A better way forward: from non-performing promises to focused housing solutions

Zoning reform was sold as a fix-all. But in Nashville, after 15 years of reform efforts, what we’ve gotten is a flood of investor-driven projects, rising costs, and displacement—not the affordability or equity that residents were promised. The population projections being used in the Housing and Infrastructure Study to justify this path are significantly overstated, leading to over-zoning. If we want to undermine our local economy and community stability, accelerating crisis-framed rezoning without accountability is a sure path to do it.

Filtering—the idea that affordability will trickle down over time—simply doesn’t work fast enough or far enough. The people who need help can’t wait for the fifth buyer to finally get a break. We need targeted affordability strategies, not theoretical market outcomes. That means incentivizing developments for middle-, low-, and very low-income households; preserving existing affordable homes; and protecting long-time residents from displacement. And above all, it means refusing to let the zoning 'fix-all' become an excuse for premature actions that then enable luxury living units and result in inaction for those at the entry rungs of the housing ladder.

Sometimes, the most important part of learning is identifying what not to do. When current zoning policies in Nashville and other reformed cities are already contributing to gentrification, displacement, and a wave of luxury-focused development, the worst mistake is to push these policies even further. We must pause rezoning until real safeguards are in place—policies that can truly deliver on the goals of Nashville’s Unified Housing Strategy (UHS). That means supporting those earning the least and protecting the cultural and economic backbone of the city. Anything less allows the crisis framing to serve investor interests while sidelining the public good and neglecting those most in need and emphasized in the UHS as the highest priority.

Zoning is not a housing plan—it's a tool. And tools without intent build nothing of value and are accompanied by unintended consequences that can't be undone. If we want to build a city that welcomes the working class, seniors, essential workers, and first-time homebuyers, we must treat them not as byproducts of growth, but as the purpose of our planning.

Some local leaders have seized on the narrative of a 'housing crisis' as a chance to push bold reforms and align with donor priorities. However, if we truly want to avoid a crisis, we must learn from other cities and from history. Demolishing communities, displacing cultures, and removing the defining character of neighborhoods—as Urban Renewal once did—will not solve our problems. The effort to urbanize suburbia in one of America’s least dense and most forested cities is not a foregone conclusion. The real crisis will be dismantling what already works.

Failing to preserve Nashville’s unique neighborhood character, urban forests, historic landmarks, and the often-hidden cultural fabric would be an irreversible loss. Ultimately, a city is a collection of communities made up of people and the places they thrive in and cherish. We have room for a win-win. But to achieve it, we must act deliberately, not out of crisis-driven fear. Ethical city planning begins with the people—not without them.