The Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) has announced a new tactical urbanism program that supports and facilitates community-led installation of temporary transportation projects in neighborhoods
Also known as “planning by-doing” or “pop-up urbanism,” tactical urbanism has been present in Nashville over the past decade. A prominent example is the Civic Design Center's ‘PARK(ing) Day Nashville’ project, where street parking spaces are repurposed once-a-year into small parks and places for art and public gathering.
Tactical Urbanism Permitting
For community organizations that have already completed planning for a tactical urbanism project and have secured funding to install the project, the next step is seeking formal approval to install the project by requesting a Tactical Urbanism Permit. Existing project managers can review the Tactical Urbanism Guide for guidance on items reviewed in the permitting process and email completed permit applications with all supporting documentation to [email protected].
To encourage the scaling of projects that contribute to community-building and local safety, NDOT will also provide funding for the materials and installation costs for a select number of tactical urbanism plans through a competitive application process.
How to Apply for Funding
Potential applicants should first review the contents of the Tactical Urbanism Guide to become acquainted with design guidance for the program. Community organizations and neighborhood groups can then submit a project to be considered for funding by sending a Tactical Urbanism Permit Application to [email protected]. Applicants who would like to be considered for project funding should select “Yes” on the question “Apply for Tactical Urbanism Program Funding?”
Project applications will be reviewed and funded on a quarterly schedule. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis but must be submitted by the quarterly submission deadline to be considered in each quarterly review. Projects not funded in a particular quarter are eligible for reconsideration in subsequent quarters.
The next submission deadline is August 19, 2024. Four projects will be selected in the first funding cycle of the program and decisions will be announced by mid-September. The next quarterly submission deadline is targeted for mid-to-late November 2024. Additional details on scoring for the program can be found on the Tactical Urbanism Funding Program Project Prioritization Guide.
If needed, potential applicants are welcome to schedule a pre-application consultation with NDOT staff by e-mailing [email protected].
For more information on Tactical Urbanism, visit Nashville’s Tactical Urbanism Program webpage.
To report a non-emergency issue affecting a Metro Nashville street, visit hub.nashville.gov