The MetroCenter Levee Greenway in Nashville, TN is a flood-control levee that runs for three miles along the Cumberland River. Near the large MetroCenter business district, a jogging trail running the length of the levee gets lots of use by businesspeople at lunchtime.

In 1999, the Army Corps of Engineers determined that the levee would have to be raised to meet new flood-control standards. The Nashville Parks Department worked with the Corps of Engineers on improvements to the trail, which will eventually become part of a large greenway system.

Below are features designed to be incorporated into the new MetroCenter Levee Greenway, inspired by the flow of the Cumberland River, and the wildlife found in and around it.


Fences at three rest areas along the trial will highlight the fish in the Cumberland. Aluminum cut-outs of various fish species, including bass, paddlefish, gars, and catfish, are sandwiched between the perforated fence panels. A slight offset between the panels causes a moire pattern to move in watery waves as the viewer moves past them.
A view of one of the fences from below, showing the moire patterns formed by two layers of mesh.

Large plazas at both ends of the trail will feature large, sandblasted designs of river wildlife: turtles, frogs, snakes, and insects.

The images are very subtle, and hard to find. In this photo, you may see a frog laying eggs.

Wave-shaped shade structures will enclose a 150-foot section of the trail, creating a shady area while also hiding a water-pumping station.

Panels set into star railings leading up the side of the levee will show local river fish swimming through swirls of bubbles.

The panels will be water-jet-cut aluminum.

A flood wall onthe top of the levee will be turned into a sculptural object, undulating and punctuated by holes offering views of the Cumberland River..

Images of fish will be sandblasted into the wall. The example here is an image of a bluefish.