Knoxville 2040: Centers and Corridors is a study for the Plan East Tennessee (PlanET) consortium and the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission which examines the intersection of two aspects of the five-county regional plan – identified centers of growth and a proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Curb partner Ted Shelton was the Principal Investigator for the study.
The study considered six locations where the identified growth centers coincided with the proposed BRT: Bearden, Burlington, East Town, West Town, Pellissippi, and Downtown. The plan reinforces these unique places as a way to avoid the “placelessness” inherent in sprawl development where each place begins to seem much like any other. Rather, the plan imagines each of the proposed centers as a location where, at least to some extent, residents can live, work, and play. This affords residents the opportunity to lead more place-connected lives while simultaneously benefiting the region by reducing the need for transportation and making the delivery of amenities and services more efficient.
Answering to the concerns of mobility, health, environment, and community, Centers and Corridors proposes a sensitive growth plan for each center while looking to protect and enhance natural resources and identify appropriate housing typologies for each condition. While the study uses a transit oriented development (TOD) model, it prioritizes the creation of place. Rather than first considering what sort of development is required to support the transit system, the central question was always, “What sorts of unique, livable spaces are made possible by the transit?”
The complete project publication can be viewed online here.
