In May of 2016, the Mayor of the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County commissioned a working group comprised of experts from various industries and community leaders, including you, to explore ways to meet Nashville’s goals around sustainable growth using technology and data. The committee explored vetted community plans geared to guide city growth over the next 20 years, heard from technology experts, reviewed the work of peer communities and explored global best practices around using technology and data to build a smarter, more connected community.

The result of this two-year research and planning initiative is Connected Nashville: A Vision for a Smarter City. A smart city is one that harnesses the power of data and technology to meet the needs of the community and solve local challenges: ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity; providing efficient, safe, affordable and reliable mobility options; offering digital skills access and training; ensuring access to educational opportunity; protecting our natural resources; fostering community-centered governance, and making infrastructure enhancements that support quality of life for residents.

During the community engagement period last fall, the group distributed an online survey and held four public meetings to engage residents in town hall format, including a community leader meeting to view the suggested strategies from the lens of equity and inclusion. In total, Connected Nashville garnered more than 2,000 impressions including 1,100 “priority selections” to help the committee determine which strategies were of highest importance to Nashville and Davidson County residents. Of the 21 strategies represented in the Connected Nashville mandala below, the leading five were:

·         enhancement of transportation corridors,

·         protection of Nashville’s natural resources,

·         embracing green building and energy efficiency,

·         ensuring access to affordable housing, and

·         enhancing digital literacy and innovation capacity.

On April 26, 2018, the Connected Nashville Co-chairs Fallon, Bryan and Keith delivered the final Connected Nashville Community Report to Mayor David Briley. This Community Report represents strategies developed over months of research along with five weeks of community engagement, which will set technology direction for Metro Nashville in the coming years.

In addition to the final Community report presented to Mayor Briley, the team presented a set of over 40 smart city projects Metro Nashville currently has in planning or execution in accord with Connected Nashville’s recommendations. Over the next several months, updates on these projects will be posted to the Connected Nashville website. Visit https://connected.nashville.gov for more info and to read the final full Community Report. As priorities and budgets allow, over the coming years you will see more projects added under the Connected Nashville umbrella.

Thank you again for your expertise and your service to the community throughout this effort.

Keith Durbin

Chief Information Officer and Director of IT Services

Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County, TN