Posted on July 26, 2019
By Angelo Carusi
A Nashville-area mixed-use development illustrates the uplifting potential of landscape architecture.
Mixed-use developers are devoting premium real estate to outdoor public spaces that invite the community to linger. These communal areas are continually being repurposed and reimagined through bold and creative design strategies.
The design for dynamic, open-air gathering spaces can be as important as the design for revenue-generating real estate products. Physical spaces that promote dwell time are increasingly appreciated by tenants and end users. Outdoor “rooms” where people pause to sit with a cup of coffee, watch their children play, respond to emails and texts or enjoy casual conversations are spaces where life, community, architecture and nature come together, allowing for meaningful experiences that encourage people to return to the property.
Landscape architecture should never be an afterthought. The curation of attractive, communal and functional outdoor spaces should be an integral part of the master-planning process. This was the approach at Hill Center, a vibrant mixed-use, multiphase community situated on 16 acres in the heart of Brentwood, Tennessee’s business and retail district.