The Lick: Healthy Living in the Music City
Site: Nashville, Tennessee
Team: Gray Garmon, Emily Hosek, Min-Suk Kwon, Max Zarin
Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition 2014
The Lick, named after the historic French Lick Creek that transverses the site, is a mixed-use development that revitalizes Sulphur Dell and creates new opportunities for an exciting, healthy lifestyle. The redevelopment of this site represents a valuable opportunity to address Nashville’s most critical challenges. An invigorated waterfront and innovative pedestrian thoroughfare serve as the foundation of the development strategy. The waterfront will become a public park that allows users to engage the Cumberland River and enjoy a host of recreational activities. The park will give way to a new thoroughfare that flows through the site like a river. This thoroughfare expands the existing bike path into a unique experience that weaves the area’s native ecology together with pedestrian trails and bike lanes. It will strengthen critical linkages between the farmer’s market, the proposed ballpark and museum, waterfront, and new development. The Lick strategically leverages the site’s natural ecology to mitigate potential flood events. Storm water run off is controlled using pocket wetlands, green roofs, and permeable pavement, significantly reducing combined sewer overflow events. The Lick will also introduce new green space populated with native vegetation, restoring the ecological function of the site. In addition to public open space, the Lick will also reinforce transit infrastructure. New bike share stations and stronger roadway connections that interface with the proposed Bus Rapid Transit network will provide accessible alternatives to driving. Further, the fabric of the development itself will foster linkages that integrate the city’s existing assets and destinations. In all elements of the Lick, there is an emphasis on the activities and habits that comprise healthy living. The walking paths and bike trails, along with the accessibility of retail and other amenities, allow for a truly walkable living experience.