Work will soon begin on a plan to preserve Nashville’s open spaces.
Mayor Karl Dean has asked the Land Trust for Tennessee to oversee the effort.
It will begin with an inventory of existing green spaces throughout Metro-and places where new ones are needed. The end result is to be a prioritized menu of suggestions for actions the government, private groups, and neighborhood organizations can choose to take.
Land Trust president Jean Nelson says the plan is about more than recreation and community gardens. She says it will look at ways to maintain an adequate tree canopy and the vegetation that filters runoff before it flows into waterways.
“We have got to plan for conservation in the same way that we plan for development, and we want to be sure that our natural features integrate with our future growth.”
Nelson says the group will bring in a consultant to work on the project. The effort is bankrolled by a private donation from the Martin Foundation and matching funds from Metro’s capital spending plan.
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