HOW WE WORK. HOW WE SERVE. HOW WE SHOW UP.
The Smart Girl
Standard.
110 principles for shared progress.
A property has an owner. A project has a team. A neighborhood has a voice. Our work should respect all three.
These original principles guide the way we aim to develop, collaborate and participate in the life of our city. They turn respect into practical choices, from the first conversation to the final handoff.
Prepare to understand.
Know the purpose, listen to the people affected and bring the right information.
Make the choices clear.
Discuss benefits, burdens, roles, fees and the questions that remain open.
Follow through with care.
Record the next step, credit the contributors and keep people informed.
110 of 110 principles · Our complete collection.
CHAPTER 01 / PRINCIPLES 1–10
Respect in every room
Make dignity the starting point, regardless of a person’s title, resources or role.
Lead with dignity.
Treat the owner, tenant, neighbor, public employee and crew member as people whose time and perspective matter.
Introduce yourself plainly.
Say who you are, whom you represent and why you are there before asking for someone’s attention.
Prepare before you arrive.
Read the agenda, bring the correct documents and know the decision the meeting is meant to address.
Honor another person’s time.
Arrive when agreed, keep your remarks focused and give early notice when plans change.
Give names proper care.
Ask how a person’s name is pronounced and use the form of address they prefer.
Make room at the table.
Consider access, timing, language and format so people can participate meaningfully.
Extend equal courtesy.
Offer the same patience to the person answering the phone as to the person making the decision.
Ask before entering.
Obtain permission before visiting private property, opening a gate or stepping into an occupied space.
Keep your composure.
Respond to frustration with a steady voice; pause when a useful conversation needs a calmer moment.
Leave people with clarity.
Close each conversation by stating what was decided, what remains open and who will act next.
Before the next meeting, learn who will be present and what each person needs from the conversation.
CHAPTER 02 / PRINCIPLES 11–20
Listen before proposing
Understand the need before offering a solution.
Start with their priorities.
Ask what success would mean to the person affected, including what they hope to protect.
Hear the full thought.
Let people finish before responding, especially when their experience differs from your own.
Repeat the concern fairly.
Summarize what you heard and invite correction before trying to solve it.
Make questions welcome.
Explain unfamiliar terms without making anyone feel behind for asking.
Separate a position from a need.
Explore the concern beneath a request; a different approach may meet the same need.
Respect a clear no.
Allow people to decline a proposal, introduction, photograph or invitation without pressure.
Notice the missing voices.
Ask who will be affected but has not yet had a practical opportunity to speak.
Name uncertainty honestly.
Say what you know, what you believe and what still needs to be checked.
Protect entrusted information.
Share personal details and private project materials only with permission and for an appropriate purpose.
Follow the meaning, not the volume.
Give a quiet concern the same consideration as a forcefully expressed one.
Ask an open question, then summarize the answer before presenting your recommendation.
CHAPTER 03 / PRINCIPLES 21–30
Move through the city with integrity
Use relationships to improve understanding while respecting a fair public process.
Respect the public role.
Recognize that city staff and board members serve responsibilities extending beyond a single project.
Use the proper channel.
Submit questions and materials through the process designated for the application or decision.
Learn the agenda.
Understand which body is meeting, what it can decide and how participation is organized.
Bring complete information.
Label drawings, dates, revisions and supporting facts so reviewers can understand the request.
Honor the speaking time.
Make the essential point clearly, observe the meeting’s participation procedures and allow others their turn.
Ask for clarity without accusation.
Request the applicable standard or explanation when guidance seems inconsistent or incomplete.
Respect access without claiming influence.
Use civic relationships to learn and communicate; never imply that knowing someone secures an approval.
Keep support accurately described.
Distinguish attendance, a conversation, a recommendation and a formal vote when describing public participation.
Respond to an unfavorable decision thoughtfully.
Read the written record, understand the reasons and discuss appropriate next steps with the project team.
Thank people without creating obligation.
Express appreciation in a manner that respects public-service boundaries and expects no special treatment.
For each public application, identify the decision maker, submission requirements and official record.
CHAPTER 04 / PRINCIPLES 31–40
Let evidence lead
Keep attractive ideas connected to reliable information.
Identify the right property.
