North Nashville's Transportation Future: An Employment, Environmental, and Equity Analysis

Abstract

This report assesses the potential economic, environmental, and social impacts of the Let’s Move Nashville transit plan on the North Nashville neighborhood by modeling and comparing implementation scenarios for 2020 and 2030 versus predicted business as usual trends for the same years. The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority currently provides North Nashville with a higher level of service relative to the rest of the city. However, system features such as long headways, huband-spoke routes, and a lack of regional connectivity impose limitations on residents’ mobility. Let’s Move Nashville seeks to address each of these issues with the goal of connecting more people to educational, employment, and recreational opportunities. There is much at stake for North Nashville, a historically neglected African-American community beginning to experience redevelopment and an influx of new residents. Our analysis examines the extent to which these goals are achievable for the neighborhood while laying out a methodology that can be replicated for areas throughout Nashville.