Downtown Knoxville has barriers in multiple directions — the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus to the west, James White Parkway to the east and the Tennessee River to the south. 

But while the river constrains outward growth to an extent, its banks also provide opportunities for developers to tap into natural beauty just steps away from Knoxville's urban core. The main problem: The riverfront has barriers of its own. 

This week's episode, hosted by Ryan Wilusz and Calvin Mattheis, examines which riverfront barriers would be easiest to overcome and which ones could be the hardest to address. 

"The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com.

Downtown Knoxville has barriers in multiple directions &mdash; the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus to the west, James White Parkway to the east and the Tennessee River to the south.&nbsp;
But while the river constrains outward growth to an extent, its banks also provide opportunities for developers to tap into natural beauty just steps away from Knoxville's urban core. The main problem: The riverfront has barriers of its own.&nbsp;
This week's episode, hosted by Ryan Wilusz and Calvin Mattheis, examines which riverfront barriers would be easiest to overcome and which ones could be the hardest to address.&nbsp;
"The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com.

Every Tuesday, host Ryan Wilusz and expert guests bring you the latest news happening in and around downtown Knoxville. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com, part of the USA Today Network.

Every Tuesday, host Ryan Wilusz and expert guests bring you the latest news happening in and around downtown Knoxville. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com, part of the USA Today Network.

Each Monday, Ryan Wilusz and expert guests bring you the latest news happening in and around downtown Knoxville. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by Knox News, part of the USA Today Network.

The Scruffy Stuff

Kick back with Ryan Wilusz and Calvin Mattheis each Monday for the latest news happening in and around downtown Knoxville, and stay tuned on Thursdays for "Last Call" conversations with special guests. "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by Knox News, part of the USA Today Network.

Downtown Knoxville has barriers in multiple directions — the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus to the west, James White Parkway to the east and the Tennessee River to the south.   But while the river constrains outward growth to an extent, its banks also provide opportunities for developers to tap into natural beauty just steps away from Knoxville's urban core. The main problem: The riverfront has barriers of its own.   This week's episode, hosted by Ryan Wilusz and Calvin Mattheis, examines which riverfront barriers would be easiest to overcome and which ones could be the hardest to address.   "The Scruffy Stuff" is presented by knoxnews.com.