Reforming the Dept. of Transportation in Tennessee
An SELC Report: Where are we growing? Land Use and Transportation in Tennesee
Read the full report (pdf; 33 pages)
©Gary Layda
Urban sprawl encroaches on the rural landscape in Middle Tennessee
Metro Nashville was named the #1 sprawling city by USA Today. The region has the highest average vehicle miles traveled per person per day in the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration, surpassing even Atlanta. Land is being developed three times faster than the population is growing.
Unprecedented growth and development threaten to overwhelm the region's scenic landscapes, fertile farmland, and rich natural and cultural heritage - the very qualities that make Middle Tennessee such an attractive place to live, work and visit.
As part of our Land and Community Project, SELC issued in 2003 the first report to comprehensively examine the links between unprecedented population, transportation and development trends that are transforming the greater metro Nashville area. The report, Where are We Growing? Land Use and Transportation in Middle Tennessee, provides a fresh look at the current patterns of growth that are shaping the region, and highlights some of the efforts underway to better guide that growth.
