 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop more community initiatives for at-risk youth and increase parent awareness of the available options. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Juvenile Court, entities serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system | 352 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that is now used in MNPS high schools to the middle preps and ensure its distribution to all appropriate ages. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Juvenile Court, entities serving youth involved in the juvenile justice system | 332 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess Metro Nashville Public Schools' current practices for meeting the academic, behavioral, and social/emotional needs of students with disabilities in the general education setting. Educate and empower parents of children with disabilities through improved communication and input. Assess the effectiveness of how educational settings including, zoned schools, charter schools, choice schools, and magnet schools, are providing students with disabilities meaningful and purposeful participation in the school and community. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Department of Exceptional Education, Exceptional Education Family Advisory Council (EEFAC), parents of children with IEP's, building administrators, school staffs, community leaders | 333 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Promote a culture of acceptance and inclusion within peer groups in school and out of school, for example, Physical Education Partners, pairing students across ability and performance levels; planning Disabilities Awareness activity or day where youth simulate having a disability; expanding on the work of programs such as Best Buddies, a local non-profit that links youngsters and adults with developmental disabilities with peers who do not have a disability; creating a campaign around “no child left out” to promote inclusion of students with disabilities in out-of-school-time programming. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Department of Exceptional Education, Exceptional Education Family Advisory Council (EEFAC), parents of children with IEP's, community leaders | 334 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess what continuing education is currently offered to support students with special needs in out-of-school settings. Research best practices and offer community training and certification program, in partnership with experts in the field, to provide on-going professional development for program directors and staff on how to best support students with special needs in out-of-school settings. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Department of Exceptional Education, Exceptional Education Family Advisory Council (EEFAC), parents of children with IEP's, community leaders | 335 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish and expand out-of-school time and summer programming that meets the needs of students with disabilities ages 10-22 and is designed to include the youth and improve their quality of life and view of their personal future. This should include increasing access to current out-of-school time programs to special populations and creating the capacity in existing programs to provide an inclusive environment. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Department of Exceptional Education, Exceptional Education Family Advisory Council (EEFAC), parents of children with IEP's, community leaders | 345 |
Address challenges faced by children and youth in foster homes and their transition into adulthood.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop, integrate and maintain a “transition coach” resource person in each educational setting. This person’s sole and explicit role is to define various educational transitions that students experience (PK – 16) and identify barriers to success at these transitions; assist children and youth through educational transitions; track the results of the children and youth’s choices on their educational outcomes; and use this data to help the school provide better support to students to make decisions that ensure their success. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 179 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Ensure that children in the DCS system have placements that are best suited for the protection and physical, mental and emotional welfare of the children. | |
| Implementers: DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system | 337 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Decrease the number of children in the DCS system by finding positive parental substitutes, including extended family members, and maintaining these relationships after exiting the system (ages 0-21). | |
| Implementers: DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system | 330 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Ensure that all educational options fully incorporate children and youth who are placed in the foster care system and provide equity in meeting their educational needs and helping them to meet their highest potential. | |
| Implementers: DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system | 339 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue to provide opportunities for children in foster care including support services to ensure the continuation of their education in their existing school if they move to another home. Increase the number of students in foster care who utilize the continuity option available for MNPS students who relocate during the school year by increasing DCS and school awareness of this option. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system | 340 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop strategies for youth in transitional housing to move to academic housing as they pursue higher education. | |
| Implementers: DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system | 341 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Work with area colleges and universities to provide paths for youth in foster care to support them in higher education to ensure they have the same foundations for success as if they had traditional family support. | |
| Implementers: DCS, entities working with children and youth in the DCS system, area colleges and universities | 342 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create programming for families with children served by MNPS’ English Learner (EL) program, to provide parents with English as a Second Language (ESL) programming and children with EL programming. Ensure that the program is accessible by providing child care and transportation as needed. | |
| Implementers: MNPS' English Learner Program, entities serving children who are English learners | 343 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand upon MNPS’ summer institute for EL students, creating day-long programming to address the social, emotional, cultural, linguistic and academic needs of the children. | |
| Implementers: MNPS' English Learner Program, entities serving children who are English learners | 297 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Convene area colleges, universities and related partners to assess what actions are needed, and what actions are already underway, to provide non-citizen students with MNPS high school diplomas the opportunity to attend community college, college or university in Nashville or Middle Tennessee. | |
| Implementers: MNPS' English Learner Program, entities serving non-citizen students, area colleges and universities | 347 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Challenge local colleges, universities and related partners to provide financial assistance for non-citizen students with MNPS high school diplomas to receive in-state tuition at area higher education institutions. | |
| Implementers: MNPS' English Learner Program, entities serving non-citizen students, area colleges and universities | 313 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Advocate for non-citizen students with Tennessee high school diplomas to be eligible for state-sponsored scholarships and grants, so long as other eligibility criteria are met. | |
| Implementers: Entities serving non-citizen students | 253 |
Provide all children, youth, families, and caregivers quality educational opportunities and opportunities in and outside of school, information needed to make informed decisions on school choices, and genuine access to follow through on the choice.
Provide all families with the information they need to access educational choices and opportunities in and outside of school in a format and language that is relevant and understandable to them.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop, integrate and maintain a “transition coach” resource person in each educational setting. This person’s sole and explicit role is to define various educational transitions that students experience (PK – 16) and identify barriers to success at these transitions; assist children and youth through educational transitions; track the results of the children and youth’s choices on their educational outcomes; and use this data to help the school provide better support to students to make decisions that ensure their success. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 179 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase number of families who understand options available to children and youth at each point in their education from elementary and pre-K options (0-5) to middle school and high school choices. Develop and implement a marketing campaign to alert families to the information available online. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, MNPS' English Learner program, entities providing services to children and youth | 254 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand existing and/or create new programming for parents on education and child-rearing. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, MNPS' English Learner program, entities providing services to families | 255 |
Provide early educational programs such as quality, accessible early childhood care and pre-kindergarten for all to ensure that all children come into the K-12 school environment on an equal footing in terms of their ability to learn academic subjects.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Provide Pre-K for all Nashville/Davidson County families who need and want Pre-K for their child through public and private venues. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector | 183 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue to collect data on the efficacy and impact of Pre-K as well as best practices research to inform decisions on instructional practices, class locations, program improvements and student placement. Information gathered will inform the overall conversation on the value and need for Pre-K. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector | 256 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create sustainable funding sources to provide Pre-K to all Nashville/Davidson County children. | |
| Implementers: Metro, MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector | 190 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop an electronic data management system for student application information, and a redesigned application process to enroll students more efficiently. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector | 188 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Engage families, caregivers and community educators with guidance, resources, service and experiences to prepare children for kindergarten and success in school. Build upon the online kindergarten readiness resources—iTRAILS—developed by Alignment Nashville and MNPS. Ensure wrap around services are provided to strengthen the well-being of the child and the family. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector, Alignment Nashville | 257 |
| Mid-term<br>(4-6 years) | Improve overall quality of Pre-K education including, but not limited to, the following actions: develop a strategy to publicize and communicate the standards required for high-quality early childhood care and Pre-K education to providers; research and expand upon best practice models such as the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) to increase educational attainment, wages, and quality professional development for early childhood providers; provide competitive incentives for child care providers to increase quality; partner with community agencies and local universities to provide a variety of professional development opportunities for Pre-K educators and administrators. Partner with MNPS and private providers to create a continuum of learning by sharing District goals, initiatives, and testing results for collaborative planning and improvements. |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities providing Pre-K in private sector, Alignment Nashville | |
| 187 | |
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Expand current Nashville Library “storytime” programming and other literacy initiatives to address early childhood literacy. |
| Implementers: Nashville Public Libraries | |
| 267 |
Provide resources and programming to support the goal of all third graders reading at third grade level, to increase their likelihood of future academic and career success.
