Architecture & Design
Multifamily Housing is the Sustainable Solution for Rapid Population Growth in Nashville
Dense housing developments are proving essential for Nashville to accommodate growth while controlling sprawl and preserving community character
Key takeaways
Dense housing developments are proving essential for Nashville to accommodate growth while controlling sprawl and preserving community character
As Nashville grapples with an explosive growth in population and a consequent strain on its housing market, the city is witnessing a shift from traditional single-family homes to more space-efficient multifamily units. This transition reflects a broader trend seen across various neighborhoods, with places like Germantown experiencing a significant 37.1% rise in home prices in April 2023. Such developments are not just reshaping the skyline but also redefining the community ethos, pushing for a more environmentally conscious and communal living environment.
How can such multifamily housing solutions address both the immediate need for housing and longer-term sustainability goals in booming markets like Nashville?
Paul Doherty, AIA, IFMA Fellow, DFC Senior Fellow, world-renowned architecture leader and Founder of The Digit Group shares his take on the role multifamily housing can play in addressing local and national housing challenges, drawing from his work in innovative multifamily housing solutions that balance density with community needs.
“Now all of a sudden things start to make sense that are measurable against a single family home, which is where you start to get the value of showing real effect on the environment and climate change because now all of a sudden you’re limiting by percentages all of the need of having to spread out rather than have a cluster together,” Doherty said.
Now all of a sudden things start to make sense that are measurable against a single family home, which is where you start to get the value of showing real effect on the environment and climate change because now all of a sudden you’re limiting by percentages all of the need of having to spread out rather than have a cluster together.
— Paul Doherty, AIA, Founder of The Digit Group
About the author
As published by Forbes as “Changing the World”, seen on Bloomberg TV and reported by CNBC as one of America's Business Titans, Paul is a Registered Architect and one of the global Industry's most sought after thought leaders, strategists and integrators of process, technology & business. Paul is the Founder & CEO of The Digit Group, Inc. (TDG), a leading Smart Cities design, build, operate and solutions company, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. TDG's Smart Cities are being showcased as an example of leading design during the Venice Biennale Architettura 2021. He is an author, educator, analyst and consultant to Fortune 500 organizations, government agencies, prominent institutions and the most prestigious AEC firms in the world. Paul has spent the past 30+ years in the industry after graduating cum laude from the New York Institute of Technology and graduating from the Career Discovery program at Harvard University’s GSD.
