Thursday, August 25, 2011

Putting the "Public" in Metro Public Works

I'm late on posting a portion of a very strong letter by West Nashville leader Trish Bolian addressed to the Planning Commission last April on the issue of re-designating streets and making them less pedestrian friendly:


IT SEEMS IMPERATIVE THAT NASHVILLE NEIGHBORHOODS MUST BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF ALL DECISIONS MADE......NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT THAT GETS BRUSHED ASIDE. NO WONDER RESIDENTS MOVE TO BRENTWOOD AND FRANKLIN. THE MAIN GOAL THERE IS TO SUPPORT AND PROTECT NEIGHBORHOODS. IN NASHVILLE, NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE TO FIGHT TO EVEN PROTECT THEMSELVES.


I have been asking and I will ask again. THERE NEEDS TO BE A STATEMENT IN THIS LISTING AND NAMING OF COLLECTOR STREET THAT IT IS A PLANNING DOCUMENT ONLY. BEFORE CHANGES ARE MADE TO STREETS OR NEIGHBORHOODS THERE MUST BE SOME KIND OF PROCESS TO GET NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT. PLANNING HAS A PROCESS, ZONING HAS A PROCESS. PUBLIC WORKS HAS NONE AND THEIR ACTION (OR INACTION) HAS A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON NEIGHBORHOODS.


I've found that unless you apply constant community pressure to Public Works they tend to be callous to neighborhood concerns. Trish is right. Neighborhoods should not have muster exceptional numbers at hearings each time they deserve to influence a decision affecting their quality of life.

1 comment:

  1. I agree with your position. I'm just wondering where council-members come into play on such issues.

    I would think they should be instrumental when it comes to this sort of thing.

    That said, they may not have much leverage. Though it sounds to be primarily a matter of process (and that process may be to exclude to public input).

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