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new programs designed to help students in kindergarten, first, second and third grades meet reading benchmarks to ensure that, at third grade, they are reading at a third grade level. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, entities working on children's literacy | |
| 259 |
Provide systems, support, and resources to support graduation from high school, addressing the needs and challenges of individual students. Provide youth nearing the point of graduation and their families with information, support, and opportunities to pursue higher education, training, and/or work experience to fit their goals.
| Ongoing | Continue the practice of establishing goals for graduation rates based on the populations MNPS serves and those populations’ unique needs and challenges. Utilize data and analytics to evaluate graduation metrics to understand the underlying issues surrounding graduation rates, to create MNPS-specific solutions to improve graduation rates, and to better explain the complex situation of graduation rates in a diverse community such as Nashville/Davidson County. |
| Implementers: MNPS | |
| 93 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop, integrate and maintain a “transition coach” resource person in each educational setting. This person’s sole and explicit role is to define various educational transitions that students experience (PK – 16) and identify barriers to success at these transitions; assist children and youth through educational transitions; track the results of the children and youth’s choices on their educational outcomes; and use this data to help the school provide better support to students to make decisions that ensure their success. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 179 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new programs designed to aid students in graduating. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities working with youth approaching graduation | 252 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create, integrate and maintain the option of high quality internships, service-learning, and capstone experiences for all middle and high school students by taking the following steps: standardize definitions of internship, service-learning, and capstone experience for all advisors and organizations; create assessment measures for each experience; create training modules for all advisors and organizations that participate with students in the internship, service-learning and/or capstone experiences; recruit “experiences” for students and create a pipeline of resources to provide these opportunities. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, partner entities providing the experiences described | 186 | |
| Ongoing | Explore collaborative opportunities between local colleges, universities and community programs and MNPS around supporting students’ college aspirations, including, but not limited to, expansion of existing programs in MNPS, in private schools and homeschools where college credit may be earned in high school. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Strategic Plan | 101 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Begin college and career planning early based on college preparedness assessments and surveys of students’ skills, aptitudes and interests. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 261 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase support, partnerships and programming aiding college access and success of low-income and first-generation students, including programming to increase community awareness and partnerships to meet the needs of these students; increase awareness about the financial aid and planning supports available for low-income and first generation students; collaborate with colleges and universities to support the transition from high school to college for low-income and first generation students. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance | |
| Implementers: MNPS, entities working with youth approaching graduation and/or with low-income and first generation students, area colleges and universities | 262 |
Provide equitable access to, and distribution of, affordable out-of-school activities, technology, and healthy physical activities.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the number of youth involved in out-of-school activities. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: NAZA, Nashville Public Library, MNPS, Alignment Nashville High School Alignment Team, Oasis Center, entities providing out-of-school activities to children and youth | 263 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify the best approach to expanding existing and/or creating new out-of-school-time programming. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: NAZA, Nashville Public Library, MNPS, Alignment Nashville High School Alignment Team, Oasis Center, entities providing out-of-school activities to children and youth | 264 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand upon the out-of-school time network of public and private partnerships—Nashville Public Library's Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA)—to build a coherent and equitable system of provision of programming, coordinate resources and deliver unique and diverse programs for children. Expand NAZA to engage more middle school students and extend its reach to younger and older students as well as extending programming to the summer and/or weekend timeframe. Revise NAZA's standards and indicators of youth program quality to be developmentally-appropriate for K-12, and extend the reach of the continuous quality improvement processes (including professional development) to include all willing out-of-school time providers across the county. | |
| Implementers: NAZA | 265 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a dedicated fund of public and private contributions that would leverage local, state and federal funding to implement and support out-of-school time programming. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office of Children and Youth, entities providing out-of-school programming to children and youth | 237 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish a study group of youth, Metro agencies, and youth-serving agencies to determine the feasibility of a Community Youth Mapping Project to identify and map the location of all services, resources and opportunities available to youth. | |
| Implementers: Metro agencies, youth, entities providing programming to children and youth | 129 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create an information campaign to notify youth and families about out of school activities and programs, including, but not limited to, a web-based, user-friendly database with updated information for parents, youth and the community regarding programs (including current and upcoming events, classes, camps, field trips, etc.), location(s), participation criterion (if any), cost, scholarship availability and bus routes to program or service site. Include a public kiosk-component to increase easy access at libraries and family resource centers. | |
| Implementers: Entities providing programming to children and youth | 260 |
| Ongoing | Continue and expand the sharing of information between schools and qualified out-of-school time providers to best serve the whole child. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Library, NAZA, entities providing programming to children and youth | 96 |
Develop educational facilities, campuses and systems that can flexibly respond to evolving ways that educational opportunities may be provided and support innovative use of land and buildings for this purpose. Site schools in a manner that provides convenient countywide access, anchors communities, invites parental involvement, and promotes the health of students.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Pursue innovative sites for schools, pre-K, and for other programming. Ideas include, but are not limited to<br>• Undertake a collaborative approach with Metro to consider all Metro sites that could be used in the future for schools and partnerships with fellow Metro Departments to address infrastructure needs and to meet specific site challenges;<br>• Consider sites such as underutilized shopping centers or re-use of existing commercial or office buildings that would be easily served by transit and incorporated into the surrounding community as part of the public school site selection process;<br>• Examine the viability of hosting schools within large businesses or employment centers to serve the children of all employees in a manner that is convenient for parents and serves as a model for a mixed socio-economic student body, drawing students from the families of all employees;<br>• Explore tools to link new school development of significant commercial developments in the future, especially those within identified mixed use centers on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Property, Metro Council, other Metro Departments addressing growth and development, Nashville real estate community | 258 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Evaluate MNPS’ processes on siting and developing schools in light of research on best practices especially with regard to schools in infill settings, and MNPS’ school zoning and diversity goals; incorporate changes into the MNPS process and seek changes to zoning code regulations as needed. Strategically identify sites for early acquisition to ensure needed land for public school campuses in existing and emerging centers of employment as identified on the NashvilleNext Growth and Preservation Concept Map. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Property, Nashville real estate community | 250 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Evaluate the potential to utilize schools, libraries and community centers as locations for out-of-school-time programs and activities and to provide opportunities for youth and their families to seek information or services. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, Community Centers, other neighborhood-serving entities | 288 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a regular report on residential growth, projected student growth and the impact on schools per school zone to aid in planning for future school space. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, MNPS | 94 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue and expand the approach of co-locating public school facilities, such as elementary and middle schools. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction | 249 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue and expand the approach of co-locating schools with other services that meet the needs of children, youth and families. Identify a broad range of community facilities and services that could co-locate with public schools, including parks, visual art, music, and theater spaces, and libraries. Note that this action item also addresses Policy 4.3 (educational as neighborhood hubs). | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, co-location partners as appropriate | 248 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Explore partnerships and efforts to provide health services for children at schools and improve the healthiness of schools. Consider partnerships between Nashville’s many successful medical facilities and Metro Nashville Public Schools to meet needs for on-site health care at schools; support MNPS’ current Coordinated School Health model; provide a nurse in every school to support CSH/coordinate health initiatives within the school; and pursue healthy design standards for every school building including, but not limited to, radon resistant construction, indoor air quality, and other healthy/active design features. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, Metro Health Department | 247 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Work with community colleges to establish satellite campuses in public high schools and increase community-based education aimed at providing additional resources outside of schools. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, area colleges and universities | 168 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Examine the viability of changing school hours – providing start times well-suited to children and youth’s sleep schedules and hours that meet the needs of working parents and caregivers by providing safe, educationally-enriching settings for children and youth while parents work. | |
| Implementers: MNPS | 246 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Review criteria to consider when to “land bank” the land from a closed school for future use and/or use the land for a different, interim or long-term use. Review MNPS’ process for when and how to close underutilized schools, based on data on current enrollment and growth projections, and leading public dialogue to discuss the findings. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, Metro Planning Department | 245 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Evaluate MNPS' processes on changing school zones balancing research on best practices while maintaining MNPS' commitment to diversity within its schools. When rezoning is required, create processes for public dialogue that are tailored to fit the needs of the community to ensure meaningful community engagement. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction | 244 |
Provide Nashville’s families and caregivers with access to the resources, support systems and opportunities they need for their children to be safe and healthy and achieve academic and life success.
Provide parents and caregivers the opportunities, resources and support they need to succeed, reduce their stress, and allow them to dedicate more time and energy to their children.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Support activities that increase the amount of time families spend on literacy attainment and improvement, for example, ensuring that every child in Nashville is enrolled in Imagination Library or other similar programs and increasing the percentage of families with children who have library cards. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Public Libraries, entities offering literacy programming for children and families | 243 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Build efforts by the Metro Public Health Department and others to provide programming and strategies to support and improve the pre-conception and prenatal health of women and the use of preventive health care. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health Department, entities providing health care services to women | 242 | |
| Ongoing | Review annually the progress of Metro and the city in improving opportunity and inclusion and reducing disparities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations Commission | 363 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the rate of well-child exams in children and youth by promoting the benefits of annual well-child and well-teen exams; utilizing schools to inform parents about them; considering incentives that encourage well-child exams for middle school and high school age children; improving provider notification and reminder systems; and increasing access by offering free or affordable prices and convenience including school-located, after hours, and weekend services. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Metro Health Department | 241 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Enhance outreach regarding insurance eligibility and enrollment by utilizing public schools, pediatric ERs, TENNderCARE , and other points of first contact within the medical care system to inform families of options. | |
| Implementers: Tennessee Justice Center, Metro Health Department, MNPS | 240 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Explore policies that link students eligible for SNAP and/or TANF with insurance enrollment. | |
| 146 | ||
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create and/or expand a clearinghouse of available child/youth/family resources along with continuous information on which resources are being used and their cost to determine effectiveness. | |
| Implementers: Entities providing programming for children, youth and famililes | 145 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase adolescent and parental awareness of the risks of alcohol, tobacco and drug use through methods such as continuous, repetitive messages, particularly from individuals with cultural credibility, and integrate this approach into schools and out-of-school-time service providers. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health Department, entities providing programming addressing adolescent substance abuse | 239 |
Ensure that all children and youth are living in safe and supportive home environments.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a model with the co-location of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals who work together under one roof to provide coordinated services, innovate on new ideas and provide convenient access to families experiencing violence. | |
| Implementers: Metro Nashville Police Department, Department of Children's Services, MNPS, and other public and private entities assisting children and families experiencing violence | 282 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a shared data management system that would provide the means to track clients across services/ providers, including Metro Nashville Police Department, Department of Children's Services, District Attorney, MNPS, Metro Transit Authority, Metro Health Department and all non-profits or agencies providing services. | |
| Implementers: MNPS and entities listed in action item | 251 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide support for parents and caregivers with tools such as parenting classes, home visits or coaching, mentoring and meeting parents’ health needs to reduce children’s toxic stress (strong, unrelieved stress due to neglect or abuse that can permanently limit a child’s potential). | |
| Implementers: Entities providing programming for parents and caregivers | 266 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop positive media messaging to promote awareness regarding the importance of safe, stable, nurturing relationships for children. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health Department | 284 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Impact public policies to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for all children. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health Department | 285 |
Make Nashville’s neighborhoods safe, accessible, and welcoming for families so that they provide opportunities for play, learning and social engagement that help children and youth thrive.
