In the heart of Tennessee beats a City that dreams big—Chattanooga. Home to over 180,000 individuals, Chattanooga is a hub of industry, history, and culture. It is also a place that planners have long looked to as a case study in post-industrial urban revitalization. Yet, behind the very visible transformation in the City’s downtown, Chattanooga faces challenges like many other cities. Earlier this year, it embarked on a unique and ambitious process called Plan Chattanooga to create a policy guide unlike any the City had before. Plan Chattanooga will create one citywide plan and multiple detailed land use plans for all areas of the City. The effort is occurring in parallel with a similar process in surrounding Hamilton County.
Plan Chattanooga is a collaborative effort between the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency, City of Chattanooga, and the planning team, Planning NEXT, Mend Collaborative, Kimley-Horn, Croy, and Ninigret Partners.
From November 6-9, the Plan Chattanooga launched its first in-person round of community input through open houses across the city. Three activities included:
- A survey that explored topics such as housing, transportation, parks, greenways, and natural systems, and commercial centers and corridors. The survey aimed to collect diverse perspectives and promote a more inclusive and holistic approach to planning.
Alternative growth scenarios to help the community think about different futures for Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Participants had the opportunity to rate the scenarios and comment on anything they liked, or thought was a concern. - An area mapping activity that asked participants to mark on a map places they would protect, change with something new or different, or grow what is already there, and explain why.
For those who were unable to attend the in-person events, activities are made available on the project website, PlanChattanooga.org.
The Plan Chattanooga initiative reflects a commitment to transparency and community involvement in shaping the City’s growth, development, and conservation. By addressing multifaceted elements such as equity, housing, and transportation, this engagement sought to identify key areas for improvement, ensuring that both the City’s development and conservation principals align with the needs and aspirations of its residents. Plan Chattanooga will ultimately make recommendations for how the City should grow, how it should use its resources to create better places for people, and how it should implement actions to work towards its big dreams.
