the corridor

The Cumberland River flowing through the corridor.

The Beaman Park to Bells Bend Corridor is a story about a community in Tennessee: the northwest rural enclave of  Nashville bordered by the bustling metropolitan outskirts of the city. The corridor, also known as Scottsboro, has a colorful history and abundant natural and cultural resources. Its boundaries are defined by Beaman Park in the north and Bells Bend Park in the south with eight miles of the main thoroughfare Old Hickory Boulevard, tying the north and south ends together.

         

Until recently, this community has been protected from development on the South by the Cumberland River which acted like a mote and the steep hills of the Highland Rim on the north. Now that the topography and river no longer promise passive protection from explosive development, the community has mobilized to think about protection in a  broader sense and to proactively, and at times defensively, work to fend off development that is incompatible with the existing rural character. Efforts to maintain the rural character and protect the  area’s natural resources have included working collaboratively with both Nashville Metro Planning and Parks Departments, reviving agriculture, facilitating archaeological research, and completing conservation easements. www.bellsbend.org