Match the address, parcel and project documents before drawing conclusions about the site.
Keep the source beside the claim.
Record where information came from and when it was obtained so others can review it.
Distinguish the map from the ground.
Use mapping to frame questions and obtain the professional work needed to confirm site conditions.
Read the conditions.
Review the limits and obligations attached to an approval rather than relying on its headline.
Separate concepts from permissions.
Label a design study, application, approval, permit and completed project according to its actual stage.
Look for contrary evidence.
Investigate facts that challenge the preferred plan before a commitment makes change harder.
Keep versions in order.
Identify the current drawing set and retain a clear record of what changed.
Use the right expertise.
Bring legal, surveying, engineering, architectural and other specialist questions to qualified professionals.
Correct the record promptly.
When an error is found, tell affected people and replace the information they may be relying on.
Make assumptions visible.
Describe the information still needed before an estimate, timeline or development option can be relied upon.
Mark each major project assumption as confirmed, unresolved or awaiting professional review.
CHAPTER 05 / PRINCIPLES 41–50
Design with the neighborhood in mind
A property is part of a place that people already use and value.
Learn what is already there.
Understand the people, uses, histories and daily routines that give a place its character.
Respect history in its fullness.
Acknowledge Indigenous presence, displacement, labor and community achievement when telling the story of the land.
Study the edge of the site.
Consider how entrances, height, light, drainage and service areas meet neighboring properties.
Think from the sidewalk.
Examine the experience of people walking, rolling, waiting for transit and approaching the front door.
Consider the people living there now.
Discuss occupancy, disruption and transition concerns early when existing homes or businesses may be affected.
Make maintenance part of design.
Choose details with attention to durability, repair, operating cost and the people who will care for them.
Give water and landscape attention.
Bring drainage, soil, trees and outdoor-space questions into the plan before they become afterthoughts.
Test everyday function.
Consider deliveries, waste, parking, emergency access and daily movement alongside the appearance of a proposal.
Show scale honestly.
Use drawings and images that help people understand the proposal without concealing its size or impacts.
Explain the change.
Describe what improves, what may be disrupted and which concerns remain unresolved.
Walk the surrounding area and list the everyday relationships the proposal may change.
CHAPTER 06 / PRINCIPLES 51–60
Build a team people can trust
Good coordination respects both professional expertise and the people doing the work.
Choose fit over familiarity.
Consider qualifications, relevant experience, capacity and project needs when recommending a professional.
Describe introductions accurately.
Explain the relationship and avoid presenting an introduction as a guarantee of another firm’s work.
Put responsibilities in writing.
Make deliverables, exclusions, deadlines and decision authority understandable before work begins.
Respect the craft.
Invite the experience of tradespeople, field staff and suppliers into decisions that affect execution.
Raise coordination issues early.
Bring conflicting drawings or instructions to the responsible team members before the problem travels downstream.
Give useful feedback.
Identify the specific issue, its effect and the change needed without attacking the person.
Credit the contributors.
Name designers, builders, photographers and other collaborators accurately when showing the work.
Keep site visits orderly.
Arrange access, follow site instructions and stay clear of work you are not authorized or equipped to approach.
Address changes openly.
Discuss the effect on scope, price and schedule before treating additional work as agreed.
Close the loop with the team.
Share decisions with everyone responsible for acting on them, including those who were not in the meeting.
Confirm one current scope, a responsible person for each task and a shared way to report changes.
CHAPTER 07 / PRINCIPLES 61–70
Handle money and commitments clearly
Trust grows when people can understand the terms and the risk.
Explain what the fee covers.
Describe the service, its limits and the expected next step before asking someone to commit.
Keep amounts in their proper stage.
Distinguish a proposed fee, a signed agreement, an invoice and a cleared payment in every record.
Show the working assumptions.
Explain the inputs and exclusions behind a budget, estimate or projected return.
Speak plainly about risk.
Discuss possible delays, costs and unsuccessful outcomes alongside the opportunity.
Respect independent advice.
Give owners and partners room to consult their own advisors and reach an informed decision.
Never use urgency as pressure.
Explain a real deadline accurately without inventing scarcity or rushing a person past important questions.
Confirm payment instructions directly.
Use a trusted contact channel to verify recipient details and clarify what has actually been received.
