Amid one of Chattanooga’s worst recessions, a pioneering community planning process in the early 1980s helped galvanize Chattanoogans to build a better place.
Vision 2000 gathered hundreds of Chattanoogans from all walks of life to spur the eventual building of everything from the world’s largest freshwater aquarium to a series of downtown parks and riverwalks.
Coming out of an even longer economic downturn over the past two years, Chattanoogans appear to have shifted their community ideals. In an updated and larger version of the visioning process released Monday, the group known as Stand said thousands of residents who answered questionnaires last year said the city’s biggest challenges now involve its people, not the place where they live.
PDF: Stand survey results WHAT’S NEXT* Stand representatives will present localized results to neighborhood groups and nonprofit agencies. Summits are planned later this year on the topics of public education, combating crime and improving the environment.ON THE WEBFind out more about Stand and community visioning at www.chattanoogastand.orgKEY CONCERNS* Education* Crime* Jobs
“Twenty-five years ago, a group of Chattanooga visionaries began a process that transformed the place we live in,” said Stephen Culp, president of SmartFurniture and an organizer of the Stand campaign. “Twenty five years later, Stand has become more about the people that live in that place.”