Nashvillain

So then what is your middle ground solution? MLBrumby and Smeagols identified a problem. This development is going to bring a lot of new cars to the streets of Germantown which cannot be widened. Where will the cars go? They'll clog the already clogged streets of course. They'll be parked in the bike lanes (which they already are), on the greenway (yep, they're there, too), lining both streets turning two-way roads into one-ways (great traffic calming BTW), and overall making an ostensibly "walkable" neighborhood a lot less inviting or livable for the people who pay a premium to live there (because it's walkable) and the day trippers who want a reprieve from suburbia. Prioritizing the city for cars is policy. It is not the natural order of things. This policy, many of us can see, is not working very well. People all over the city are applying for traffic calming measures in their neighborhoods. Nashville is building out a bike lane network (half-assed and dangerous as it may be). Clearly, people who live here want and are asking for change. And, as we have identified, this development will introduce a problem that will need to be addressed--adding more cars that will not fit. I propose making it easier for people to choose not to drive. Making it safe to walk and bike. Making it easier for transit to move unencumbered through the streets. Removing surface and street parking to disincentivize adding more cars. Removing parking minimums in developments throughout the Urban Services Area. And BTW, these are pretty much the stated policy goals of the mayor's office (Nashville Vison Zero draft plan), NashvilleDOT, and various non-profit organizations in the city. One last thing because I know it's important for people to drive because they want to; Removing a ton of vehicle traffic from the streets and roads will make it easier to drive! Seems like a pretty "middle ground" solution to me but I'm curious what yours is

We have to give people viable alternatives to driving and actively discourage it. I think MLBrumby is right. If nothing changes, this development will bring a ton of personal vehicles to the area so we should tailor the streets to pedestrians, cycling, and transit and make it harder for people to park and drive

I know what you were referring to. But I saw something else in that photo that I thought was worth pointing out. You know, we have different perspectives and different priorities and that's, like, okay. Bus-only lanes are a thing that exist in cities in America. It's just a matter of prioritizing transit over personal vehicle traffic. Nashville hasn't done that but I wish that it would. That's my perspective and my preference.

I know! Two buses stuck in vehicle traffic!

I'm confused about your point. Does this project exist outside of zoning somehow? If parking weren't required, for instance, perhaps the developer could have used nicer materials or added a couple floors. If fire regulations didn't require multiple stairwells per unit, maybe it wouldn't be covered in exterior staircases. If Nashville allowed more diverse types of multi-family buildings, maybe the city wouldn't be peppered with 5 over 1s and whatever you call this... urban garden-style apartments (?). Seems like zoning's fingerprints are all over this one. At the end of the day, it's not the most distinguished bit of architecture (slight understatement), but it's 156 units of housing that didn't exist before in a city badly in need of as much housing as it can get

Oh, cool. They must be doing protected bike lanes above the curb...

I like this vision. We can also see many alternatives in European cities where highways usually divert around dense urban centers or else really slim down or become boulevards woven into the rest of the street grid.

Lots of cities are removing sections of their urban freeways, so I'd say it's not outside the realm of possibility. Interstates are vital for moving people and goods, but they don't need to come into the hearts of cities, and I think many would dispute your claim that they are the most efficient way to move goods and people. I think trains are much more efficient at moving both for instance We have pictures

What's the point of improving the interchange or having a responsive DOT if not to improve traffic? I thought it was a pretty safe inference. It was also a pretty banal observation so I didn't think anyone would take great offense; sorry if you did. Considering all the valuable land that is eaten up by urban freeways and the massive damage they inflicted on communities, I'm kinda glad that ours have remained static since they were installed. I would be much more inclined to remove the freeways altogether than make "improvements" to them

Yeah, traffic in Atlanta is great

^ This is the edited version? Yeesh.

No

Time for preparation is kind of the thing at every restaurant nowadays. Just like standing in line at Kroger checkout is the norm. And having your flight cancelled. Hard to hold it against any individual restaurant

^ You must not have gotten the memo. There shall be NO praise for Charlotte on this board. Please consider taking down your photos (especially those featuring light rail). It would be for the best.

312 Pizza and Emmy Squared? I'm not a pizza snob but those are pretty good to me

Furthermore, the party of "freedom" and "small government" would be the one to try to circumvent the decision of the duly elected representatives of the citizens of Nashville. I'm sure I'm leaning towards deletion of these posts, but I don't care. This is so outrageous.

"GOP leaders ponder drastic response to RNC withdrawal" https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/07/08/tennessee-republicans-respond-nashville-rnc Extortion. Instead of respecting that a mostly liberal-ish city doesn't want any part of hosting the RNC, the Republican state legislature reinforces its commitment to partisanship, extremism, pettiness, and just plain childishness. I'm sorry, but my reaction isn't political, it's factual. It's commonsense and reasonable. If their concern is the positive economic impact to the city and "small businesses," then show us the peer-reviewed studies that indicate that it will be thus.

This seems like a legit "accolade" for Nashville, as opposed to all the asinine listicles that are usually posted in this thread (unsolicited opinion dump, sorry). I wonder how this compares to other metros around the country.

I do. LoDo is stupid

That's because they're all owned by one or two national news conglomerates that push specific formats just like print journalism. Hence why The Tennessean is... what it is, too

Not if you ask the lady on 8th and Demonbreun whose son "lives here." Sorry, inside joke from another thread. Those lots are owned by the state and are part of the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Project, which, as far as I can tell was established in the 1950s. So...

Hotel/motel tax is only one component of the increased revenue. The other (probably bigger) element is increased property tax revenue generated by a 35-story hotel in comparison to a surface lot. Freddie got this right, but the anchor and reporter didn't seem to pick it up in their summary. What a terrible piece of journalism

I fell off my bike

What is this forum aside from a dumping ground of unsolicited opinions (or the internet in general)? I appreciate the examples of a more contemporary building where the decking would be a better fit. I was just there last week to treat my fractured elbow! I'd like to keep an open mind and see how the new outdoor public space functions and maybe the urban contrast--postmodernism meets contemporary urban chic (?)--will yield some unexpected visual excitement...

Er... wait a minute. Did they just redo the facades and take out the parking? Yep. Wow, I had no idea.