Civic Design Center

We had a great conversation with Vice Mayor Angie Henderson this morning at our 4th Annual Presidents' Council Breakfast!

Our CEO Gary Gaston is going to be speaking to how we can better incorporating pets into city planning and design. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eaHYyJgp

On December 25, 2020, a bomb inside an RV was detonated on 2nd Ave N between Commerce and Church St in Downtown Nashville destroying several buildings and damaging 65 structures within its radius. While we may never recover our historic buildings on the East side of the block, there has been significant request from the community to restore much of what we lost while also revitalizing the area to be better than ever before. The Civic Design Center partnered with Metro Nashville Planning Department, GHP—project manager for the recovery and rebuilding efforts—the Mayor’s Office, key metro departments, and the Nashville community to create a vision for the future of the 2nd Avenue area. The overarching project goal is to maintain the historic character of the buildings and streets while redesigning the streetscape to create a bustling pedestrian center. Here are some photos of what it look like so far!

BIG NEWS! We are hiring an entry level position to support our community education efforts. The individual who fills the Community Education Coordinator role will ideally have a strong interest in raising community voices and telling their stories. This person is curious about how design can improve the quality of life for Nashvillians and is driven to share what they know and learn. They will use this curiosity to drive social media content and organize regular monthly events for the Design Center. Apply directly through our website-> https://lnkd.in/ga5qYMpb

This Thursday! Don't forget to grab your tickets, we plan to sell out! See you then.

#TacticalUrbanism was coined during, and was a response to, the diminished municipal budgets of the Great Recession (2008 - 2010ish). Early stage, lean, municipal bets made room for and helped legitimize a bubbling, bottom-up energy for improving communities. The promise of the methodology grew steadily but was more fully realized at a global scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Necessity is the mother of invention, and whatnot. It didn’t all stick, but whether a sudden shock or ongoing stresses are impacting your community, we know Tactical Urbanism is an essential response tool. Are we hurtling towards another crisis? Hard to know, but it sure feels like it. We’ll see how the next few years play out, but 15 years after coining the term and pushing our initials guide out, it feels like we are on the cusp of something very familiar. And just like 2010 - 2025, maybe in 2040 we’ll look back and see the dividends of the collective action we take today, and tomorrow, to make life better for more people. Despite the current headwinds, I believe that’s possible!

Gary Gaston and I had a great time presenting at Tennessee Nonprofit Network's 2nd Annual Advocacy Summit this morning. We shared the Civic Design Center's journey with formalizing our advocacy framework and met some amazing new people. Good luck to all the folks up on the Hill tomorrow!

The Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) is hiring an Assistant Director over Choose How You Move Implementation. This is a leadership-level position dedicated to program managing NDOT's referendum-funded projects in coordination with key agencies and stakeholders including Mayor Freddie O'Connell's office, WeGo Public Transit, and the Metro Planning Department. Please share the position and reach out to me if you have any questions! https://lnkd.in/eSZW9Yf9

Thrilled to share that Gary Gaston and I will be hosting a session on behalf of Civic Design Center at the Tennessee Nonprofit Network's Annual Advocacy Summit in a few weeks! I'll be diving into how we formalized our advocacy strategy and got our Board of Directors behind our commitment to actionable change. What we struggled with for a long time was figuring out when we should speak up because our organization's focus is often so vast in the urban planning ecosystem that it was difficult to narrow our focus. We worked to create a framework for response and an agenda for proactive advocacy that we are excited to share with attendees.

Happy Black History Month! How can we continue to amplify the contributions of Black creatives in Nashville while ensuring their legacy is preserved and celebrated? From the Fisk Jubilee Singers to the legendary Jefferson Street music scene, Black artists have shaped the heartbeat of Music City. Their influence extends beyond music—through fine art, film, storytelling, activism, design, and more their creativity defines our culture. Join us for?PechaKucha Vol. 48: The Impact of Black Creatives?as eight inspiring artists share their stories in rapid-fire talks. Drumroll for our incredible line: Elisheba Israel Mrozik Eugene Johnson Victoria Morgan Ashley Larkin Larry Jenkins Metanoya Z. Webb Denitia Odigie Clarence Edward MC: Shabazz Larkin Poster Artist: Kazadi K. ???Date:?February 13th ???Location: The Frist Art Museum ????Tickets on our website https://lnkd.in/eC98f_Fz Don’t miss this celebration of creativity and legacy! Huge thanks to our sponsors:?Frist Art Museum, Google Fiber , Good People Brewing, and On The Scene. #PechaKuchaNashville #BlackCreatives #MusicCity