Nashville Nightlife Mobility Safety: The 2026 Sociable City Summit will focus on mobility and nightlife safety, showcasing Nashville’s approach to interagency collaboration and efforts to improve safety in the nighttime social economy.
Transportation and Safety Initiatives: Diana Alarcon, Director, Nashville’s Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) stated the department was established to prioritize transportation and safety, including for pedestrians and cyclists in entertainment areas. Initiatives include managing street closures, coordinating with public safety agencies, and implementing projects like Connect Downtown and the Choose How You Move referendum to fund long-term transportation improvements.
Ms. Alarcon will join Matthew Daus, President, International Association of Transportation Regulators in special session on trends in mobility and Nashville’s current and future.
Mobility and Parking Solutions: Efforts include managing scooters and e-bikes through corrals and geofencing, creating designated drop-off zones, and expanding public transit to 24/7 service on high-ridership routes to support hospitality workers. Parking programs offer reduced rates for long stays and improved turnover for short-term parking, supported by data-driven planning and partnerships with local organizations.
Nighttime Safety Enhancements: Safety initiatives incorporate Vision Zero principles, technology such as LiDAR for pedestrian behavior analysis, and infrastructure improvements like painted crosswalks near major venues. A federal grant supports data collection and collaboration with universities to inform future safety strategies.
Diana Alarcon has more than 30 years of private and public sector experiences. She currently serves as Director for the Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure for Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County. The Department is responsible for sustainable transportation policy, planning & programming, street maintenance, traffic engineering, engineering, and parking.
Director Alarcon champions sustainability and mobility initiatives, such as complete street designs and citywide bike ways and greenways. She is creating a true multimodal transportation network for bicyclist, pedestrians, transit, and vehicles through reassignment of existing rights-of-way and ensuring the connectivity. She also builds partnerships with the private sector on creating mobility hubs that connects all modes including new trending modes such as micromobility.
She is an active member in the following organizations to change the approach to transportation: Women in Transportation (WTS) Seminar, American Society of Civil Engineer (ASCE), Urban Land Institute; American Planning Association; Institute of Transportation Engineers; American Public Work Association; National Association of City Transportation Officials; and the International Parking & Mobility Institute.
