In May, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell delivered the 2025 address, urging residents to “Give us more options on how we will move into the future together.”

Well, every political speech has its flair, right? But as I mulled over a news piece regarding Nashville’s economic landscape, I found myself grappling with a rather complex view of the city’s future.

• A report from the local chamber of commerce emphasized that Nashville’s branding as “Music City” has led to unprecedented tourist growth.
• However, many new, shiny apartment buildings downtown are, paradoxically, featuring high vacancy rates. Somehow, it seems we have an overabundance of these units, and still, people are searching for homes.
• Plans for the East Bank’s new boulevard have morphed; instead of the hoped-for multimodal transit hub, it looks like we might just end up with a six-lane roadway.
• Moreover, office vacancy rates in downtown Nashville currently far exceed the national average, suggesting that quite a few major buildings aren’t seeing much action.
• As for the Downtown Convention Center, it’s thinking about expansion, stating, “We don’t have room for every group and lose business every day.”

So, the overall picture is quite intriguing. Nashville is vibrant yet somehow stagnant. There’s plenty going on, but the feeling lingers that the city is treading water.

Sure, the indicators of economic vitality are everywhere: population growth, employment increases, relentless tourism, low unemployment rates, and new hotel openings. These factors paint a picture of a lively city, but they also raise questions about whether this growth translates into real development or just numbers on a chart.

It’s a well-worn notion that growth alone doesn’t make a city better. And, I mean, I get that. But it seems this isn’t a thought that easily resonates with those driving Nashville’s economic vision. When music is treated like a kind of religion here, the mantra of growth becomes a civic dogma—one closely adhered to.

Fifteen years ago, some might have overlooked this tension. Nashville’s evolution into a sprawling cosmopolitan hub brought with it dreams of being a world-class city. But now, I can’t help but wonder if we have enough grounded voices willing to slow down and assess the situation critically.

There’s this unsettling reality taking shape—a sort of commodification of talent and culture, as performers get turned into mere attractions for a consumer-driven narrative.

And, it’s not lost on many locals that downtown has turned into something of a theme park. While it may be appealing to visitors, it’s not really a place for the community to thrive. The office vacancies aren’t simply relics of the post-pandemic hybrid work model; companies are relocating outside the core.

In essence, we’ve lost some control over our downtown. It has been projected that visitor spending and hotel occupancy will grow significantly through the mid-2030s. Those in favor of downtown development often argue that these attractions are necessary to fund the city’s broader needs.

To me, a city devoid of a vibrant core that engages both locals and visitors is simply uninteresting. The notion that unchecked growth automatically leads to better outcomes is a more persuasive illusion than anything else we’ve seen in the last decade, especially when compared to marginal improvements in education, transportation, and affordable housing.

I don’t mean to dismiss the positive developments happening in and around Nashville. Last year, “Imagine Nashville” emerged as a community-driven initiative aiming to unify city priorities for the next decade. They laid out an impressive vision, touching on various aspects of life in the city, yet their focus seemed to overlook the importance of commercial and geographic centers.

Promoting sustainable growth is now trendy. Imagine Nashville’s report puts forth that “Managed growth brings benefits.” The challenge lies in balancing progress with a commitment to protect what makes the city unique, according to the CEO of Convention and Visitors Corp, Deana Ivey.

This sounds thought-provoking, but sometimes it feels like mere words without action behind them. People gaze at downtown Nashville and ponder its future—and in some ways, that’s completely rational. But, is there anyone actually contemplating a bigger Music City Center, more hotels, and squeezing in more convention attendees along with a slew of generic bars?