Cumberland and Riverfront Parks

Case Study | Community Benefits
Cumberland and Riverfront Parks

Fast Facts

  • Cumberland Park’s underground cistern now captures about 1 million gallons
    of stormwater a year from surrounding streets and parking lots.
  • Water from Riverfront Park drains into a 375,000-gallon underground rain harvesting tank.
  • Built for a combined cost of $61.5 million, the parks have helped generate $1 billion in new investment within just two blocks of their boundaries.

Conceived as more than just recreational spaces, these two parks were intended to remediate brownfields, preserve floodplains, and revitalize downtown Nashville’s cultural and natural resources. The parks fulfill a vital role in managing stormwater and making Nashville safer and more resilient.

Cumberland Park lies on 6.5 acres that were converted from surface parking. Riverfront Park occupies 12 acres of a remediated brownfield. Besides containing substantial stormwater features, the parks are turning into transportation hubs, linking residents to the riverfront with off-street paths  for walking and biking, as well as floating docks.

RELATED RESOURCES

  • Member Exclusive
    Technical Tool

    Guide to Activate Undeveloped Parks of Austin

    Austin Parks and Recreation and Central Texas Interfaith, Design Workshop

    This is a road map for community members to temporarily activate undeveloped park sites in Austin.

  • Member Exclusive
    Report

    Pathways to Play: Community School Parks Program Report

    Los Angeles Park Foundation

    This report examines the Community School Park (CSP) program's effectiveness to increase use of school campuses for public recreation during periods when schoo…

  • Report

    Nature-Based Solutions for Managing Stormwater in Parks

    City Parks Alliance

    This report from a cohort of parks and stormwater agency leaders from eight cities informs how to increase collaboration between the parks and stormwater manag…