Chattanooga one of 25 cities chosen for innovation program

Bloomberg Philanthropies has named Chattanooga as one of 25 cities selected for its American Sustainable Cities Program.

According to a news release from city officials, Chattanooga will receive a three-person innovation team for three years, which will help create sustainability and equity initiatives funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly said in the release that addressing the city's historic issues of inequality can ultimately make the city happier.

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"We know these are difficult problems to solve, or they would've been solved long ago," Kelly said. "This expert support from Bloomberg Philanthropies will help us to make key investments without overburdening Chattanooga taxpayers."

Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "works to improve the lives of millions of people in more than 700 cities and 150 countries" by focusing on the arts, education, environment, government innovation and public health, according to its website.

With the program, Chattanooga will also receive customized policy and technical assistance, the release said. The assistance will be in collaboration with community-based organizations and local stakeholders to mobilize public, private, and philanthropic investments, according to officials.

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"We need all the help we can get to make investments that address historical issues while creating jobs, improving our quality of life and upgrading our infrastructure," Kelly said.

The release also said Chattanooga will look to build on investments from federal funding, including $56 million in lead remediation efforts, $500,000 for passenger rail development, a $25 million infrastructure grant for Wilcox Bridge, a $6 million urban forestry grant and $5 million for the recently completed Chattanooga Airport expansion.

— Compiled by Kiara Green