Green Infrastructure "Open Space" Plan for Nashville, TN

The recent flooding that devastated Nashville illustrates how important the strength of natural infrastructure is to the well-being of a community. Early in 2010 we started working with The Land Trust for Tennessee and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville to develop an Open Space Plan for the region, an effort to create an effective green infrastructure that will benefit the community in the future. As Nashville residents start to rebuild, we hope they will participate in the process and offer input into the natural and cultural priorities in their community. The goal of this public/private partnership is to develop the most progressive open space protection strategy in the Southeast.

Based on our national expertise in green infrastructure planning, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and The Land Trust for Tennessee selected the Fund to lead a team to develop an Open Space Plan for Davidson County.

The plan will be a roadmap for the strategic conservation and creation of green spaces, by both the public and private sectors, in an effort to protect the unique landscape of Middle Tennessee. We are partnering with ACP Visioning, Hawkins Partners and Clarion Associates. The Land Trust for Tennessee will be managing the project and working closely with the consultants.

“Green space and open space are a quality of life issue, an environmental issue and an economic issue,” Dean said. “The Conservation Fund knows how to weigh all of these, and how to develop a conservation plan that’s tailored to a community’s unique goals and opportunities. I look forward to their work and to having a plan that will allow us to accommodate our city’s future growth while maintaining a high quality of life and a healthy environment.”

Our work began in early 2010 with a complete inventory of the critical natural and cultural resources of the county. Our team has been collecting and analyzing information for the past six months and now is ready for significant public input. The final phase of the project will be recommendations for implementation of the plan. The plan is estimated to be complete in 12 months. (For a good example of a recent green infrastructure plan and recommendations provided to a community, read about our work in Indiana.)

The project is being funded through a private donation by The Martin Foundation to The Land Trust for Tennessee, supplemented with funds from Metro already approved through the capital spending plan.

Go to the Land Trust for Tennessee's website for the Open Space project for more information.