What is it about Chattanooga that sets us apart as a National Park City candidate? That's what I set out to uncover when I got to meet Director of National Park City Foundation Mark Cridge and volunteers for the peer review board during their tour of the Scenic City.

The group is stopping at different parts of the city, like Crabtree Farms and Lynnbrook Park, to get a sense of the community and outdoor scene. Let's get into what I learned.

Snippets of a reflective conversation

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly met up with the board in Miller Park and some notable comments from them were:

This is a milestone in a journey of bringing people together, igniting something in Chattanooga
Sharing how far areas like Miller Park have come after being revitalized and used for programming like Nightfall
The quality in the execution of the Lynnbrook Park project, from its groundbreaking to its opening
Looking forward to other projects underway — think: Alton Park Connector

Stay connected with the progress by following along on the Chattanooga National Park City website. | Photo by NOOGAtoday

Insights from Cridge

We shared a recent update with our readers, where Chattanooga was making some adjustments to its application, and I asked Cridge what they were looking for during this process.

"It really is a journey, it's a way of reflecting on what's already in place and really using the story to consider the shared ambition and potential," he said. "As we incrementally learn more, it prompts more questions."

The review board is basing their assessment on 23 items of criteria — check out what areas Chattanooga still needs to improve on.

Cridge added as they continue to learn more about Chattanooga's own story, it's given them the confidence to see the city move forward as a National Park City.

If you still aren't exactly sure what a National Park City is, Cridge identifies the movement as a way to bring the connection + value national parks have and translate it to an urban ecosystem. Both Mayor Kelly and Cridge also cited Chattanooga as being one of the most bio-diverse areas in North America — allowing folks to connect with nature right from where they are.

Now, the foundation will head back home and over the next few weeks, will complete its report to then make its official recommendation. Then, it is left to Chattanooga to decide what a designation like this means.