TURBO is part of the Civic Design Center 's Reclaiming Public Space work.

We aim to inspire permanent change through creative projects that tackle neighborhood issues affecting livability, mobility and safety.

how we got to work

A group of people came together to make a difference in their communities without being bogged down by bureaucracy. They researched ways that they could improve things like walkability and public art, bike infrastructure and green space, and got to work on temporary installations.

The TURBO movement that began in Nashville needed an organization to be a liaison between the voice of the people and Metro government for some of the bigger projects they wanted to work on, like public transportation and traffic calming.

That’s when the Civic Design Center absorbed the mission of TURBO as an action arm of their Reclaiming Public Space initiative.

What methods do we use

We use tactical urbanism methods, which are small and often temporary changes to the built environment that will ideally turn into permanent change across the city. Tactical urbanism is mostly started by regular citizens and goes straight to action in order to avoid slow and inhibiting bureaucracy. However, some city governments, such as New York City, also use tactical urbanism as a way to test out new public space projects. Examples of tactical urbanism can range from bus stop benches, temporary bike lanes and crosswalks, The Better Block movement, temporary pedestrian plazas, outdoor seating and more.