During a Dec. 15 press conference at the Davidson County Courthouse, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell discussed his administration’s plan for transportation, public education and affordable housing. The Hustler asked Mayor O’Connell about the potential impact of these policies on students and the university’s role in local government.
Mobility and education
O’Connell named Vanderbilt a “leader in the conversation about safe mobility,” referencing the several ongoing construction projects in and around campus. He further discussed the university’s efforts to make campus more accessible.
“The closure of roads on Vanderbilt’s campus to connect the campus and make it more pedestrian…that’s played out through the public process,” O’Connell said.
He also noted the impact of the MoveVU and FutureVU initiatives, both of which he said will inform his own administration’s approach to transportation. Simultaneously, he acknowledged the injuries and fatalities connected to these projects, alluding to the death of a construction worker near Rothschild College in February 2022.
“We’re actually looking to [MoveVU and Future VU] in Metro to help us with our approaches to transportation and management,” he said.
He shared a similar sentiment regarding early education, recognizing Peabody College as among the nation’s leading institutions for educational policy.
“We expect that that part of Vanderbilt will play an increasingly important role, particularly as we try to make advancements in early childhood education literacy initiatives,” O’Connell said.
Affordable housing
O’Connell further praised Vanderbilt for being a leader in the push toward affordable housing.
He applauded the creation of new graduate housing projects, such as The Broadview at Vanderbilt which opened in October 2022. As Nashville works to increase the availability of affordable housing for its citizens, O’Connell said his administration hopes to increase the inventory of potential affordable housing in the city.
“I think that [affordable housing] is something we continue to hear from students and recent graduates,” O’Connell said. “We know that people out of Vanderbilt University or arriving as graduate students, younger Nashvillians, need places that they can afford to live. And so I think affordable housing concerns are there.”
Climate change and policy
For much of the press conference, O’Connell spoke about the tornado that touched down in northern Nashville on Dec. 9. He shared that President Biden has authorized emergency relief funds for Nashville in the aftermath of the disaster.
“The damage was considerable and the worst of the damage was that we lost three Nashvillians in the midst of the storms,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell, in response to The Hustler’s questions, also discussed strides Vanderbilt has made on climate and education policy.
“I know that Vanderbilt has had some climate policy on campus, as well as some talented academic resources to support climate research,” he said.
Vanderbilt has launched a number of climate-related initiatives on campus in recent years, including the Vanderbilt Climate Change Initiative and a collaboration with Climate Vault. Additionally, beginning in 2022, students are now able to major in Climate Studies or minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies through Vanderbilt’s program in Climate and Environmental Studies.
O’Connell shared that his sustainability chief, Kendra Abkowitz, is working to advance similar policy initiatives through her role in the Mayor’s Office.
