In Chattanooga: A Landscape Manifesto for the Next Decade

I’m currently working with a panel of other design and landscape professionals to develop an ecosystems component of a ten-year plan for our metro area. The following manifesto and strategies are a first draft of my personal ecological vision for Chattanooga over the next decade. The plan is necessarily limited by my knowledge and experience - I welcome objections, additions, and pointing-out-of-gaps. Dig in and let me know how you’d frame this conversation in your own city or town.  

Landscape
In Chattanooga, we know that land is the foundation for human prosperity. The myth of Chattanooga is based in our natural landscapes - our mountains, forests, waterfalls & streams. Our reputation rests on the land and our relationship to it. However, our municipal policies and personal practices have failed to protect the land we inhabit. We acknowledge that the history of development and land management in our region has primarily been one of destruction. The land on which Chattanooga is built was stolen from its first peoples (who were killed and forcibly removed), developed with resources based on the labor of enslaved people, and continues to be a site of legalized inequity. With that history in mind, we picture a future where shared systems and resources build prosperity and foster community for all Chattanoogans. We are looking for opportunities to distribute, layer, and design landscape’s value and benefits so that the sum is greater than any specific part. We operate in an iterative and prophetic way: the city is an open experiment where interventions and effects are measured, reported, assessed and adjusted.

In Chattanooga, we believe:

• Land is a shared resource. (Privately owned property is not separate from the greater landscape and individual interventions are secondary to the needs of the community.)
  
• All Chattanoogans deserve access to the natural landscapes which support our community’s reputation and industry
  
• We have a responsibility to protect the legacy of evolution and stewardship so that we leave the land better than we found it for future generations 
  
• Development should build prosperity and foster community for all Chattanoogans.
  
• Progress is based on an iterative approach to policy and management
  

In Chattanooga, we are committed to:

• Protecting our natural resources of land, water, forest, and biodiversity.
  
• Developing a local landscape infrastructure of public space
  
• Providing access to parks and public spaces for all Chattanoogans (high-quality public space within a 15-minute walk)
  
• Equitably distributing resources through landscape systems
  
• Implementing projects as catalysts that gather together neighbouring communities and the city to build biodiversity, social well-being, and prosperity for the region
  
• Regularly adjusting policy and procedures based on measurement, assessment, and reporting of the effects of our community’s policies and interventions
  

Biodiversity
In Chattanooga, we know that we have inherited a rich evolutionary legacy of biodiversity. We acknowledge that historical land management and development practices have destroyed habitat and systems. We picture a future where we repair and regenerate in a non-innocent process of healing with our cohabitant species. In Chattanooga, we seek to grow a stable biological infrastructure that supports native (and productive) animal, bird, amphibian, and invertebrate populations. Our endangered and threatened species populations have long-term protection and population redundancy. Visitors and residents have a culture of respect for biodiversity. Our city and our region are known throughout the country as innovators in promoting multi-species thriving.  

In Chattanooga, we believe:

• Humans only thrive in relation to healthy natural systems 
  
• Our success depends on the health of other species 
  
• Extinction is one of the primary challenges of our time 
  
• A city should not only protect other species, it should be designed to foster their success 
  
• All Chattanoogans should have access to nature 
  
• All Chattanoogans should have access to biodiversity education
  

In Chattanooga, we are committed to:

• Creating an anti-extinction city
  
• Protecting our biodiversity resources, zones, and public spaces
  
• Preserving natural drainage lines (focus on the stream)
  
• Retaining and using stormwater to enhance biodiversity
  
• Using temporary and neglected space
  
• Promoting Chattanooga as a “green and biodiverse city”
  

To make these values real, in the next 10 years we will:

• Establish a baseline biodiversity report and handbook (potentially in collaboration with local educational institutions, nature nonprofits)
  
• Establish a vegetation certification of competency for all landscape contractors employed on public and green infrastructure projects (1-2 day training)
  
• Increase number of native species on city approved trees/shrubs list
  
• Establish best practices guide for incorporating biodiversity-sensitive practices into existing landscape management strategies (for example: altering the frequency and timing of mowing in public green spaces increases invertebrate diversity)
  
• Establish wildlife corridors/systems of green space throughout the metro area, connecting to rural habitat
  
• Strengthen current policy requiring vegetation complexity (buffers, street trees) to be incorporated into all new development
  
• Establish specific city-sanctioned seed blend for biodiversity to be available at cheap or discounted rates for homeowners, renters, and construction managers
  
• Establish a land bank for communities to cheaply rent/purchase vacant or underutilized land
  
• Establish neighborhood biodiversity residencies where scientists and horticulturists can manage local resources (community gardens, etc) while educating communities (especially in underprivileged areas)
  
• Work with Chattanooga Visitors Bureau, TN Tourism board, TN Parks & Recreation to establish a marketing strategy for Chattanooga as a “green and biodiverse city”; 
  Join Biophilic Cities (https://www.biophiliccities.org/)
  
• Establish grants for citizen science projects
  
• Establish recognition for resident-led wildlife gardening programs (collaborate with community organizations such as the Wild Ones)
  
  

Food Systems
In Chattanooga, we know that food is a fundamental need that all humans share.  We picture a future where the entire population of Chattanooga has access to opportunities to grow and enjoy food of their choice. Chattanoogans are excited about the food that they have available in their city. We are proud of our city’s history of food technology. There’s a central hub that showcases urban agriculture, while each neighborhood has community gardens. 

In Chattanooga, we believe:

• Everyone deserves access to the food of their choice. No one worries about food insecurity. 
  
• Every Chattanooga should have access to education about how to grow and prepare food.
  
• Regional food is tangible, desirable, and valuable.
  

In Chattanooga, we are committed to:

• Establishing a multi-scale system of different types of community gardens and productive landscapes
  
• Making the provenance of regional food tangible, desirable and valuable
  
• Establishing our city and region as a food destination
  
• Establishing innovative systems for connecting farmers and consumers
  

To make these values real, in the next 10 years we will:

• Establish a baseline report on the state of food systems in Chattanooga
  
• Establish policies for community gardens as regenerative spaces for building social capital, skill, and prosperity
  
• Establish a land bank for communities to cheaply rent/purchase vacant or underutilized land
  
• Establish neighborhood urban agriculture/food residencies where scientists and horticulturists can manage local resources (community gardens, etc) while educating communities (especially in underprivileged areas)
  
• Establish a city non-profit to foster urban agriculture through an innovation hub, neighborhood community gardens
  
• Work with Chattanooga Visitor’s Bureau, TN Tourism board, TN Parks & Recreation to establish a marketing strategy for Chattanooga as a “food city”
  
• Work with surrounding rural areas to develop a regional plan for agritourism (table-to-farm)
  
• Establish a municipal urban agriculture initiative and plan
  
• Establish recognition of regional food heritage - especially technologies surrounding CocaCola, Moon Pies, Chopped Weiner Plates
  
• Work with local health corporations (Blue Cross, Unum) as corporate sponsors for “healthy living”/food projects
  
• Establish collaborative rural-urban agricultural education program where farmers can build knowledge and social capital through multigenerational collaboration