The Chattanooga Design Studio is working to produce a plan that will guide the future development of the Civic Center District — and community feedback is its driving force.

While the district's development is in its earliest stages, seven topics have been identified that will drive the future design plans.

Economic development
Natural + cultural heritage
Sustainability + climate resilience
Mobility + connectivity
Housing
Public realm + ground floor activation
Programs + uses

The 17-block district borders 4th and 13th Streets + runs between Highway 27 to Houston Street — from TVA's campus to the West Village. | Photo by NOOGAtoday

The nonprofit studio and its 11-person team are opening the floor for residents to collaborate on the current strengths + challenges of each topic and how they might be steered toward individual goals. The future plans will be funded by the Lyndhurst and Benwood Foundations.

City Editor Haley here — I had a seat at the table during the recent public charrette. Some takeaways from fellow residents sharing ideas included:

Upzoning parts of the district to allow for needed residential + business development
A focus on sidewalks — like bringing more green space + shade to connection points across the city
Activating the local art scene and investing in programming to make public spaces more desirable with murals, live music, and more
Revamping "dead" areas — think: Carter Street + parts of East MLK Boulevard

How far would you travel around town if streets and sidewalks became activation points for pedestrians + cyclists? | Photo by NOOGAtoday

The community feedback process marks the midway point of phase two, with projections to be completed by September. Once the studio moves on to phase three, it will take less than two months to build the implementation + action plans.

Ready to join your community in sharing feedback?

Head to the Chattanooga Public Library's downtown branch to interact with the giant wall map + leave your thoughts.
Take an online survey.
Send your questions to the studio via email.
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