Conceived some five decades ago, MetroCenter grew up as a piece of suburban planning just about within sight of the state capitol. For years, it remained largely a collection of low-slung office buildings and distribution centers interrupted by some retail strips and bordered by Ted Rhodes Park and the Cumberland River. But Nashville’s growth and the rising awareness of smarter land uses have led a number of residential and retail projects that are closing the gaps.

The bones are there for more of that interesting infill to take the place of surface parking. The district’s roads have enough capacity and its street layout, while not (yet) tight and urban by traditional standards, can yield some interesting perspectives. This summer, University of Tennessee architecture students explored, under the guidance of professor (and former Nashville Civic Design Center Design Director) TK Davis, possible uses for various open properties along Great Circle Road as part of a broader redesign of the area.