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September 07, 2005
Were We Finished Here?
NOTE: This entry has also been published in The Pulse, Chattanooga's Alternative Weekly.
Yes, Chattanooga has undergone incredible improvements in recent years. But isn't there more we could do?
I ask, rather rhetorically, in response to the news that former Design Studio "guru" Stroud Watson and designer Christian Rushing are teaming up with former RiverCity executive/mayoral candidate Ann Coulter, to join Kennedy & Associates -- now to be known as Kennedy, Coulter, Rushing and Watson -- in exporting the firm's urban planning services to cities all over the land. They will look for clients "both near and far," the paper says.
Call me a doubter, but I don't look for the City of Chattanooga, under its current administration, anyway, to become a customer.
What does this mean? Well, some might say that it means we have "chased off" our best talent so that other cities -- not that they don't deserve it, necessarily -- can reap the benefits of a revitalization akin to what Chattanooga has experienced.
I might be inclined to agree with that sentiment, but for the time being I am going to be optimistic that Mayor Littlefield and his administration will work hard to recruit and develop strong resources so that we can, in essence, finish what we started. Littlefield himself was among the early movers and shakers that got the whole downtown renaissance underway; his predecessor, the mighty Bob Corker, executed on an astounding portion of all the planning and vision so that we now enjoy a first-class waterfront (among other amenities, and a trim, positive budget to boot); so now are we going to abandon the remainder of the vision, in particular the un-revitalized parts of the City, just because some of our erstwhile brightest lights want to shine elsewhere?
When does the current Chattanooga Mayor return from China? [Sputter, cough.] I hope we can count on him to appropriately address our ongoing needs, and not just fritter away a few years and thus lose all the momentum. If that starts proving to be a false hope, I expect that you will join me in helping to energize his office toward fulfilling our goals.
Community , Pulsations | By joe lance | 03:07 PM