The Imagine East Bank Plan transforms a 338-acre industrial area opposite Downtown Nashville into a thriving waterfront district. Located between the Cumberland River and Interstate 24, this comprehensive vision addresses intense development pressure while repositioning the site as an inflection point for the city’s next-generation growth. The plan creates four walkable mixed-use neighborhoods within a strategic framework that enhances resiliency and establishes a multi-modal transportation system. This approach reconnects historically isolated neighborhoods to downtown while dramatically improving ecological health and promoting awareness of the riverine environment.

Connecting people to place and engaging the senses, the plan centers on unique public spaces that are unique to the site’s location on the Cumberland River and that could only exist in Nashville. An 11-acre “Central Park” anchors the development, featuring a new Tennessee Titans stadium with panoramic views of the Cumberland River and Nashville skyline. A scenic overlook lets people experience the exhilaration of standing 30 feet above the river and opportunities for people to descend to the river and interact with a living shoreline.

Imagine East Bank integrates placemaking, infrastructure, and flood mitigation through “performative landscapes.” These parks provide active and passive recreation, enhance groundwater recharge to reduce flood risk, create wildlife habitat, and include a new city dock. The upgraded multi-modal streets encourage walking and transit use, reducing transportation energy consumption while expanding recreation opportunities.

The multiple benefits of these performative landscapes create value that helps underwrite new infrastructure and supports an ambitious target of 4,000 affordable housing units. This holistic approach uses strategic placemaking to create upgraded streets, parks, and plazas that transform the East Bank into a model for sustainable urban development.