Ensure that Nashville’s neighborhoods and public places are safe and welcoming.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Further Metro Government’s commitment to equity by conducting an assessment of discipline policies, practices and training at public facilities to determine how these facilities can be made to be welcoming for all children and youth. MNPS’ assessment is currently underway; consider assessments of policies, training and outcomes at parks, community centers, and libraries. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, Metro Parks | 286 |
Provide genuine access to the elements necessary for healthy and successful lives – ample parks and open spaces with structured activities for families to promote active lifestyles; transit; healthy food options; access to health care services, libraries, schools, community centers, jobs, entertainment, and other neighborhood-based services.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase awareness of the importance and benefits of healthy eating by children and youth through actions including, but not limited to, supporting healthy food at Head Start and MNPS, supporting the use of community gardens, and other actions to increase healthy food options in all neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Head Start, Metro Health Department, entities working on health and food security | 287 |
Provide educational facilities/campuses and other civic institutions such as libraries within neighborhoods that serve as neighborhood hubs and meet the unique needs of the neighborhood.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Support the placement of “community liaisons” in public schools as appropriate, acting as a bridge between the school and the surrounding community, facilitating conversation and seeking opportunities for collaboration. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, neighborhood leaders | 140 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Evaluate the potential to utilize schools, libraries and community centers as locations for out-of-school-time programs and activities and to provide opportunities for youth and their families to seek information or services. | |
| Implementers: MNPS, Nashville Public Libraries, Community Centers, other neighborhood-serving entities | 288 |
Ensure that Nashville’s neighborhoods are welcoming and accessible to all by ensuring affordability and transportation choices.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Coordinate among the Metro Transit Authority, MNPS, religious institutions, community centers, youth-serving nonprofits and youth to make the transit needs of youth known to MTA, so that MTA can weigh these when adjusting MTA routes and vehicles. | |
| Implementers: MTA and entities listed in action item | 298 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue MTA's efforts to focus on the needs of youth, providing services and accessibility that meet the needs of youth. | |
| Implementers: MTA | 290 |
Increase civic engagement to provide youth a voice in the growth of the city and in decisions that will impact their lives, such as the education system, libraries, transit, activities, and parks and recreation.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop a youth version of Leadership Nashville. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 283 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Explore partnership opportunities with local organizations currently working to provide leadership and service opportunities to youth. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Hands On Nashville | 292 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Investigate service-learning programs offered through AmeriCorps to engage disadvantaged youth, including AmeriCorps VISTA Summer of Service, the AmeriCorps Learn and Serve America Programs, and CityYear. See action EY 3.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 293 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Work with groups promoting public/community service and volunteerism among college students, training youth to be effective leaders. Models to consider include the Nashville Network for Youth and Civic Engagement (NNYCE)(18-21) and College Compact. See action EY 1.1 #301 for procedural guidance. | |
| Implementers: Entities providing services to children and youth in Nashville | 294 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue and expand the work of the Mayor’s Youth Council, considering such initiatives as: adopting a Nashville Youth Bill of as a way to express and formally recognize Youth needs to Metro government and adult community members and/or including a State of the Youth address presented by a representative of the Mayor’s Youth Council at the Mayor’s Annual State of Metro Nashville address. | |
| Implementers: Mayor’s Office of Children and Youth | 295 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand interaction between youth and Metro Council by inviting and recognizing the Mayor’s Youth Council and youth community to attend an annual Council Meeting focused on Nashville Youth; invite all Council Members to attend annual Youth Summit; and encouraging Council Members to recruit youth representatives from their district to serve as formal Youth Advisors. | |
| Implementers: Mayor’s Office of Children and Youth, Metro Council | 296 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide opportunities for youth to have their perspectives taken into account in the city policy and decision making process; consider models such as the youth committee in place to provide MTA guidance on youth-related transit issues. | |
| Implementers: Mayor’s Office of Children and Youth, Metro Departments | 268 |
All Nashville residents have a choice of vibrant, safe, and healthy neighborhoods across many different communities and contexts.
Preserve residential character in established neighborhoods, while accommodating housing options that meet Nashville’s changing needs.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a residential form based code that addresses compatible infill development given a neighborhood's context (rural, urban, suburban), as well as visitability (housing that is accessible to all) specifically for development that occurs within the interior of Nashville's diverse neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Council | 308 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop visuals and graphics that provide clear guidance on how to develop contextual and transitional infill that meets the needs of current and prospective residents. The visuals and graphics as part of the Community Character Manual will provide guidance on how to design new development to be contextually comparable with existing development while providing additional housing choice. This may include additional guidance for affordable or lower cost housing. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Planning Commission | 309 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update areas of Nashville/Davidson County as appropriate to new Rural Conservation, Rural Agriculture, and Rural Countryside Community Character Manual Policies that guide a reduction in development and discourage the expansion of sewer infrastructure. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Water Services | 323 |
Create safe, walkable community, retail, and employment centers across the county that fit within each community’s context and character and meet the needs for people of all ages and abilities.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Redevelop appropriate public housing sites with the goals of creating permanently affordable housing units, creating mixed income communities where feasible, avoiding permanent displacement of current residents, engaging the residents and surrounding community in planning for each site, and providing sites for needed Metro facilities (libraries, schools, etc.) as appropriate. | |
| Implementers: MDHA | 121 |
Encourage the development, redevelopment, or improvement of property, buildings, and landscapes to promote safety and reduce opportunities for crime.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Conduct a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) audit on five (5) randomly selected, recently approved developments to gauge how well CPTED principles are incorporated into site design and identify any opportunities to better incorporate CPTED principles without lessening the contextual relationships with surrounding development. Consider amending land development regulations, building codes, or the site development process to strengthen the use of CPTED principles. | |
| Implementers: Metro Police, Metro Codes, Metro Planning, Private Sector | 135 | |
| Ongoing | Continue to foster close relationships between public safety personnel and neighborhoods to promote safety through cooperation. | |
| Implementers: Metro Police, Private Sector | 77 | |
| Ongoing | Determine street lighting, and provide where needed, appropriate to the character of the area to protect the public and deter crime. | |
| Implementers: NES, Metro Police, Private Sector | 75 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess building codes to barriers to visitability for key housing and building types and locations. Visitability refers to buildings that allow people using walkers or wheelchairs or have other difficulties with steps. The three components of visitability are having at least one zero-step entrance, 32-inch wide doors, and having one bathroom that is wheelchair accessible on the main floor. Visitability benefits people with mobility disabilities, including Nashville's booming population of seniors. | |
| Implementers: Metro Codes, Metro Planning, Private Sector | 73 |
Expand the use of context sensitive and scale appropriate missing middle housing types as a matter of right.
Nashville promotes the safety and wellness of its residents, workers, and visitors.
Encourage physical activity and promote social and mental well-being by improving public spaces (such as public streets, sidewalks, and parks), reducing barriers to all pedestrians, and providing green space.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide an appropriate amount of funding on an annual basis for easements, acquisition, construction and maintenance of sidewalks, greenways, bikeways, and bikeshare locations. Prioritize projects identified in regularly updated versions of the NashvilleNext General Plan, Community Plans, the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, and the Parks and Greenways Master Plan based upon their ability to encourage the preservation of open spaces, ecologically sensitive areas, and improve air and water quality. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 203 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the funding for expansion of open space, parks and greenway acquisition to keep pace with population growth and maintain Nashville’s natural assets through the Open Space Acquisition Fund with at least $5 million leveraged by a minimum of 20% in private dollars. One key initiative includes acquiring property for a new anchor park within the southeast quadrant of the county, as depicted on the NashvilleNext Growth Framework map within five years. Additionally, within each Tiered Center, acquire property for parks within an appropriate timeframe. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Parks, Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, Land Trust for Tennessee | 224 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Continue to phase in the use of green infrastructure methods outlined in the Low Impact Development (LID) Manual within the private sector. Assess an increase in plan review fees to cover program administration, ensure fees correspond with stormwater loads and impervious cover, and set stringent thresholds for when LID methods are waived on a site. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Water Services | 195 |
Improve the health quality of Nashville’s air, water, light, and land, both outside and indoors.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Install built and natural infrastructure to mitigate light, air, and noise pollution for residents living in close proximity to urban interstates and the Nashville International Airport. | |
| Implementers: TDOT, Airport Authority, Metro Council | 131 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the number of low-income households receiving free healthy homes assessments and link to resources to address any issues found. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health | 223 | |
| Ongoing | Encourage additional conservation land easements by owners of private property. Some property owners in rural areas have placed conservation easements on their acreage through the Land Trust for Tennessee. Related to NR 1.4 #199. | |
| Implementers: Private sector, Land Trust for Tennessee, Other Land Conservation Organizations | 74 |
Improve mental health and wellbeing of Nashville residents through advocacy, education, research, and service.
