Newly elected Mayor Freddie O’Connell charged his Transition Committee to establish how Nashville Grows, Moves, & Works during the next Mayoral term. The Committee determined Guiding Principles and Policy Recommendations which are summarized in this story. Now that the sub-committees have shared their policy briefs with the mayor, department heads and the public – Mayor O’Connell will collaborate in the weeks and months ahead with department heads to bring the recommendations to reality.
While many of this committee’s recommendations are designed to be implemented in the short term, they begin with guiding principles intended to help steer Mayor O’Connell’s administration throughout his time in office. Here’s the quick rundown:
How Nashville Grows
The Transition Team established guiding principles on how Mayor O’Connell should approach Nashville’s growth over the next mayoral term. The recurring theme in the guidelines focuses in on the process, communication, investment, and impact of the Imagine East Bank Plan. The guidelines suggest making that process the standard at scale throughout Nashville.
Guiding Principles
Tap the boxes below for the detailed guiding principles.
Metro should invest in infrastructure, affordable housing, and other community assets in neighborhoods throughout Nashville at a level that is equivalent in relative impact to the investments being made in the East Bank.
Decisions about priorities for development in the East Bank and other Nashville neighborhoods should be open and transparent. Nashvillians should be able to easily access clear information about whether proposed projects will include community benefits such as affordable housing, multimodal transportation, or greenways; how projects will be funded, particularly if the city’s future revenue is implicated; and what sort of economic impact they will have. The community should be actively included in robust public conversations about these issues and others.
Once plans are made, decision-makers should stay accountable to the communities that helped shape them. Nashvillians who provide input into planning processes should get regular updates about how their feedback was incorporated– or why it was not.
In the East Bank and other Nashville neighborhoods, community-identified needs should not be subsumed by the goal of revenue maximization. Finding a balance between maximizing revenue and meeting community needs is critical.
Policy Recommendations
How Nashville Grows.
Slide the image to see What’s Now & Next.
Proposed East Bank Affordable Housing Development
Shown for context only.
- The Mayor’s Office and its partners should clearly communicate the costs Metro will need to front for East Bank infrastructure investments and how, if at all, these costs can be recouped.
- The O’Connell Administration should maintain its focus on the Imagine East Bank Vision Plan, ensuring that the East Bank becomes a vibrant neighborhood that reflects Nashville’s rich diversity and prioritizes affordable housing.
- The Mayor’s Office and its partners should empower Nashville’s neighborhoods to articulate and advocate for their priorities.
- The O’Connell Administration should identify or create a team or entity that can bring Metro’s plans to reality.
- The O’Connell Administration should maximize the utility of underused, Metro-owned land and buildings.
How Nashville Moves
Mayor O’Connell took office at a time of incredible opportunity for transit and transportation infrastructure in Nashville. His administration has a mandate to pursue a bold vision for a modern transportation system that reduces Nashvillians’ transportation costs and helps them get where they need to go. At the same time, it must maintain its focus on implementing and accelerating existing projects that will benefit Nashvillians today.
Mayor O’Connell charged this committee with issuing recommendations that will help him advance a safe, multimodal transit system while simultaneously investing in transportation infrastructure that benefits all Nashvillians.
Guiding Principles
Tap the boxes below for the detailed guiding principles.
Building on conversations about the need for a modern, multimodal transportation system that Mayor O’Connell has been leading for over two decades, the O’Connell Administration should focus on bold solutions that are backed by data and in line with community needs.
At the sametime, Mayor O’Connell should accelerate the development of safe, reliable, accessible transportation infrastructure that Nashvillians can build their lives around. This looks like, for example, more sidewalks; safer intersections; more crosswalks; more bikeways; reliable, frequent buses; comfortable bus stops; and safe ways to access transit.
Mayor O’Connell should continue to serve as Nashville’s lead transit champion. He should use his platform to help set, deliver on, and celebrate the city’s transportation agenda and progress made toward realizing it.
Nashvillians’ ability to move around our city without driving a car– and thus our ability to access the places and opportunities that make Nashville a vibrant city– is inequitable. The O’Connell Administration’s decisions about our city’s transportation future should meaningfully and continually engage transit-dependent riders, diverse and traditionally under-represented communities, and Nashville’s neighborhood leaders. Once plans are made, decision-makers should remain accountable to the communities that helped shape them. Among other things, they should provide regular updates about how community feedback was incorporated– or why it was not.
Policy Recommendations
How Nashville Moves.
- Mayor O’Connell should use his platform to help rebuild Nashvillians’ trust in our transportation system.
- Mayor O’Connell should make an early determination about a transit referendum and then work with key stakeholders– including transit-dependent riders– to shape a plan that works for Nashville.
- Develop a transit plan that works for Nashvillians
- Build an independent and inclusive transit advocacy coalition
- Consistently communicate how investments in transit and transportation infrastructure will benefit all Nashvillians.
- Mayor O’Connell and his team should regularly convene leaders at relevant Metro departments to prioritize and tackle current challenges and accelerate solutions related to transportation infrastructure and transit.
- Mayor O’Connell should partner with other Middle Tennessee elected officials to deepen the regional commitment to transit.
How Nashville Works
The Mayor charged this committee with recommending solutions to help make Metro work for all Nashvillians. He specifically directed us to focus on some of the “15 Fixes” he put forward as part of his mayoral campaign. Mayor O’Connell has articulated his aim to make Nashville’s government the premier customer-service organization in the city.
Progress toward this goal would pave the way for the advancement of each of the 15 Fixes. With this focus in mind, this committee has aligned on a short list of recommended actions that they believe could have a significant impact.
Guiding Principles
Tap the boxes below for the detailed guiding principles.
Metro Government should be accessible to all Nashvillians. They should be able to communicate with the city in the way that works best for them, and they should experience best-in-class customer service when they engage with the city.
Decisions about Metro policy should be open and transparent. Nashvillians should be actively included in community conversations about our city’s path forward.
Metroleaders should hold themselves accountable to Nashvillians. They should provide regular reports about their progress toward promised solutions and demonstrate how community input has shaped their decisions.
Mayor O’Connell should foster a culture of collaboration between Metro departments and with Metro-affiliated offices. Increased coordination across Metro entities will help expedite solutions to issues Nashvillians face.
Policy Recommendations
How Nashville Works.
- The O’Connell Administration should ensure that every Metro department delivers excellent customer service, and that every Nashvillian can interact with Metro Government in the way that works best for them.
- Mayor O’Connell should adequately resource hubNashville, and he should empower its team to clearly communicate with Nashvillians and proactively address their requests.
- The O’Connell Administration should prioritize openness and accountability in all of Metro’s policy decisions.
- Mayor O’Connell should lead efforts to increase collaboration and problem-solving among Metro leaders.
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