Quote:
Originally Posted by jmecklenborg
I do believe that what is happening in Nashville - most of the new office/apartment/hotel development clustering in or near downtown - is happening because the city does not have a loop highway.
It's a total accident of history that the city was of the exact size in the 1950s and 60s that it became the junction of interstate highways that radiate in six directions but no loop highway was built.
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That's a good observation and it's part of what makes Nashville such an interesting place, especially among cities east of the Mississippi. Key point is this area is very hilly (pre-mountainous) and very very very rocky. We've even been compared to cities in the western USA, especially California cities. I get that: there are lots of buildings built into sides of steep hills surrounding the central business district. One of the reasons Nashville became a city in the antebellum era is because it was not a hub of agriculture. Being on one of the key navigable rivers in the South, it was a city of commerce (almost) from the start.
So our topography makes the city very compact, although the total numbers include a county of 500 square miles. Nashville by necessity is actually compact and that includes the interstate 'loops' that were planned 70 years ago. It's true that the suburban counties epitomize sprawl and that's due in large measure because of the rocky soil with very low/limited perk. Keep in mind, the suburban boom started in the early WW2 years and in Nashville (Tennessee) that happened in rural areas. That meant each house needed a lot of land around it to absorb the septic field lines.
What that means about Nashville today is that the city is expanding from its traditional core. There are old, pre-Metro boundaries that are still relevant today that dictate the development and zoning of current/future development. From an airplane at 30K ft at night, Nashville looks like a spider. That's because of the commercial corridors. As the city booms, and the suburbs are booming at an even greater clip, they will continue to follow those traditional commercial corridors. The density of many of those corridors are as high as any other city in the USA, and that will only increase in the future. That's why you see lots of mid/high rise residential in the traditional urban boundaries. The rocky terrain is why you will likely not see an outer beltway for Nashville.
Finally I think the evolutionary growth of Nashville and its future growth along those commercial corridors makes it ideal for rapid transit, but that hasn't (yet) been a priority for the regional leaders. I think TDOT and a timid mayor is standing in the way of that.
Nashville is such a special place for its topography, location, people, spirit, natural beauty, and energy, and it's actually a very forward thinking place. It will figure out the infrastructure it needs but it's going to take time and patience.