| Ongoing | Educate Nashvillians about community-based service and therapy providers for sufferers of stress and depression. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health, Metro Healthy Nashville Leadership Council | 95 | |
| Ongoing | Continue to educate patients and family members of patients on the symptoms, therapy, rehabilitation, and medications associated with mental health disorders as well as connecting them with support networks. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health, Metro Healthy Nashville Leadership Council | 103 |
Ensure all neighborhoods have healthy food options — including locally grown food — particularly neighborhoods with low-levels of car ownership.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Ultilize the results and recommendations of the upcoming 2015 Community Food Assessment with its inventory and assessment to improve Nashville's local food system. Research best practices locally and nationally as needed. Determine whether existing programs should be expanded or whether additional programs should be established. In either case, establish baseline data, goals, benchmarks and regular assessments and updates on the efficacy of programming. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Nashville Food Policy Council, Metro Health, Private Sector | 138 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Analyze barriers to entry for areas underserved by essential retail to identify necessary steps to improve access. A special focus should be on retail such as grocery stores that can improve quality of life for residents and catalyze additional private sector investment. Based on the studies, create an ongoing program to incentivize to these essential retail and services. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Metro Council | 171 | |
| Ongoing | Expand gardening options in suburban communities. Use resource agencies to connect landowners to those wanting to grow food, often in exchange for a share of the produce. | |
| Implementers: Private sector, Community Garden Leaders | 107 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide additional financial and planning support for the Nashville Farmers' Market as the central hub for local food activity. Continue to diversify offerings to include more dairy, meat, fish, and bakery vendors. Incorporate the Nashville Farmers' Market in planning as new development and attendant residential/commercial/government office redevelopment occurs nearby to promote the Farmers' Market evolution and sustainability. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Farmer's Market, Farmers and Vendors, Metro Council, Metro Health, Metro Planning | 230 |
Offer a network of greenways, creeks, and rivers that connects Nashville residents to nature throughout Davidson County.
Host active and passive activities and amenities at community parks and open spaces for people of all ages.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Host active and passive activities and amenities at community parks and open spaces for people of all ages. Refer to the Natural Resources & Hazard Adaptation Element Goal 1, Policy 1.2 for additional actions related to this policy. |
| 60 |
Nashvillians have equitable access to goods, services, multiple modes of transportation, and public safety.
Support access throughout the county for all users (including walkers, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers) of roadways and greenways.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Review and improve tools to connect people in rural and low-density suburban areas interested in car- or vanpooling to expand commuting options in areas without sufficient density to support transit service. |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, MTA | |
| 102 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Empower a multimodal department of transportation to coordinate transportation planning, design, and capital improvements with development regulations to improve livability and safety, promote workforce access and economic development, maximize state and federal grants, and reduce transportation impacts to Middle Tennessee’s environment. This department would coordinate with Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Metro Planning, Nashville MTA, Metro Nashville Airport Authority, Metro Traffic and Parking Commission, Metro Transportation Licensing Commission, and the Mayor’s Office. The department should coordinate with regional transportation groups, including the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Regional Transit Authority, local utilities, and railroad companies, as well as key Metro stakeholders like Metro Nashville Public Schools, Metro Development and Housing Agency, and the Metro Public Health Department. Consider examples from peer cities (Seattle, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Portland, and Baltimore). | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office | 173 | |
| Ongoing | Identify and implement strategic locations for park-and-ride lots in low-density suburban locations near high-capacity transit service. Ideally these lots should be shared with facilities that do not fully use their parking during peak commuter hours, or installed on vacant land that can be banked for future high-density, mixed-use development at commuter stops. | |
| Implementers: MTA, Metro Planning | 91 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create a parking management program and parking districts to support redeveloping centers with tools to manage parking across the entire center, rather than lot by lot. The parking program and districts should improve livability and quality of place within and near the center, support complete streets, improve affordability of residential and commercial space, and manage parking pressures in transitional areas and nearby residential neighborhoods. The program should investigate, develop, and use tools such as modified off-street parking standards, on-street parking rules and rates, privately or publicly maintained lots, community benefits, residential parking programs, car-sharing access, and shared parking agreements. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MPW, Metro Council, Traffic and Parking Commission | 127 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways to incorporate priorities identified by Nashville Next public outreach as well as other local studies and best practices from other cities, as seen in Sidewalks and bikeways sidebar ("Improving sidewalks and bikeways in Nashville" in the Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure Element, page II-52). The Strategic Plan should inform the Planning Commission, the Mayor, and Metro Council when establishing capital improvement budgets. | |
| Implementers: MPW, MPC, MPO | 274 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Expand the city's Moving in Harmony educational and encouragement program as the umbrella campaign for transportation safety in Nashville. As part of that program, the city should consider a Vision Zero policy which will require Metro and State departments to assess crash data on local streets, generate a list of high crash locations for public review and comment, assess potential multi-modal conditions, and implement low-cost safety improvements through a forum for interdisciplinary dialog on transportation safety in the region to include professionals from transportation planning, traffic engineering, safety education, public health, emergency response, and traffic enforcement. As part of a future reporting mechanism, track fatality and disabling injury trends on Nashville streets. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Nashville Area MPO, Metro Public Works, Nashville MTA, RTA, Nashville B-cycle, Metro Parks, Metro Police, TDOT, Tennessee State Highway Patrol, Metro Health Department, Mayor's BPAC, Walk-Bike Nashville, Transit Now | 271 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Prioritize Street Connectivity Projects identified in Access Nashville and assess policies and funding programs to implement connections. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works | 365 |
Match transportation infrastructure to the needs of police, fire, and emergency medical personnel to maintain response times and keep residents, workers, and visitors safe.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Use updated street standards in designing streets for access by emergency vehicles. In the past, some streets were designed to allow two fire trucks to pass at the same time and was used to justify wider travel lanes. This practice had the unintended consequences of speeding up traffic and discouraging traffic calming. Maintaining safe access is incorporated in newer street designs. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Public Works, Metro Fire, Metro Police | 88 |
Ensure equitable access to high speed internet service throughout the county and adapt online services to mobile internet users.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a plan to achieve the general availability of gigabit ethernet by 2020. The plan should reflect private and public roles and opportunities and should identify multiple approaches to ensuring access for low income people. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro | 231 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide gigabit wifi service at all Metro facilities open to the general public by 2017. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro Government | 232 |
| Ongoing | Provide senior-accessible training on technology and internet to reduce isolation from the community. | |
| Implementers: Private sector, senior centers, YMCA | 86 |
Support communities by diversifying the use of public buildings and facilities in the services they offer (such as libraries, schools, community centers, and police and fire stations).
| Near term (1-3 years) | Facilitate creation of joint-use agreements by creating an online reservation system that allows community groups to reserve school/Metro property during non-peak/non-season hours. See Education and Youth EY 2.5 #237 and EY 2.6 #248. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government | 233 | |
| Ongoing | Identify additional opportunties to co-locate public facilities, such as libraries, schools, parks and community centers, to take advantage of prominent locations and existing infrastructure and buildings while providing cost and operation savings and diverse services to the community. See Education and Youth EY 2.5 #237. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government, Private Sector | 87 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Prioritize community needs for surplus and underused Metro property. In addition to space for Metro agences, community needs include affordable housing, open space, urban agriculture, business incubation space, and community services. Ensure surplus properties from foreclosures have clear deeds. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Finance | 206 |
Facilitate the access of health and wellness services to meet changing health care needs.
| Ongoing | Encourage the location of all types of health and wellness care (primary, preventative, specialty, urgent, trauma, surgical, mental, emotional) to meet changing health care needs within 'center' areas as depicted on the Concept Map. | |
| Implementers: Metro Health, Private Sector | 89 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Explore partnerships and efforts to provide health services for children at schools and improve the healthiness of schools. Consider partnerships between Nashville’s many successful medical facilities and Metro Nashville Public Schools to meet needs for on-site health care at schools; support MNPS’ current Coordinated School Health model; provide a nurse in every school to support CSH/ coordinate health initiatives within the school; and pursue healthy design standards for every school building including, but not limited to, radon resistant construction, indoor air quality, and other healthy/active design features. | |
| Implementers: MNPS Student Assignment, MNPS Planning and Construction, Metro Health Department | 247 |
Maintain infrastructure and programs to keep the public safe during emergencies.
| Ongoing | Promote participation in Smart911 through all department outreach and engagement opportunities, with a particular focus on senior residents. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government, OEM | 90 |
Nashville is welcoming and our residents look out for and support one another.
