New designs for Second Avenue

Nashville Mayor John Cooper unveiled plans on Wednesday for a revived Second Avenue, including wider sidewalks with room for outdoor dining, newly planted trees and public art.

• The vision is the latest chapter in the city's recovery from last year's Christmas morning bombing, which reduced to rubble a stretch of Nashville's original historic district.

Why it matters: Cooper says the city is seeking to do more than make the best of a horrible situation created by the suicide bomber.

• "It's using that tragic event as a galvanizer," Cooper tells Axios. "This is a wake-up call to valuing the authenticity of the district, and it's a call to action to create an opportunity out of a challenge."

The intrigue: Cooper, a real estate developer before running for public office, says he is especially excited about the city's work to activate the riverfront.

• In addition to connecting Second Avenue to the Cumberland riverfront with a passageway through reconstructed buildings damaged by the bomb, Cooper's administration has quietly invested funds in adding new parks to the riverfront near downtown.
• Metro Council voted on Tuesday to approve $20 million toward the infrastructure on Second Avenue.

The latest: At a press conference at the Wildhorse Saloon, the city also unveiled plans to add a new facade to the AT&T data hub that will better match the character of the historic neighborhood.