Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center

Project Statement

As part of WeGo’s long-range strategic plan, several neighborhood transit centers are proposed for Nashville with the intent to decentralize routing with point-to-point connections locally and regionally, reduce travel times, and improve transit accessibility. Transit centers help smaller markets grow by concentrating volumes and making service more cost-effective. Located in one of the highest ridership areas in the city and sited adjacent to affordable housing, seven routes now converge on the site, including new cross-town connectors and reroutes of previous bus lines. As one of the system’s first neighborhood transit centers, unique project goals were set early on to include a robust community engagement process and design and operations integration to establish prototypical elements. In addition to experimental bus programs, passenger waiting areas, and facility operations, cultural and educational elements reflecting the surrounding community became significant drivers of the overall design, while also reflecting safety, accessibility, and sustainability requirements. Since opening, the center has boosted ridership by 36%, connecting more residents to essential services and opportunities.

Framework for Design Excellence Narrative

**Design for Equitable Communities:** The design team and transit agency incorporated a robust and active community engagement program early in the design process. Utilizing online surveys, physical surveys (by mail), in-person community engagement events, social media live broadcasts, and over two dozen stakeholder interviews and meetings, the team gathered insight on what was important for the community to see or experience at the transit center. This feedback included practical features like free access to Wi-Fi and ample lighting for safety, as well as environmental and sustainability priorities.

A Community Advisory Committee then synthesized the nearly two years of input into a project theme that recognizes North Nashville’s Voices of the Past, Present, and Future.  This inspired the inclusion of cultural elements that celebrate North Nashville’s important history, broadcast current residents’ thoughts and stories, and offer future neighborhood voices to be heard. The project team achieved 30% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation, exceeding the initial participation goal of 13%, with many participants local to the North Nashville area.


**Design for Discovery:** The design team conducted several workshops with the transit agency’s operational teams to identify and understand current challenges and lessons learned from their other transit facilities. New goals were set to provide flexibility with technological innovations and become a test facility for future rapid transit operations. 

Level boarding platforms are integrated along the higher-speed Clarksville Pike corridor, decreasing loading and unloading times for rapid transit systems. New signalization improvements were added, including radar technologies and priority queue jumps at the roadway intersection, to supplement rapid transit operations and efficiency. As the first of its type in Nashville, the facility will serve as the driver training location for the future implementation of level boarding transit stops around the city. 

Bus bays are designed to accommodate multiple bus sizes and types – including a dedicated lane for para-transit, taxi, Kiss-n-Ride, and ride-share pick-ups/drop-offs – providing flexibility for facility operations. The sawtooth bus lane configuration and extended canopy heights allow lay-by scenarios and bus maintenance without disrupting or compromising busy facility operations. Additional multi-modal transportation facilities are provided on-site, including short- and long-term bicycle and scooter parking. 

Emphasizing pedestrian safety as a priority goal, the bus lanes are located on the perimeter of the site and configured so that all bus drop-offs are oriented toward the center of the site, eliminating the need for pedestrians to cross vehicular travel ways as they make transfers. The pedestrian-oriented site integrates a series of terraced plazas that double as a stage and amphitheater seating, helping mitigate the large grade change challenges across the site. Accessible pathways weave through the site, maintaining a comfortable, parklike setting equitable for all visitors. 

The project includes easy-to-maintain design features and facility technologies. For example, standard off-the-shelf light fixtures and real-time transit information displays streamline the facility maintenance and operations and become prototypical design elements that can be easily replicated in future transit centers.


**Design for Well-being:** Practical and experiential safety strategies were integral as the community’s highest priority. The landscape design carefully considered plant heights to avoid creating hiding places and promote visibility, and when combined with site lighting, creates a comfortable environment for visitors at night. The building design centralizes public pathways that encourage connections on all four sides of the building while providing visibility through it. Security cameras and emergency phones are supported by 24-hour security personnel and local police department surveillance on a daily basis. At night, the glow from the building acts as a safe neighborhood beacon, and the windows allow visitors to see others in and around the building, incorporating defensible design strategies for safety and comfort. 

The primary waiting areas are oriented toward the landscape and plaza to screen visitors from the busy streets surrounding. Large glazing walls and clerestory windows increase visibility to arriving buses and connect visitors to the landscape, while operable window walls encourage interaction between interior and exterior spaces and activities. The large exterior canopy outside the building enhances year-round functionality by protecting visitors from the elements, stimulating playfulness with permanent game tables, and providing gathering space for community events. 


**Design for Ecosystems:** The project team created a sustainability matrix to guide design requirements supporting an environmentally conscious facility that fosters a healthy environment and meets community priorities. Several strategies were employed to reduce the facility’s long-term environmental impacts, including low-flow plumbing fixtures and native and drought-tolerant plantings, ample daylighting and energy-efficient light fixtures, dark sky-compliant lighting design, and solar-ready and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Reflective roofs, reflective pavement, and site trees contribute to lowering the heat island effect, saving on utility needs for cooling the building and adding to visitor comfort. The employee break room is designed to feel more like a lounge, and recycled and low-VOC materials promote occupant health, providing a pleasant, relaxing environment and setting a higher standard for occupant happiness.