There’s about to be a vote to determine what Nashville will look like as the city grows.
It has taken nearly three years to create the vision, but it could have an impact for decades to come.
It’s called “NashvilleNext.” It’s a set of big ideas — and rules — that will try to keep life in Nashville as pleasant as possible in the future. And that goes for the urban downtown, for neighborhoods and subdivisions and for the remaining rural areas.
The city’s planners say it’s crucial that they get this new plan written down to prepare for what’s coming: people. Nashville expects huge population growth in the next 25 years.
The newcomers will be more diverse and they will largely fall into two camps.
Picture a barbell. On one big end, it’s a population of lots of aging baby boomers. At the other big end is a whole wave of younger millennials. What they share in common is that a lot of them live alone, often as renters. And they seek out convenient and walkable neighborhoods.
NashvilleNext captures a detailed picture of this group — of the people and what they want in a city. The plan also considers history. And, based on the comments of nearly 20,000 current residents, the plan tries to understand what makes Nashville unique.
Put all of that together — and it is a lot, enough to fill more than 1,000 pages — and the work still isn’t done. That’s because NashvilleNext isn’t just a study. It’s a strategy for what the city should do. Where to build homes — and what kind. How to improve transportation. And the best ways to spend city tax dollars.
More:View the NashvilleNext plans, including for individual neighborhoods
NashvilleNext takes a stand on many problems and some solutions. And once the Metro Planning Commission adopts the strategy — as soon as June 22 — it will inform countless decisions. And it may go a long way in shaping the future of the city.
The Metro Planning Department will still take comments on NashvilleNext, but not for long. The last chance is at a meeting at 3 p.m. Monday at Metro’s Howard Office Building at 700 Second Avenue South.
For details on how to comment Monday, visit www.NashvilleNext.net or view a brief Metro Planning video about the event.
You can also view a Metro overview of NashvilleNext:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al06DOPMkGU
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