STAND to chart our future

Chattanooga area residents may set a world record for participation in a grass-roots visioning survey by the end of September, but that's not the chief reason to participate in the brief, four-question Stand survey. The larger benefit is that citizens from all walks of life here may each express their views regarding what they like about the Chattanooga region, and their hopes for what our region may become and achieve over the next 20-to-25 years. That makes it doubly important for residents here to go online or to a survey meeting.

The Stand initiative began in May in the wake of Volkswagen's announcement that it had selected Chattanooga as the site for its new North American corporate headquarters and auto assembly plant. Some young leaders, interested in the transformation that would soon engulf the region with the start-up of a major automotive industry here, were inspired by County Mayor Claude Ramsey's remarks about the new challenges and opportunities that lie before the city, especially for the next generation.

Operating out of the CreateHere office in the resurgent Main Street neighborhood, they devised a brief survey based on four short but broad-ranging sentences. Their goal was to spur a "revisioning" of the Chattanooga region, much as the city's Vision 2000 community-wide brainstorming sessions did in 1984.

The visioning work 25 years ago inspired area residents to imagine what Chattanooga -- then a city pummeled by industrial decline, job losses and a sagging spirit -- could do to spark a revival. More than 2,000 people participated in neighborhood workshops to imagine their goals and hopes, and how they might be achieved.

What became known as our 'community way' worked then to imagine a return to the river, a revived downtown, broad-based economic development and a public-private partnership, environmental improvement, a neighborhood housing initiative, educational innovation and neighborhood revival.

Stand leaders here, bolstered by aid from Lyndhurst and Benwood foundations, are getting similar -- but much broader feedback -- through their Stand surveys. Through last Thursday, they had already received 16,049 completed surveys, mostly through live survey events in community gatherings in parks, homes and businesses. Some responses came in online, through the Website http://ChattanoogaStand.com.

With just 3,000 more responses, Stand would break the world record for vision surveys now held by Calgary, Canada. But there are just six weeks left to complete a Stand survey. Organizers still hope for a surge of responses to boost participation to the 25,000 mark, to secure a comprehensive, well-rounded range of views.

Citizens who can't attend one of the survey events may go online, or pick up a survey brochure at Stand headquarters (55 E. Main St.), or call 423.648.6499 to answer the four questions over the phone.

The survey questions are short, but they invite wide-ranging answers. The survey sheet seeks five points on each:

*What do you like about the Chattanooga region?

*Imagine the best possible Chattanooga region. Describe it.

*What challenges must be addressed?

*What actions, big or small, can you take to help?

Everyone will have a different view, and we can imagine a range of opinions. In the interest of participating in public discussion, we'll offer a few of our ideas.

What do you like about region?

Five points spring to our mind. One would be the re-birth of a civic can-do spirit and sense of pride in community. Another would be the region's beautiful natural environment, from the river gorge to valley farms to the mountains. Third would be the natural and man-made amenities that provide such an incredible range of leisure and recreational activities. Fourth, the renaissance of the downtown, the waterfront and older neighborhoods that have revived urban living and civic interest. Fifth, the diversity of the people and our places of interest.

Imagine/describe best possible region

This is a question that speaks to both individual and community goals. Our stab at it: 1) A dynamic, participatory civic ethic and progressive government. 2) Excellent public schools. 3) More neighborhood amenities (sidewalks, pocket parks, pedestrian and bicycle ways). 4) Affordable, accessible health care for all. 5) Better civic infrastructure (public transportation, improved zoning and mixed-use development, and a greener community at every level -- building and energy use, recycling, and landscaping and tree canopy).

Challenges to be addressed?

Here, again, we can all imagine a range of things. Our take: 1) Preparing for change and nurturing a new generation of leadership to meet the demands of rising population and a more global, technological future. 2) Ways to broaden fund-raising for civic endeavors as the era of deep-pocket donors and institutional philanthropy recedes. 3) Solving social issues (crime, gangs, drugs, underclass poverty) in ways that enrich and develop individual lives and our broader human resources. 4) Renewing focus on affordable housing and raising job skills and wages. 5) Improving regional planning to maximize infrastructure investments, relieve congestion and conserve and protect the local food shed, farms, forests, open land and water resources.

How can you help?

This questions calls for some level of personal commitment. Everyone brings different skills and interest to the table, and there surely is a wide range of opportunities for people from every walk of life and neighborhood to contribute. Young people and adults can volunteer to serve various needs in neighborhood and non-profit organizations, churches, schools and civic groups.

Many civic organizations and neighborhood groups, like bowling leagues, have seen memberships and participation decline as more and more people stay home and watch big-screen televisions, and sit on porches and patios turned to view back yards rather than to the front to view their streets and talk to their neighbors.

How we measure and change our views, literally and figuratively, will determine what our future brings. Participation in the Stand survey offers a valuable way to help the community imagine new goals and connections, and envision how to achieve them. We should all take part. It's not just the record for participation in a visioning survey that's at stake; it's our future.