Urban Design for an Urban Century: Shaping More Livable, Equitable, and Resilient Cities, 2nd Edition

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Littlefield’s strategy proved successful. The city has attracted more than $3 billion in new manufacturing investment since 2008 and saw manufacturing employment rise by roughly 13 percent between 2010 and 2012.⁴⁰ While this increase brought more traditional blue-collar jobs, it also brought more positions for engineers and others with strong technology backgrounds. Civic gains have proved equally important. Downtown has returned as a destination that draws people from every neighborhood and livelihood, and a notable arts district has begun to take form at its southern edge. A new art museum faces downtown from across the Tennessee River; the new waterfront offers children and adults the opportunity to splash in an urban river; and young adults crowd downtown bars and cafés. Intent on ensuring that every investment in downtown contributes to its energy and sense of place, Littlefield insisted that a pedestrian bridge linking walkable districts on both sides of the river also double as a work of public art. The result: a bridge paved with glass panels through which pedestrians can gaze down at the river 80 feet below.

Believing that public infrastructure could also be public art, the city worked with River City Company, a nonprofit developer, to encourage all new development to enhance the character of downtown. Architect and urban designer John Coddington became downtown’s de facto design manager, and the quality of new buildings ...