Disclose competing interests.
Make relevant roles, compensation arrangements and potential conflicts clear before they affect a decision.
Protect a person under pressure.
Respond to financial distress with discretion, realistic options and appropriate professional referrals.
Honor agreed obligations.
Keep commitments to clients and collaborators, and address a problem early when an obligation may be missed.
Review scope, fees, payment status and open conditions as separate items.
CHAPTER 08 / PRINCIPLES 71–80
Serve the community with care
Useful service starts with the community’s needs and preserves the dignity of the people involved.
Ask before offering a solution.
Let residents and service organizations describe their priorities rather than arriving with a predetermined answer.
Show up beyond the photograph.
Contribute preparation, time and follow-through, including the work that receives little public attention.
Ask permission to share a story.
Let people decide whether their name, image or personal experience becomes part of public communications.
Support second chances with respect.
See the person beyond a past hardship and support practical paths to participation and opportunity.
Protect the dignity of receiving help.
Avoid making someone’s hardship a marketing device or a condition of assistance.
Learn from established organizers.
Respect the local knowledge and relationships of people already doing the work.
Offer what you can sustain.
Choose a realistic contribution and communicate clearly about its duration and limits.
Make introductions with consent.
Ask both sides before sharing private contact details or bringing a person into a sensitive conversation.
Listen after the event.
Invite feedback on whether the contribution was useful and what should be done differently.
Share the spotlight.
Recognize community leadership and collective effort rather than claiming a shared achievement as your own.
Ask the organization what help is useful, agree on the task and return to learn what changed.
CHAPTER 10 / PRINCIPLES 91–100
Use technology with judgment
Let better tools improve the work while people remain responsible for the decisions.
Choose tools for a useful purpose.
Adopt technology that improves clarity, access, research or coordination rather than novelty alone.
Check machine-generated answers.
Review AI-assisted work against reliable sources and professional judgment before it informs a project decision.
Label illustrations truthfully.
Distinguish generated imagery, concept renderings, current photographs and completed work.
Protect private material.
Confirm authorization and appropriate safeguards before placing client information in a digital tool.
Keep people in the decision.
Use automation to assist follow-through while retaining human review where context and consequences matter.
Make information easier to use.
Write clear labels, provide readable layouts and offer a practical alternative when a digital tool is difficult to access.
Request only what is needed.
Explain why information is collected and avoid gathering private details unrelated to the service.
Respect communication choices.
Keep an inquiry separate from permission for ongoing marketing and honor a request to stop updates.
Maintain the record.
Preserve useful sources, revisions and approvals so a future team member can understand how a conclusion was reached.
Bring learning home responsibly.
Translate ideas from conferences and other cities to Nashville’s context instead of assuming every approach transfers unchanged.
Before sharing a digital output, check its source, permissions, accuracy and effect on the people using it.
CHAPTER 11 / PRINCIPLES 101–110
Let follow-through build the reputation
A lasting reputation comes from useful work, honest reflection and care after the moment has passed.
Promise within your authority.
Commit to the work you control and explain which decisions belong to an owner, professional, lender or public body.
Keep a next-step record.
Assign a responsible person and an agreed date to each action that needs follow-through.
Communicate before a deadline slips.
Explain the cause, likely effect and proposed response as soon as a delay becomes apparent.
Measure what actually happened.
Distinguish activity from progress and a projected result from a documented outcome.
Own the repair.
Acknowledge your part in a mistake, agree on a remedy and confirm when the corrective work is complete.
Request honest feedback.
Invite clients and collaborators to describe their experience without pressure for a favorable review.
Share results with permission.
Obtain appropriate consent, credit contributors and preserve the distinction between your role and the team’s work.
Carry knowledge forward.
Leave an organized record that helps the owner, next professional or future team understand the project.
Practice hospitality across cities.
Welcome visitors thoughtfully, learn from their experience and return generosity through useful exchange.
Leave trust stronger than you found it.
Seek progress that people can understand, agreements they can stand behind and relationships worthy of the next conversation.
End each project stage with a record of decisions, open responsibilities and lessons for the next one.
LET’S PUT THE PRINCIPLES TO WORK
A good next step
starts with understanding.
Tell us what matters to you, what you are considering and where you would value help.