Tom Turner, President & CEO, Nashville Downtown Partnership

In an interview with Invest:, Tom Turner, president & CEO of Nashville Downtown Partnership, discussed mobility upgrades, public space enhancements, and strategic livability investments aimed at uniting residents, workers, and visitors. “It’s about building connections and a sense of place through consistent, thoughtful engagement.”

What changes over the past year have most impacted the organization, and in what ways?

We’re not unlike the rest of the country and the world, experiencing a slowdown in development activity due to the interest rate market. That has had a visual impact on the skyline, with fewer cranes. 

Below the crane, however, our foot traffic numbers remain strong. Our employee base has grown slightly, return-to-office rates are ticking up, and the downtown residential population is growing. So, on the street level, there’s a lot of positive activity happening right now. We have 44 coffee shops, 15 ice cream shops, and 4 grocery stores, and they all add to the vibrancy and neighborhood feel of downtown. 

How is the downtown arboretum evolving?

We’re currently certified as a Level 1 Arboretum and are working toward Level 2, which requires just a slight increase in the number of trees. We’ve also enjoyed collaborating with the Mayor’s Office, Metro Water, and Metro Beautification.

Today, we have more than 3,000 trees and expect to reach 60 different species by year’s end. This kind of biodiversity enriches the urban environment, making spaces more inviting and naturally cooler. These investments pay off over time — it’s all part of creating that sense of place: the coffee shop, the tree canopy, the activity in the park, all working together to make the neighborhood more welcoming.

What role does the partnership play in business recruitment and retention?

We work alongside the local brokers, the state’s economic development team, the Chamber of Commerce Partnership 2030, and, of course, Metro to support sustainable business growth. Our role is to fill any gaps wherever we’re needed by providing data and demographics and making hyper-local connections.

Primarily, we focus on ensuring the downtown neighborhood is clean, safe, active, and attractive. By making downtown inviting, we aid economic development agencies in all their recruitment and retention efforts.

How is the partnership addressing homelessness downtown?

We have a dedicated homeless outreach team of four, with plans to add more in 2026. They interact with anyone who needs help, offering support beyond what our safety ambassadors provide.

This assistance ranges from handing out water to wellness checks, connecting individuals with shelters, helping them get an ID, or connecting them with family or friends. We’re actively involved in the coordinated entry system for homelessness, which ensures that interactions feed into the Homeless Management Information System, a key step toward sustainable housing. In recent years, due to increased federal housing resources, we have focused more on those on the cusp of housing, helping them bridge the gap. As those resources shift, our focus may pivot again, possibly returning to more direct housing connections. 

What impact will the new transit plan have on downtown mobility?

The city passed Mayor O’Connell’s “Choose How You Move” transit plan in November 2024, with a 65% favorable vote. The half-cent sales tax will fund improved service delivery, extended hours, more frequent service, additional routes, and new transit centers.

It’s a long-term upgrade to the bus system and also to other modes of transportation. There’s funding for sidewalks, safer walking conditions, and multimodal lanes to support biking and other forms of movement. So we’ll gradually see more pedestrians, more bicycles, and more buses.

What many people are eager to see is the modernization of our traffic signal network. Upgrading that technology will have a major impact — not just for drivers and bus riders, but for cyclists and pedestrians, too.

People are excited and optimistic about the potential. While the improvements won’t happen overnight, as the funding comes in gradually, there’s a clear sense of urgency and anticipation for what’s ahead.

How is the partnership enhancing downtown parks?

We partner with Metro Parks and Metro Planning to manage Church Street Park and Walk of Fame Park, and we also have programming responsibilities in Riverfront Park.

Today, you might see a dog park meet-up, yoga, or people relaxing in Adirondack chairs by the river — activities that weren’t possible before due to limited Parks Department resources. Even small touches, like setting out chessboards or cornhole, encourage people to enjoy the park and connect with one another. 

We’ve enhanced landscaping with nearly 50,000 flowers and expect to host over 1,000 park activations this year, from relaxing yoga sessions to larger community events. Consistency matters — regular programs build momentum and keep people coming back. 

Even in small spaces, intentional programming helps residents step outside their buildings, meet neighbors, and feel part of a larger community.

What are the partnership’s top strategic priorities for the coming years?

Our core focus continues to be on making downtown clean, safe, active, and attractive. That means expanding our efforts block by block and enhancing the public realm so that everyone feels not just welcome, but truly included.

The goal is to create a special place that fits seamlessly into people’s daily lives, whether they live, work, or play downtown. We’re fortunate to have a strong visitor market, a central employee base, and a growing residential population. When someone asks where the locals go, the answer is: they’re already here.

Simple things, flowers, coffee shops, and small curated events have a positive impact. We’re building a sense of place through consistent, thoughtful engagement.