Recognize and bridge cultural differences and language barriers when providing services and engaging the public in community decisions.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Develop standards for when and how to provide multi-lingual signage at public facilities, including along sidewalks and in bus stations and other Metro facilities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations | 234 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement the recommendations of the Diversity Advisory Committee to improve recruitment, hiring, promotions and retention of a workforce that is inclusive and representative of local demographics. | |
| Implementers: Diversity Advisory Committee, Metro Human Resources, Mayor’s Office, Metro Human Relations Commission | 362 |
| Ongoing | Review annually the progress of Metro and the city in improving opportunity and inclusion and reducing disparities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Human Relations Commission | 363 |
Ensure that special impact uses are located in a manner that acknowledges the need for and benefit from, special impact areas, while seeking to protect the safety and quality of life for all nearby residents. Avoid concentrating too many special impact areas in any one community.
Use the design of public space to enhance the unique identities of Nashville neighborhoods and communities.
| Ongoing | Create visually cohesive streetscapes by using a variety of techniques including landscaping, placing utilities underground, and other streetscape improvements along street frontages that reflect adjacent land uses and the character of the area. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Public Works, NES, Metro Water, Metro Codes, Private Sector | 68 |
Celebrate Nashville’s diverse faith communities and their role in shaping Nashville’s history.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Implement a Festival of Faiths, modeled on events held in Louisville and Indianapolis, that highlight various faith communities, along with performances, exhibits, and speakers. | |
| Implementers: Faith institutions and leaders, Metro Human Relations Commission, Metro Historical Commission | 163 |
Create opportunities to increase fellowship and build relationships throughout the county and in individual neighborhoods.
| Ongoing | Support neighborhoods in community-building efforts, such as: establishing bike/walk clubs in neighborhoods and recruiting participants/members; providing a variety of neighborhood opportunities for physical activity and social interaction that accommodate residents of all income levels, and ages; creating opportunities within neighborhoods for public events and community meeting spaces; marketing community events and activities in ways that reach people of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities, so that everyone has information and feels welcome; and increasing the number of events at public spaces, such as schools, parks, libraries, community centers, and senior centers, throughout Davidson County. | |
| Implementers: Private Sector, Metro Parks, Metro Schools, Metro Libraries | 92 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement multi-modal Sundays on prominent streets in Nashville to promote cycling, walking, in-line skating and build community interaction on a city-wide scale. | |
| Implementers: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory | 212 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Establish a county-wide group of select government, business and social service organizations to work with neighborhoods and support neighborhoods in their planning and implementation of neighborhood-based models. This group would serve as the intermediary between neighborhood groups and government when government intervention is required to support a neighborhood initiative. Also, the group could work with neighborhoods on need assessments and receive and review summary plans and activities of each neighborhood to identify best practices for countywide adoption. | |
| Implementers: Non-profits, Private Sector, Metro Government | 161 |
Nashville’s buildings will be healthy, attractive, and affordable, and easily accessible, supporting social, environmental, and economic performance.
Encourage new construction and major renovations, retrofitting, and upgrading of existing buildings to improve environmental performance of the building and site.
| Ongoing | Design ground floors of buildings to be as “extroverted” as possible, offering active peripheries that engage sidewalk users through features such as doors, windows, recesses, outdoor dining areas, prominently located stairways, and stoops for residential buildings. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Codes, Metro Planning Commission, Metro Council, Private Sector | 85 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Sustain an educational program similar to the Mayor’s Workplace Challenge that encourages residents, government, businesses, and their employees towards the adoption of sustainable practices inclusive of conserving energy and using renewable energy sources. Develop a range of personal and corporate incentives, educational outreach, and technical assistance based on the most current social science research. Advocate for Southeastern cities to lead in strategies that meet and/or exceed current international and national standards. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services, Metro Public Works, Metro Office of Sustainability, Cumberland River Compact | 114 |
Encourage the creation of high-performance, quality architecture throughout Davidson County, especially in key centers of activity.
| Ongoing | Encourage energy and resource efficiency in buildings and the development by considering best practices in energy efficiency in buildings and infrastructure (lights, water treatment, etc.), solar orientation, on-site energy generation, district heating and cooling, and reduced water usage. Identify strategic incentives to encourage new development types and builders to certified by third parties. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government, Private Sector | 106 | |
| Ongoing | Reduce the impact of construction by using best management practices to limit construction pollution, minimize site disturbance during construction, and implement a plan for construction waste management. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government, Private Sector | 105 | |
| Ongoing | Reduce the impact of construction on surrounding infrastructure and community through use of best practices in stormwater management, wastewater management, and reducing heat island effect and light pollution. | |
| Implementers: Metro Government, Private Sector | 104 |
Preserve historic structures and landmarks that represent our county’s identity.
| Ongoing | Complete comprehensive surveys in historic districts and older areas where building-by-building information is incomplete or out-of-date or for areas within or close to Tier One Centers. Surveys should include priorities for late 20th-century architecture and structures that are appropriate for adaptive reuse. Once completed, listings should be periodically reviewed to remain up to date and relevant to ongoing development decisions. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission | 97 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Document the history and buildings of emerging ethnic communities across the city. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Human Relations, Metro Planning | 25 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create a method for preserving historical properties that have been abandoned | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission | 11 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create ordinances to protect historic bridges and cemeteries. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Legal, Metro Council | 9 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create and fund on-going maintenance and use plans for all Metro-owned properties. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Finance | 8 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create a historic contractor's licensing program. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Codes | 7 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Explore the creation of financial and zoning incentives for rehabilitation. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Legal, Metro Council | 5 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Explore the creation of financial and zoning incentives for local historic designation. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Legal, Metro Council | 37 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Re-evaluate the current archaeology ordinance to provide clearer direction and oversight. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Legal | 14 |
Encourage flexibility in re-use and expansion of historic buildings to preserve character and maintain affordability. Standards should follow the Secretary of Interior's Standard for Rehabilitation, as noted in State law and Metro ordinance.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Assess current tools to allow for renovating and retrofitting existing structures, with particulary attention to adaptive reuse for historic structures. Allow new development and uses in existing buildings that can help to accommodate changing community needs while reducing impacts to the surrounding neighborhood and maintaining the affordability of already built structures. | |
| Implementers: Metro Historical Commission, Metro Planning, Metro Codes, Metro Planning Commission, Metro Council | 49 |
Require that new Metro buildings are third-party certified for energy and efficiency and enhance the communities in which they are located.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Extend Metro's policy of building new and retrofitting existing public buildings to meet LEED standards to small buildings and additons less than 5,000 square feet. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro Government | 229 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a policy requiring Metro to first consider use of existing buildings prior to constructing a new building. | |
| Implementers: Mayor's Office, Metro Government | 227 |
Nashville maintains economic and social diversity. Housing choices are affordable, available, and accessible to all new and existing Nashvillians.
Develop innovative financing programs to provide affordable housing for all Nashvillians.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Adopt a mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance that ensures long-term affordability, creates affordable housing units countywide and specifically in high-growth areas as defined in the Future Growth and Preservation map, and areas where there is currently no affordability. The ordinance should include an equitable in-lieu fee. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Council, Mayor's Office | 299 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Secure significant, recurring, public funding for The Barnes Housing Trust Fund which funds non-profit projects for those 80 percent and below the Median Family Income, to support current operations and amendments to the governing rules of the Barnes Fund as necessary to allow it flexibility to create, preserve, retain and maintain affordable housing; for example, providing grant monies for home ownership, home repair, and to pursue other unique financing strategies in addition to grants. | |
| Implementers: Barnes Fund, Mayor's Office, Planning, The Housing Fund | 322 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Expand existing shared-equity housing loans programs with additional capital, providing another tool for individuals to secure homeownership of affordable housing. | |
| Implementers: The Housing Fund | 124 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | As Metro Nashville Government grows its affordable housing programs and tools, assess the need and identify best practices for an institutional structure within Metro Nashville/Davidson County government to implement and manage affordable housing tools and programs, promote those tools and programs in order to achieve countywide housing affordability, and monitor the impact and costs effectiveness of the tools. Make appropriate recommendations to Mayor and City Council to encourage and provide affordable housing in Nashville beyond the affordable housing provided by MDHA for the very low income. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning | 120 |
Develop standards that guide the design, location, and construction of affordable housing across all neighborhoods.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create an affordable housing design book as a guide for developers interested in creating affordable housing units. The design book would provide guidance on building and site design to help the affordable housing complement the neighborhood context and to ensure that affordable units are accessible to all residents through visitability concepts. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning | 165 |
Provide real transit options to lessen the cost burden, and increase housing affordability. Provide real transit options to also access affordable housing, jobs, services and amenities.
