Mayor Freddie O’Connell Releases Nashville’s First Unified Housing Strategy

Mayor Freddie O’Connell Releases Nashville’s First Unified Housing Strategy

The Unified Housing Strategy will guide Nashville’s coordinated work to implement housing solutions

Today, Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the Metro Planning Department’s Housing Division released Nashville’s first Unified Housing Strategy (UHS) -- a comprehensive roadmap designed to address Nashville’s housing challenges with a clear, coordinated, and community-driven approach.

“With the release of the Unified Housing Strategy, Nashville now has an implementation plan where our collective work can result in a future where all Nashvillians have access to a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “Housing impacts every Nashville neighborhood, business, family and individual, and the Unified Housing Strategy calls on all Nashvillians – residents, employers, developers, financial institutions, philanthropists, Faith communities, and community leaders – to join together and play an active role in implementing housing solutions for our city. It will take all of us to build a future where housing security is a shared reality for all of us.”

Nashville property is getting more expensive, as proven by the 45 percent median increase in property values over the last four years.

Since 2012, Nashville’s population and job growth have exceeded expectations forecast in NashvilleNext, putting further pressure on Nashville’s housing market. Following and building upon the Planning Department’s Housing and Infrastructure Study, the UHS provides seven core strategies designed to unify and strengthen the capacity, resources, and programs across Nashville-Davidson County to meet Metro’s housing needs.

These strategies aim to:

• Create a housing ecosystem and market built to address the rising costs and housing needs of all Nashvillians by tackling demand and affordability pressures. (STRATEGY A, STRATEGY B, and STRATEGY E)
• Create new and preserve existing affordable housing that meets the needs of residents and promotes homeownership opportunities. (STRATEGY C and STRATEGY D)
• Address residents’ – both renters’ and homeowners’ – concerns of losing their housing through forced loss or economic pressure by seeking to preserve housing security and streamline and bolster housing resources. (STRATEGY F and STRATEGY G)

“The UHS is Metro’s first comprehensive housing strategy that looks at the city’s housing crisis from all angles – from how much housing needs to be created and preserved to particular challenges residents encounter in their housing journeys,” said Angie Hubbard, Director of Metro’s Housing Division. “Factors contributing to Nashville’s housing issues are complex and long-standing and cannot be solved by a single tool or policy change – or by Metro alone. The wide-ranging strategies and actions in the UHS require collective ownership and commitment from both the public and private sectors – and from everyone who believes that every Nashvillian deserves housing security.”

Accompanying the strategy is a Ten-Year Implementation Plan, outlining immediate and long-term actions, lead partners, timelines, and resource needs. This plan offers a clear roadmap for both public and private stakeholders, guiding investments, partnerships, and policy alignment across sectors.

The Unified Housing Strategy is rooted in deep community engagement and rigorous analysis. In the summer of 2024, Metro heard directly from residents across Nashville – through surveys, listening sessions, and interviews – about their housing experiences, concerns, and hopes. That input, paired with detailed housing data and market analyses, shaped every aspect of the strategies. The result is a plan that reflects the voices of Nashvillians and responds to their most pressing housing needs.

“Successfully implementing the strategy outlined in the UHS provides a unique opportunity to work together in a new way to achieve what no single organization can do on its own,” said Hal Cato, CEO of Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is excited to lean in with our Metro partners to help create a true community coalition united by a shared determination to make an impact on this issue that is foundational to our well-being as a community.”

The Unified Housing Strategy, Executive Summary, and Ten-Year Implementation Plan are available for review online at Nashville.gov/UHS. All residents are encouraged to provide feedback through an online feedback form by May 30, 2025, or at upcoming public events scheduled throughout May:

Upcoming Presentations and Public Engagement Opportunities

Presentation to the Planning Commission, Thursday, May 8, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
Howard Office Building, Sonny West Conference Center
Note: This is an informational presentation only; public comment will not be accepted at this event.

Virtual Public Presentation, Thursday, May 15, 2025, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Virtual Public Presentation, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Presentation to the Housing Trust Fund Commission, Tuesday, May 27, 202, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Howard Office Building, Sonny West Conference Center

For more information and to stay updated, visit nashville.gov/UHS.

For assistance, including translation services or accessibility accommodations, please contact Randi Semrick at least five (5) days before the presentation you plan to attend, at 615-862-7192 or Randi.Semrick@nashville.gov.

For general questions or comments about the Unified Housing Strategy, please email: unifiedhousingstrategy@nashville.gov.