On November 3rd, Walk Bike Nashville brought Open Streets Nashville to Antioch Pike in the Glencliff Neighborhood of South Nashville! Together, with our presenting sponsor Amazon and our partners at the Civic Design Center, Glencliff Neighborhood Group, Cosecha Community Development, and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure, we closed the road from Wright Middle to Glencliff Elementary to cars for the third Open Streets event in Nashville this year, reopening the street to people.

It was a beautiful fall day packed full of amazing speakers and entertainment, awesome food, great local artists and non-profits, and more than 1,000 neighbors, community members, kids and families walking, biking, and playing in the street. 

 

To kick off the Open Street, we heard from the city and neighborhood leaders that helped bring it all together, including Mayor Freddie O’Connell, Council Member Ginny Welsch, NDOT Director Diana Alarcon, Glencliff Neighborhood Group President Alexa Little, local district School Board Chair Freda Player, Cosecha Community Development’s Catherine Lewis, and Walk Bike Nashville’s Executive Director Meredith Montgomery. Celebrating the vision of safe streets for all and the spirit of Open Streets in Nashville, the festivities officially began as Mariachi México Internacional performed down the length of the street fondly referred to as Education Mile–one of the only places in Nashville where students can attend elementary, middle, and high school all on the same street.

With the street split into three vibrant zones - Community Zone, Arts and Culture Zone, and Activity Zone - neighbors had the opportunity to explore 40 partners and vendors, and the unique  art, education, and activations their community had to offer:

  • A Step Ahead Foundation of Middle Tennessee
  • Aventura Community School
  • BCycle brought out their fleet of e-bikes for free rides to attendees
  • Bike Fun set up a bike rodeo and taught many kids- including the Mayor’s daughter!- how to ride bikes
  • Local pottery studio Bonehead Pottery set up their ceramic pin making station and sold some of their handmade pieces 
  • An awesome bouncy house for neighborhood kids to play around with
  • Local Artist Britney Drake
  • An Antioch Pike neighbor represented Bunny Rescue Nashville, and hosted their own used book sale
  • Chonburi Muay Thai came out with their pads and gear, and performed some demos for the community
  • Choose How You Move and Nashville Moves came out to talk to everyone about the Transit Referendum
  • The Civic Design Center installed two Tactical Urbanism projects and fun pedestrian oriented art projects- with the help and input from local high school students
  • The Contributor Newspaper
  • Cosecha Community Development held garden tours, handed out drinks and snacks, and brought out a local partner to administer free flu shots
  • Local artist Alex Metz, AKA Crafted by Chaos
  • Antioch Pike neighbor Leigh Cara launching her candle business Wax and Wav
  • Local artist Giana LaSpina
  • Local Henna artist Ania Diallo AKA 9Muses Henna
  • The Entertainment Stage at Glencliff High School, where we heard from performers Mariachi México Internacional, Megan Barker and Alayna Carroll
  • Greenways for Nashville
  • Antioch Pike neighbor Raquel Flores brought out Hand Made Art from Mexico
  • Iglesia Del Nazareno Glencliff held their Sunday services outside, then came and joined in on our festivities throughout the day
  • Lime provided lots of their dockless e-bikes and scooters for the day
  • Metro Water Services
  • Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure with Fairpointe Planning
  • Nashville Public Library’s  Edmondson Pike Branch offered a fun and interactive storytime 
  • Oasis’ Youth Action Team
  • Pawster
  • Rocketship Public Schools
  • Stand Up Nashville (SUN)
  • Studio NPL brought out some crafts for the neighborhood
  • Tennessee Department of Transportation and HNTB
  • Turnip Green Creative Reuse hosted a bike bag making workshop 
  • Wright Middle School’s Mariachi Band serenaded us mid way through the day
  • Unscripted Improv
  • Zero Waste Metro Nashville and their recycling truck 
  • Food from local vendors Birria Babe, Jordan’s BBQ, the Rusty Lemon, and Chang Noi Thai Lao
  • And Walk Bike Nashville set-up our own leisurely parklet to enjoy the nice day and spend time in the street! 

Throughout the day, we heard moving testimonials from community members and neighbors, reflecting on how Antioch Pike was the quietest it’s been in years during Open Streets. Without cars racing down the long, wide street kids could run around and play, neighbors could chat and meet each other, and the community could simply be together. Pick-up soccer games, badminton, chalk, and hula hoops filled the street, and many people came out to walk their dogs. Antioch Pike was as lively as ever - truly a Street for People! 

As the day winded down with the sunset, the comforting feeling of safety, fun, and community continued as neighbors lingered to spend time together and thank all the partners who joined us out there. As the last of three Nashville Open Streets in one year - and the first Open Street in South Nashville, Open Streets Antioch Pike was one for the books.

We want to thank all the neighbors along Antioch Pike and in the Glencliff neighborhood, the schools and administrators along Education Mile, the neighbors, businesses, and community organizations who activated the street, our sponsors, and everyone who came out to make the most of the day. 

Walk Bike Nashville will continue to promote walking, biking, safe routes for all, and car-free streets to help foster a Nashville where everyone can get around, get out, and enjoy the city! Along Antioch Pike, Walk Bike Nashville has committed to creating lasting, positive change for the safety and well-being of all students and families in the neighborhood. Through continued engagement with local residents, schools, city officials, and community organizations we hope to create a more accessible, vibrant and inclusive neighborhood for Glencliff pedestrians and cyclists.

Keep an eye out for more Open Streets around town and help us foster Streets for People- maybe we’ll see another Open Streets Antioch Pike next Halloween?

To see photos from the day, check out our Facebook photo album and watch our Open Streets Antioch Pike recap video here! To follow the Civic Design Center’s continuing projects on Antioch Pike, check out their Antioch Pike Project Page. If you're an Antioch Pike neighbor, check out this survey to share your thoughts on the safety and quality of life on the neighborhood streets. To stay connected with Walk Bike Nashville’s future on Antioch Pike and to get involved, join us!