Victor Wilson looks forward to eventually riding his bike on a greenway from his home in the Nations on Nashville’s west side to events downtown or to a public transit stop on nearby Charlotte Pike without ever having to be on a street with cars and other vehicles.
“We could ride our bikes and go to (Nashville Sounds) ballgames in Germantown or Live on the Green” musical performances at the Metro Courthouse, he said.
“If we could get there on a greenway, I’d do it,” said Wilson.
As Nashville’s system of greenways grows, it will make the city more walkable and bikeable and become an alternative means of transportation connecting parks, neighborhoods and the transit system, said Mark Deutschmann, founder of Village Real Estate Services and Core Development Services. He also is chair of Urban Land Institute Nashville and board president of Greenways for Nashville.
Connecting corridors in Nashville
“I believe connecting corridors and connecting important neighborhood commercial districts like 12South and Melrose creates tremendous impact. People want to live in walkable neighborhoods and need opportunities to get to our transit system,” said Deutschmann.
“Walkability allows an opportunity for affordable living, since transportation is typically the number two expense of a household. As the chair of the Urban Land Institute Nashville District Council, we have identified transportation, healthy corridors and affordable living as our top priorities,” he said.