Provide access to affordable housing and support programs for the homeless and Nashvillians with very low-incomes.
| Ongoing | As Metro Nashville Government grows its programs and tools to create, preserve, retain, and maintain affordable housing, coordinate with MDHA on the strategic use federal funds and programs with local funds and programs. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, MDHA | 62 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Coordinate with the Mayor's Office and MDHA on the strategic use of TIF funds for incentives (e.g. land acquisition, public infrastructure, alternative power projects) that would support the creation, preservation, enhancement of affordable housing. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Mayor's Office, MDHA | 320 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Redevelop appropriate public housing sites with the goals of creating permanently affordable housing units, creating mixed income communities where feasible, avoiding permanent displacement of current residents, engaging the residents and surrounding community in planning for each site, and providing sites for needed Metro facilities (libraries, schools, etc.) as appropriate. | |
| Implementers: MDHA | 121 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Support the Homelessness Commission and the Continuum of Care organizations staffed and managed through the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), in the creation of the Strategic Plan in 2015, reviewing all programs that impact, support, and benefit the goal of ending homelessness. (Strategic Plan to be completed in 2015, after which this action may be expanded). | |
| Implementers: Homelessness Commission, Mayor's Office, The Continuum of Care (MDHA) | 312 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Scale up existing housing initiatives to follow the Housing First Program model, that provides affordable housing units with reduced barriers and essential on site services such as case management and counseling. A 'housing first' program moves homeless individuals immediately from the streets or homeless shelters to permanent housing with support services, stressing that stable housing allows people to move out of crisis mode to addressing life issues. | |
| Implementers: Homelessness Commission, Mayor's Office | 160 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create an open centralized data collection system that easily directs homelessness service providers to resources. | |
| Implementers: Homelessness Commission, Mayor's Office | 143 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a program to assist in capacity building in Nashville's non-profit affordable housing providers to enhance their ability to create, preserve, retain and maintain affordable housing in Nashville/Davidson County. | |
| Implementers: The Housing Fund and non-profit affordable housing providers | 311 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Research the feasibility of tax reimbursement programs to offset the cost of providing affordable housing at all incomes levels; i.e. ranging from housing for the homeless, to workforce housing. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Council | 310 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Assess whether any Metro fees and processes could be reduced and/or expedited for developments providing affordable housing. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Coordinate with Metro Agencies (e.g. Metro Codes, Metro Water Services, Metro Public Works) | 164 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create an Affordable Housing Advisor position to be housed in the Development Services One-Stop-Shop. This position would serve on Design Review Committee and uphold the ideals of equitable development during design review, act as a resource and guide for non-profit and for-profit affordable housing developers. | |
| Implementers: Planning, Mayor's Office, Metro Council (budget) | 238 |
Nashville has a strong and diverse housing market that embraces changing housing demand.
Create real housing choices in rural, suburban, and urban areas that respect the rural, suburban and urban development patterns.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Amend the zoning code and subdivision regulations as needed to provide increased opportunities for innovative housing types including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling units, alley houses, cottage developments, triplexes, quads, manor houses and courtyard flats, multi-generational housing, and single occupancy units. Consider the appropriateness of each housing type in rural, suburban, and urban settings to ensure that the infill development is sensitive to its context. |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Council |
Create tools that encourage context sensitive development in Nashville’s neighborhoods. Work with developers to develop in a context sensitive manner.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Create a residential form based code that addresses compatible infill development given a neighborhood's context (rural, urban, suburban), as well as visitability (housing that is accessible to all) specifically for development that occurs within the interior of Nashville's diverse neighborhoods. |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Council | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Promote the Metro Planning Urban Design Studio as a component of the Development Services One-Stop-Shop, encouraging development applicants to visit with Metro Planning Urban Designers to address design-related development issues. |
| Implementers: Metro Planning |
Reduce the negative effects of gentrification in Nashville’s growing residential markets. Ensure that residents of all incomes and both renters and owners take part in and benefit from neighborhood improvements.
Create programs that reduce displacement and exclusion within changing neighborhoods. Create programs that focus on the social, financial, and physical effects of neighborhood change.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Explore ways to expand existing home repair assistance programs in Nashville by convening current home repair program providers to: assess the current reach of programming compared to the need; determine if greater efficiencies could be gained through coordinated efforts; identify opportunities and barriers to expanding programming; determine what additional resources are needed for expansion; and establish how program efficacy and reach could be measured. | |
| Implementers: Hands On Nashville, Rebuilding Together, MDHA, The Housing Fund, non-profit affordable housing providers | 306 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Research the feasibility of a deferred tax program to address housing affordability for long-term, non-elderly residents in identified gentrifying neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: Metro Legal, Metro Planning, Metro Council, State? | 137 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Create more transit, public services and employment in suburban areas to make these communities easier to live work and play in regardless of the residents' income. | |
| Implementers: MPC, MTA, Mayor's Office, Metro Council | 57 |
Create more transit, public services and employment in suburban areas to make these communities easier to live, work and play in regardless of the residents' income.
Nashville’s neighborhoods have strong community networks that include residents and supportive organizations and services. The way the neighborhood is built – with homes, parks, streets, and services – promotes real access and social interaction.
Create strong neighborhoods by enhancing existing neighborhood programs and public processes. Empower more residents to take part in policy and decision making.
| Long-term | Evaluate the Landlord Registration Program to increase the usefulness of the program by - (1) | |
| (7-10 years) | increasing the annual registration fee to help fund a housing market monitoring tool (see action item H 4.1 #305) and (2) requiring additional rental market data from landlords for the housing market monitoring tool. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Codes Department | 122 | |
| Near term | Create a system to monitor housing affordability and the housing market in general to track areas | |
| (1-3 years) | susceptible to gentrification and areas where opportunity exists to provide more affordable housing. Use this data as a means of tracking weak, improving, and strong neighborhoods to create and/or target appropriate affordable housing tools. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning | 305 | |
| Near term | Create a community engagement process around the concept of Equitable Development whereby | |
| (1-3 years) | a community develops a vision for equitable development and identifies ideal affordable housing and economic development tools to achieve equitable development. The end product would be similar to that of the Wedgewood Houston Neighborhood's Council on Affordable Living report, which defines a mission as it relates to housing, sustainable development, and outlines community engagement goals for-profit and non-profit developers. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, MOON, NRC, Civic Design Center | 66 | |
| Mid-term | Study the feasibility and structure of a Community Benefit Agreement policy for large scale | |
| (4-6 years) | development projects in targeted neighborhoods. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning | 142 | |
| Near term | Create an educational and marketing campaign for elected and appointed officials and the general | |
| (1-3 years) | public around the issue of housing affordability, affordable housing and equitable development. The goal of the campaign is educate the general public on housing affordability and the tools to achieved it. | |
| Implementers: Civic Design Center, The Barnes Fund, The Housing Fund, MDHA, | 304 | |
| Affordable Housing Providers, NRC, GNAR, MOON |
Strengthen neighborhoods by making them safe and easy to get to and around. Pay special attention to safety and access for Nashvillians who are within special needs populations,including the disabled, elderly, veterans, or have very low incomes.
