Part 2: A Journey Through The East Bank Public Realm In Nashville.

The Fallon Company released the Public Realm framework in March of this year, which gave insight into what the new East Bank neighborhood would look and feel like. The framework includes more context to components shown in the Imagine East Bank Plan and builds upon those elements as the developer moves closer to starting work.

The Fallon Company, in partnership with Elmington, recently submitted plans for the first affordable housing development in the East Bank, signaling the start of this massive undertaking. The overall Initial Development Area (IDA) or phase 1 is noted as Lots A-G, in the image below. There is also a site plan of the recently proposed affordable mixed-use development in Lot G.

“The Public Realm Framework is more than a vision – it’s a blueprint guiding the design of the East Bank’s first phase, which is already underway,” said Shawn Seaman, Chief Development Officer at The Fallon Company. “This plan lays the foundation for a connected, inclusive waterfront that will unify the East and West sides of the river, linking neighborhoods and people through thoughtfully designed public spaces and mobility infrastructure.”

This is the final segment of the CityNowNext 2-part series on the East Bank Public Realm Framework. Using the conceptual diagrams from the plan, this segment offers additional insight and context of what things may look like in the future.

The Public Realm Framework 

The Public Realm Framework Plan leverages two critical axes:

• Music City Mile – the elevated walking platform extension of the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to the new Nissan Stadium.
• Cumberland Walk – the east to west ground level pedestrian activation. 

Both elements are intended to strengthen the connection between Downtown Nashville, East Nashville, and the Cumberland River.  Both linear park spaces will include unique identities which are planned around significant pedestrian activation and flood resiliency. Slide the conceptual image below for a look at the Cumberland Bluffs and Landings.

The public realm is defined as the usable space outside and between buildings such as streets, parks, playgrounds and plazas. As the East Bank develops, the public realm framework will ensure there is ample and equitable public space neighborhood as described in the Imagine East Bank Plan.  The intent of the framework is to define, protect, and strengthen these spaces for public life as they are created in coordination with private development, and to create spaces that define the urban design identity of the East Bank. 

As it relates to permitting, the framework builds on the vision of the East Bank plan by providing a greater level of detail on the scale, proportionality, character, and design intent of these spaces. The framework bridges the gap between the broad planning guidance of the vision plan, the formal development standards, and permitted uses of the zoning regulations of the Downtown Code (DTC) to help shape the public space. 

Cumberland Walk

The Cumberland Walk represents the East to West pedestrian experience that gets you from upcoming buildings surrounding the new Nissan Stadium to the proposed relocated Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), and the Cumberland Riverfront.  Slide the image below for a view next to the upcoming TPAC.

The Cumberland Walk will be a garden-like park at the ground level, vs. Music City Mile which is an elevated pedestrian experience. Key components include of the Cumberland Walk include:

• Shelby Avenue Gardens- Landscaped walkways enhancing the ground floor activation along Shelby Ave.
• Cumberland Walk Gardens – Landscaped walkways along S 2nd Street, The Landings (the base of the monumental stair (or Cumberland Bluffs) of Music City Mile), and a Pocket Park at the base of the Cumberland Bluffs.
• The Swings, stormwater retention gardens, a small stage and outdoor classroom adjacent to the Cumberland Bluffs.

The Cumberland Walk will also connect the East Nashville community to the river, and focus on more neighborhood programing including play, habitat, discovery, and exercise.  Base infrastructure elements include new sidewalks, enhanced landscaping, and bike lanes to further emphasize a safe and active East to West pedestrian connection.  

Music City Mile

The “Music City Mile” will be an elevated park that will extent the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to S 2nd Street. The Music City Mile is the civic gateway between Downtown Nashville and East Nashville. The elevated walkway, anchored by the new TPAC, new Nissan Stadium, and phase 1 mixed-use development of the East Bank – makes it among Nashville’s most visible and active public spaces.

The music city mile will connect to the existing bridge approximately where the elevator is near the bridge building today.  From there the plans note that it will have a consistent slope of less than 2% for its entire length, until the stairs or the Cumberland Bluffs across from the new Nissan Stadium.

The outdoor program is shaped and scaled to complement the future uses of these adjacent buildings, including places for gathering, performance, dining, shopping, strolling, views, discovery, and surprise to name a few.  The Music City Mile passes 6 planned developments along this stretch of linear park. 

Since the Music City Mile public realm is on an elevated deck, special attention has been paid to the proposed finished-floor elevation.  This was to ensure opportunities for adequate clearance for the (mostly logistical) urban spaces below, and adequate structural depth for planted landscapes. 

The Public Realm framework also provides more insight into multimodal options for traversing the East-West direction of Phase 1, as well as the access to Music City mile. The darker blue lines in the image note the ground level pedestrian connections while the lighter blue lines note the elevated connections.

Bicycle Circulation

The plan also provides high-level insight into prioritized bicycle circulation shown along Shelby Avenue, Victory Avenue, S 2nd street and Waterside Drive.  The plans did not express whether they were on street or off-street bike lanes at this time.  However, bicycle infrastructure does front the majority of activated storefront throughout the plan.  The plan also considers 3 options for egress on and off Music City Mile which includes a Park Loop, Switchback ramp, or Spiral ramp.

The plan will continue to evolve as the upcoming development projects serve as the various pieces of the massive East Bank puzzle.  For recent East Bank news including Part 1 of this segment, tap the banners above the sponsorship grid below.

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