The city’s transportation department aims to make moving through downtown Nashville smoother and safer.

The city of Nashville’s Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) is releasing a mobility plan dubbed Connect Downtown that aims to smooth out the “mess of Ubers, scooters, one-way streets and jaywalking, without clear arteries connecting east to west or north to south” that characterizes downtown Nashville.
As Eli Motycka reports for Nashville Scene, the city is playing “a clunky game of catchup” to adapt infrastructure to new mobility modes and needs. “A damning report from Forbes last month put even more heat on city leaders to figure out the city’s transportation growing pains. The national business magazine ranked Nashville as the country’s hardest commute, estimating that residents lost 41 hours over 2022 to traffic and congestion obstacles.”
Planners are working on long-term projects including a pedestrian-only zone and an “aspirational” bus rapid transit (BRT) line to the airport, as well as shorter-term improvements such as bike lanes. “If it seems like bike lanes are suddenly popping up everywhere, it’s because they’re riding a combination of modern urban design principles and a planning department trying desperately to help Nashville catch up,” Motycka explains.
FULL STORY: City Planners Set on Modernizing Nashville Streets

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.
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