Nashville invests in and increases its natural environment for beauty, biodiversity, recreation, food production, resiliency and response to climate change through mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Prioritize water quality and conservation by protecting the Cumberland River and its tributaries.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Design and initiate a process to review old, undeveloped or partially developmed PUDs and SPs that impact environmentally sensitive features. | |
| 373 | ||
| Near term (1-3 years) | Maintain funding to replace outdated and deteriorating infrastructure that can significantly impact the environment and increase the utilization of Low Impact Development techniques. This action should meet the Consent Decree issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conversation to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Cumberland River. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Water Services | 220 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Advocate for an increased variable stream buffer program on impaired waterways that preserves vegetated areas as a buffer from adjacent land uses. Research how the buffer width should be context sensitive and scaled by the intensity of the surrounding development and the waterway’s quality and quantity. Utilize the Mill Creek watershed as a pilot for the program, and replicate similar buffer programs on other impaired waterways in Nashville/Davidson County. | |
| Implementers: Cumberland River Compact | 228 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Coordinate with non-profit organizations and private agencies to repair stream buffers with native plantings and appropriate vegetation. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services, Cumberland River Compact | 236 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Strengthen hillside development regulations to minimize development on greater than 15% slopes. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department | 210 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Advocate strengthening and revising procedures to ensure that regulatory standards provide appropriate protection to new development and redevelopment through Metro’s stormwater variance process and to reduce the amount of undisturbed floodplain area that can be developed to a range of 0-15% with required conditions. Some exceptions may be needed in areas with future Center and Downtown land use policies identified in Metro Nashville’s Community Character Manual. | |
| Implementers: Cumberland River Compact | 155 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Decrease stream dumping with campaigns coordinated through public-private partnerships that educate Nashvillians on proper refuse removal with the long term goal to eradicate all stream dumping in the future, and strengthen the Metropolitan Code to more stringently prohibit stream dumping. Fund staff capacity to enforce regulations. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services | 225 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Coordinate with the State of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee communities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies on regional watershed planning issues to enhance water quality and address water quantity issues. | |
| Implementers: TDEC, Metro Water Services, US Army Corps of Engineers, TVA, Cumberland River Compact | 159 |
Provide resources such as land, sustained funding, staffing, and policies to maintain a growing parks and natural infrastructure network.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Increase the funding for expansion of open space, parks and greenway acquisition to keep pace with population growth and maintain Nashville’s natural assets through the Open Space Acquisition Fund with at least $5 million leveraged by a minimum of 20% in private dollars. One key initiative includes acquiring property for a new anchor park within the southeast quadrant of the county, as depicted on the NashvilleNext Growth Framework map within five years. Additionally, within each Tiered Center, acquire property for parks within an appropriate timeframe. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Parks, Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation, Land Trust for Tennessee | 224 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Appropriately fund maintenance and operational needs on an annual basis for existing and newly acquired parks, open space, and greenways; including creative funding mechanisms for the development and maintenance of parks. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Parks | 222 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update the Metropolitan Parks and Greenways Master Plan on a regular basis to determine where parks, open space, and greenways should be developed in the future. Metro’s Master Plan should integrate with the Nashville Open Space Plan and other relevant plans. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks | 221 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify and implement the best ways to encourage neighborhood schools and their related open space and playground infrastructure to function as parks for the community’s use. Refer to E&Y 2.5 and E&Y 4.3 for additional guidance. | |
| Implementers: Metro Schools, Metro Parks | 152 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create a Regional Open Space and Greenways Plan that serves Metro Nashville, surrounding counties, and municipalities with the help of the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Cumberland Region Tomorrow. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area MPO, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, Metro Planning Department, Metro Parks | 151 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Research methods to define and identify ecologically valuable lands, and recommend an appropriate in-lieu fee to Metro stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Open Space Plan (Metro Water Services, Metro Parks, or Office of Sustainability) where permanent protection cannot be accomplished to fund a land bank for Nashville/Davidson County. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Metro Water Services, Land Trust for Tennessee | 119 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Identify alternate strategies for funding the acquisition of park land (TIF, Business Improvement District, and other methods) as an essential element of the city’s green infrastructure, particularly in Centers and other redeveloping areas. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Mayor's Office of Economic Development | 150 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Conduct a community food assessment with stakeholders including the Food Policy Council that addresses the food system needs within a 100 mile radius of Nashville. It should recommend ways to improve the quality and accessibility of healthy food in Middle Tennessee, build on the city’s strengths and trends for integrated food strategies, and encourage development of supportive agriculture linked to Rural policies outlined in NR 4.2 #323. | |
| Implementers: Food Policy Council, Metro Health Department, Metro Planning | 235 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Launch programs that supplement local food supply distribution in Nashville that leverages the demand for local food among consumers, institutions and commercial enterprises. | |
| Implementers: Food Policy Council, Nashville Farmer's Market | 202 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Assess and implement policies and regulations using best practices from other cities that preserve prime farmland, and create an agricultural zoning category for existing farms and prime farmland soils based on this research and stakeholder outreach. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, Land Trust for Tennessee | 141 |
Preserve and expand upon Nashville’s existing tree canopy including urban trees, street trees, and larger tracts of forested lands.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Implement and regularly update the Metropolitan Nashville Urban Forestry and Landscape Plan to promote diverse tree plantings. Create a street tree policy, residential tree ordinance, maintenance program, and preservation policy. Enact a planting program, including maintenance and watering, to supplement cases where trees must be removed. Fund and train more interdisciplinary inspectors to handle enforcement of these regulations. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, Metro Codes | 201 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Fund and staff a tree planting and maintenance program to meet Nashville’s tree canopy goal as a collaboration between Metro Public Works, Metro Beautification, Metro Parks, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, utility providers, private stakeholders, and non-profits to supplement efforts. The partnership should emphasize an urban forestry program as outlined in the Downtown Urban Tree Canopy Assessment to ensure the survival of trees, provide shade, improve stormwater retention, hold soil, and add aesthetic value. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works, Metro Parks, TDOT, NES, Piedmont Gas, Metro Water Services, non-profit organizations | 199 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Enact a conservation subdivision ordinance by right with a minimum of 50% open space requirement. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department | 182 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Revise the existing cluster lot subdivision regulations to increase the amount of required preserved land to be 33% minimum. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department | 174 |
Invest in robust and diversified infrastructure including transportation choices which prioritize the maintenance of existing streets, expansion of mass transit service, and the creation of more walking and biking options in order to reduce sprawling development patterns, improve air and water quality, and preserve existing open spaces in Nashville.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Provide an appropriate amount of funding on an annual basis for easements, acquisition, construction and maintenance of sidewalks, greenways, bikeways, and bikeshare locations. Prioritize projects identified in regularly updated versions of the NashvilleNext General Plan, Community Plans, the Strategic Plan for Sidewalks and Bikeways, and the Parks and Greenways Master Plan based upon their ability to encourage the preservation of open spaces, ecologically sensitive areas, and improve air and water quality. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 203 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Reexamine existing policies related to infrastructure improvements with residential infill redevelopment and new development to determine appropriate policies, methods, and design standards to ensure the development of sidewalks, greenways, and bikeways as development occurs. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning Department, Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 200 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Fund major connectivity projects to link people walking and biking in areas of Nashville/Davidson County where physical and natural barriers exist and where gaps in equitable access exist. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works, Metro Parks | 176 |
All communities in Nashville enjoy equally high levels of environmental protection, equitable access to nature, and opportunities to improve their health and quality of life.
Diversify participation in the policy making and implementation of Nashville’s local services relating to infrastructure, land use, transportation, and parks.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish and sustain within Metropolitan Government’s structure an Environmental Policy and Sustainability Office, within the Mayor’s Office (or a similar organizational structure) with an advisory board, director, and staff to lead the city’s sustainability efforts and coordinate with Metro departments and partner agencies on sustainability issues. The staff should be charged with review and oversight of all department projects and budget requests for their impacts on environmental standards and sustainability goals as well as the responsibility in expanding research and grant writing capabilities to secure diversified funding sources. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration | 344 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Encourage and increase civic engagement with an emphasis on participation by low income and immigrant residents by establishing a diverse citizen’s advisory committee for input on parks and open space and active involvement in implementation of projects. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Metro Human Relations Comission, Nashville 4 All of Us | 315 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Develop, promote, and educate the benefits of an incentive program for residents who treat stormwater on their commercial or residential site through rain gardens or other natural means. This incentive program may include a reduced storm water fee or reimbursement for materials and labor to treat stormwater runoff more naturally. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services | 110 |
Increase access to recreational opportunities that distinguish Nashville, improve quality of life, and support the local economy.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Build projects connecting Nashvillians to nature and parks where accessibility gaps exist. These include areas where parks and green space are currently lacking, as well as neighborhoods that have a disproportionate amount of noxious uses, or those that have been simply overlooked as Nashville has grown. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 316 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Identify and pursue acquisition of parcels that are ideal locations for small neighborhood and pocket parks with an emphasis on rapidly redeveloping areas of Nashville/Davidson County such as downtown, as well as underserved areas lacking access. Encourage these parks to be managed through an “adoption” process by a Nashville parks foundation or friend’s group similar to the Friends of Warner Parks. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks | 317 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Conserve the Cumberland River for recreational opportunities along Nashville’s riverfront. As redevelopment occurs, reclaim areas near the River for additional green space and to mitigate pollution. These areas could be utilized for activities including sculling, sailing, water taxis, paddling, canoeing, and other water-based activities. | |
| Implementers: US Army Corps of Engineers, Metro Parks, Cumberland River Compact | 318 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Build additional greenways or multi-use paths that connect beyond the current water-based network such as the development of a secondary tier of connections that provide east-west mobility to the stream based greenways which will provide important routes for transportation needs, not just recreational opportunities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 112 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Build and maintain walkable pocket parks in all neighborhoods of Nashville/Davidson County. Build a greeway trail within two miles of every neighborhood in Nashville/Davison County. | |
| Implementers: Metro Parks, Metro Public Works | 111 |
Nashville’s built environment — public, private, and residential — conserves and efficiently uses land, energy, water, and resources while reducing waste and pollution.
