David Eichenthal

WASHINGTON — The Chattanooga region is one of the fairest places in the nation when it comes to wage equality, but it faces major challenges for increasing its economic productivity and sustainable growth, according to a new report.

The report, released today by the Brookings Institution, ranked the Chattanooga region 86th out of the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas in economic activity generated per job. The area was 14th in wage equality, 29th in the dropping percentages of middle-class families and 88th in carbon emissions per person.

It also ranked Chattanooga 92nd in the number of people with bachelor degrees and 90th in the number of those with a high school diploma.

“A policymaker’s best judgments are made when faced with objective facts,” said Tennessee state Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, who was in Washington, D.C., attending a conference at which the report will be unveiled. “By coming to this conference, I can both see how our region compares to others and also begin a conversation with the areas who have solved these problems better than we have.”

The Brookings Institution, a Washington-based research institution, ranked the top 100 metro areas’ urban health statistics for its report titled “MetroPolicy: Shaping a New Federal Partnership for a Metropolitan Nation.”

The study urges the federal government to have greater involvement with metropolitan areas in building more healthy, vibrant communities, given the fact that the largest 100 metro areas, four of which are in Tennessee, including Chattanooga, now generate three-fourths of the country’s financial output.

“City, suburban and regional leaders often find decades-old Washington policies discourage or even bar innovative regional solutions,” the report states.

“Our point is that metro areas can’t go it alone, and we’re trying to sketch what a federal policy framework would look like if you put metro areas at the center,” said Mark Muro, co-author of the report and policy director of the Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program. “That’s what’s been missing.”

Besides Sen. Berke, Chattanooga City Council Chairwoman Linda Bennett, RiverCity President Paul Brock and Community Research Council CEO and President David Eichenthal attended the conference, which drew 900 community leaders from across the nation.

“It’s important to understand where your assets are right now if part of your goal is to build upon those assets and promote prosperity,” said Mr. Eichenthal, whose research organization compiles an annual “State of the Chattanooga Region” assessment.

The Brookings report said its statistics give cause for urgent action, finding that the country’s productivity growth has slowed and now trails many European and Asian nations as sprawl, congestion and increased carbon emissions afflict U.S. metropolitan areas.

It recommends creating a foundation to boost job-creating innovation in manufacturing, technology, clean energy, environmental and other industries and promoting business-led regional networks.

The report also urged overhauling the nation’s transportation policy to focus on major ports, freight hubs and rail corridors; expanding the earned income tax credit, which it called the nation’s most successful anti-poverty program; and issuing sustainability awards for metropolitan areas that address environmental issues.