Establish and implement citywide energy reduction goals and target percentages of renewable energy sources with input from key stakeholders.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Fund Metro to support an energy management program, including staff and technical needs, so the city has the capability to regularly monitor and report to the public both private-sector and Metro numerical benchmarks and narrative descriptions of progress, in addition to new measures needed to stay on track in meeting the energy reduction goal. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Office of Sustainability, NES, TVA | 169 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Develop programs similar to Chicago, Boston, and Seattle that require the public disclosure of energy use within commercial buildings over a yet-to-be-determined square footage so renters and leasees have more information to make decisions involving their energy use. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Sustainability, Hands on Nashville | 113 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Implement a food waste recycling program including composting for large producers of food waste such as public and private schools, universities, hospitals, large corporations with cafeteria components, and the Nashville Farmers’ Market. In the program, include a system for composted food waste to be utilized by area farms, urban agriculture, and community gardens (and potential to be sold at the Farmers’ Market) as a natural means for soil enrichment, rainfall infiltration, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Incentivize private sector composting/anaerobic companies and markets for composting/anaerobic materials. | |
| Implementers: Food Policy Council, Vanderbilt University, Metro Schools, Metro Health Department, Metro Public Works | 167 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Add policies to utilize composted and recycled products to benefit urban agriculture soil health in Metro Government Procurements. | |
| Implementers: Metro General Services, Metro Finance Department, Mayoral Administration | 191 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Continue to phase in the use of green infrastructure methods outlined in the Low Impact Development (LID) Manual within the private sector. Assess an increase in plan review fees to cover program administration, ensure fees correspond with stormwater loads and impervious cover, and set stringent thresholds for when LID methods are waived on a site. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Mayoral Administration, Metro Water Services | 195 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Develop a method for identifying projects to improve water quality in impaired watersheds and establish a mechanism to fund them. Refer to action NR 4.1 #148 related to working with adjacent counties upstream along the Cumberland River. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services, Cumberland River Compact, TDEC | 194 |
| Mid-term<br>(4-6 years) | Create a revolving loan fund to pay for long-term energy retrofits and renewable energy installations to create a new source of green jobs. Align the program with local community colleges and universities to develop installation, design, and engineering talent in support of clean energy infrastructure. Include incentives to recruit and train people from low income and immigrant communities for green collar job skills and opportunities. Similar programs have been created in Chicago and Boston. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Sustainability, Mayor's Office of Economic Development | 193 | |
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Allow flexibility where improvements to water quality can be made within Metropolitan Government’s infrastructure standards that allows private development and Metro-constructed facilities to utilize green best practices where deemed appropriate and provide needed infrastructure upgrades while reducing infrastructure costs and improving the environmental conditions. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services, Metro Public Works, General Services | 319 | |
| Mid-term<br>(4-6 years) | Assess and implement a robust Pay As You Throw waste program by examining other cities’ programs that may be appropriate for Nashville. These methods might include utilizing a cart-based system that is weighed and charged based on its weight to the resident, similar to the process used by a utility, charging a fee on large trash cart pickup while small carts are included as part of property taxes a resident pays, or other best practices. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works | 192 | |
| Mid-term<br>(4-6 years) | Increase funding to support the increased frequency of residential curbside recycling to match or exceed the frequency of residential curbside trash collection | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works | 184 | |
| Near term<br>(1-3 years) | Continue requiring certain materials such as cardboard, yard waste, and e-waste to be diverted from trash landfills and increase waste diversion by promoting and advocating for these services. | |
| Implementers: Metro Public Works | 329 |
Establish a wide-ranging green education campaign that focuses on the “why” and “how” for water conservation, energy efficiency and reductions, recycling and waste reduction, natural resources preservation, and outdoor activity.
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Sustain an educational program similar to the Mayor’s Workplace Challenge that encourages residents, government, businesses, and their employees towards the adoption of sustainable practices inclusive of conserving energy and using renewable energy sources. Develop a range of personal and corporate incentives, educational outreach, and technical assistance based on the most current social science research. Advocate for Southeastern cities to lead in strategies that meet and/or exceed current international and national standards. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services, Metro Public Works, Metro Office of Sustainability, Cumberland River Compact | 114 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Collaborate with Metro Schools and other educators to participate in The GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program and coordinate programming with ECO-TN (Every Child Outdoors – Tennessee) to emphasize sustainability as the behavioral norm using techniques that are based on social science research. | |
| Implementers: Metro Schools, Metro Office of Sustainability | 115 |
Metropolitan Government buildings should lead the city in energy efficiency by modeling best practices to meet the city’s green initiatives which reduce energy and water consumption and shift to renewable energy sources.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Establish a revolving Metro fund for the installation of renewable energy generators, such as rooftop solar arrays, on all Metropolitan Government buildings. | |
| Implementers: General Services, Metro Office of Sustainability | 147 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Retrofit surface parking lots owned by the Metropolitan Government with pervious pavement solutions that reduce stormwater runoff. | |
| Implementers: General Services, Metro Office of Sustainability | 139 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Establish energy and water reduction, efficiency, and conservation goals for Metropolitan Government buildings that emphasize the connection between water use and energy consumption. Implement strategic solutions that include water harvesting and graywater re-use, as well as traditional water efficiency and conservation methods. | |
| Implementers: General Services, Metro Office of Sustainability, Metro Water Services | 136 |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Increase the utilization of Renewable Energy Credits (REC's) for Metro owned buildings, whether purchased or through on-site solutions. Set an appropriate goal for Metro REC utilization on an annual basis. | |
| Implementers: General Services, Metro Office of Sustainability, TVA, NES | 116 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Establish a Metro target percentage for increasing renewable energy sources. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Sustainability | 321 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Issue regular reports to the public which include both numerical benchmarks and narrative descriptions of progress, in addition to new measures needed to stay on track in meeting goals involving Metropolitan Government buildings. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Sustainability | 157 |
Nashville’s built and natural environment is resilient, sustainable, and smart because it adapts to and mitigates the impact of climate change involving extreme weather, hazards, and catastrophes.
Identify threats to current and future infrastructure related to climate change including extreme weather, hazards, and catastrophes.
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Update the preliminary Greenhouse Gas Inventory on a regular basis and monitor best practices among cities to establish relevant goals to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Develop a management system within Metro to continually track and report greenhouse gas usage by all Metro departments. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Sustainability | 162 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Collaborate with upstream counties, state, and federal agencies to assess and understand the influence of land use patterns in upstream watersheds beyond Nashville/Davidson County for potential impacts to source water supply, water quality, and extremes events, such as drought, flood, and wildfire. Identify risks of concern to upstream landscapes and contribute to joint regional efforts to mitigate risks with land conservation, source water protection, hazard reduction, and floodplain management practices. | |
| Implementers: Cumberland Region Tomorrow, Nashville Area MPO, Cumberland River Compact, TDEC, adjacent counties | 148 |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Update infrastructure design specifications to incorporate climate projections that provide a safety margin for the trends of changing precipitation patterns and weather extremes for all infrastructure projects both public and private, during new construction, planned upgrades, and major repair projects (roads, bridges, utilities, storm drains, etc.) | |
| Implementers: General Services, Metro Public Works, Metro Water Services, Metro Parks, Metro Planning Department | 117 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Analyze stormwater best management practices (BMP) inventories, assess life-span and functional status, and develop long-range stormwater BMP retrofit process to restore, upgrade, or replace degraded stormwater practices in aging sites, such as detention ponds, large parking lots, and other BMP upgrade opportunities. | |
| Implementers: Metro Water Services | 118 | |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Communicate climate related threats with appropriate agencies and task them to create a resiliency plan and inter-departmental action plan. Provide appropriate levels of support for hazard and disaster response, including proactive funding, staffing, materials, and technology to successfully mitigate extreme weather events. Include special considerations for disaster response measures that benefit vulnerable neighborhoods with less ability to respond, such as low income, immigrant, elderly, or disabled residents. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Emergency Management, Metro Office of Sustainability, Nashville, MTAMetro Public Works, Metro Human Relations Commission, Metro Health Department, Hands On Nashville, non-profit organizations | 153 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Monitor the latest ozone standards and regulations within Middle Tennessee and anticipated federal changes. Update and implement Metro policies as appropriate. Educate and promote ways to decrease air pollution, especially during hot temperatures. | |
| Implementers: Middle Tennessee Clean Air Partnership, Metro Health Department, Nashville Area MPO | 314 |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update areas of Nashville/Davidson County as appropriate to new Rural Conservation, Rural Agriculture, and Rural Countryside Community Character Manual Policies that guide a reduction in development and discourage the expansion of sewer infrastructure. | |
| Implementers: Metro Planning, Metro Water Services | 323 |
| Mid-term (4-6 years) | Create a Climate Adaptation/Resiliency Plan to understand the impacts of climate change and potential opportunities and challenges related to natural resources and the local economy by coordinating with the Nashville Area MPO, partner agencies, and Middle Tennessee communities. | |
| Implementers: Nashville Area MPO, Metro Office of Sustainability, Cumberland River Compact, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, Hands On Nashville | 149 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Regularly assess and modify adopted Metropolitan Government ordinances to reflect the latest best practices in protecting critical facilities such as water and sewage treatment facilities, and effectively strike a balance between safeguarding hazardous materials and public health hazards within the floodplain with the necessity for some industries to be located along the Cumberland River. See NR 1.1.5 related to strengthening regulatory standards for development within the floodplain. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Metro Water Services | 324 | |
| Long-term (7-10 years) | Establish policies that encourage resiliency and mitigate the effects of climate change leading to weather extremes, hazards, and catastrophes. | |
| Implementers: MPC, Parks, Public Works, MWS, NES | 54 |
Prepare for and quickly respond to extreme weather, hazards, and catastrophes by creating, implementing, and communicating contingency plans with smart and connected infrastructure.
| Near term (1-3 years) | Update and expand the county-wide outdoor early warning sirens and connect any stand-alone university or satellite city's early warning siren systems to Metro's system. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Emergency Management | 325 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Continue to update flood crest prediction programs for streams in Nashville/Davidson County and respond to information appropriately between the US Geological Survey, National Weather Service, Metro Water Services and Metro Office of Emergency Management. | |
| Implementers: Metro Office of Emergency Management, Metro Water Services, US Geological Survey, National Weather Service | 326 | |
| Near term (1-3 years) | Improve street connectivity throughout Nashville/Davidson County by requiring street connections for all new developments and limiting the use of cul-de-sacs. Funding should be established for future street right-of-way acquisition to provide additional street connectivity in areas that are at a high risk for flooding. | |
| Implementers: Metro Council, Metro Planning Department, Metro Public Works | 327 |