This email summarizes some really important, useful insights about creating great central places from our last Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on June 1st, followed by information about a few upcoming events and opportunities.
What factors are important when creating places where people want to gather and spend time? Karen Hundt noted that it involved "gathering a lot of community input from people all over the community about what they wanted to see happen, not just in the downtown, but around the community as a whole.” Stroud Watson had architecture students create designs—which included the first suggestion of an aquarium—for community members to consider as they developed a vision. “You start with a big overall vision,” Karen said, "and then you have to go figure out how to get it done. And that takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of people.”
Stroud could speak frankly about issues and was able to engage people in literally sketching out alternatives. Outside experts were consultants were involved in every initiative that happened around Venture. For Downtown, Stroud had architectural firms compete for projects by pitching their plans. The key was that locals were always involved and learning from and with the experts, figuring out how to get it done. They learned about specific issues and general methods, such as design charrettes, reviewing and tweaking the designs along the way. "It's an iterative, continuing process,” as Karen pointed out.
Implementation has to be handled by a non-governmental entity that can bring in private investment better and move faster, anchored by community engagement. River City Company incorporated Stroud’s practices, coordinating collaboration and gathering input via charrettes, listening sessions, public workshops, and surveys. “The very first place we started was listening to the community and understanding what people like and what they don't like,” said Emily Mack, President & CEO of River City, "But also what are those aspirational desires?” They have technical teams for topics like ecology and the environment, play and recreation, events and programing, utilities, transportation that are at the table also throughout the design process.
The vision for Collegedale was simple, David Barto told us: to merge several good the ideas into one place. “Collegedale started out with no center because we were carved out of the county,” David recalled, “What we wanted was some sort of town center for folks to come together, and there were a lot of different ideas on what needed to be in that center.” Red Bank had a totally different situation with Dayton Boulevard as the town’s backbone and site of the former Red Bank Middle School at the heart of town. Michael Phram said people provided input on what they wanted where via in-person meetings. Very different approaches but in the end people actively shaped their central places.
The challenge and opportunity now is to effectively connect central places, including intermediate spaces for people to gather, as the area grows. The range of issues will need to be addressed for each of those. "It is important to understand the nature of those areas," Rob Taylor told us, "there's no universal all one size fits all.” Community engagement is the way to highlight places that need to be celebrated, as well as those that need to be developed, and spur leaders to create an engine to drive development.
Central places host activities that generate public revenue, supporting infrastructure improvements and programs in other parts of the community. The means and methods to better connect them and cultivate intermediate places closer to people’s homes are readily available. Who is going to put them to use? If we don’t use them, we will lose them, even as we miss needs and opportunities. Community engaged planning has to be exercised to make it stronger and more effective.
This is challenge for the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group to take on next!
Thank you, Emily Mack and River City Company, for hosting the last dialogue. Would you be interested in hosting a dialogue or convening small, informal “community confabs”? Shoot me an email!
Upcoming Events and Opportunities:
Chattanooga.Digital is ramping up! Learn about the universe of open source solutions and how we can use them to strengthen community and support local business.
Achieve Digital Independence! Chattanooga.Digital, Chattanooga Unix/GNU/Linux User Group, and Beers with Engineers are here to help you break free of Big Tech and own what you do. July 3rd, 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Hutton & Smith, 431 E M L King Blvd #120, Chattanooga, TN 37403. RSVP here. <https://luma.com/tiv9etao>
Open for Small Business: Accounting Options workshop, Chattanooga.Digital and LAUNCH, Wednesday, July 8th, 2026, 6:00 - 7:30 PM, Kitchen Incubator, 5704 Marlin Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37411, register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-source-solutions-for-small-businesses-tic…
Let’s Learn Linux Study Group, July 9th, 5:00 - 6:30 PM, Francis B. Wyatt Community Center, 406 Colville St, Chattanooga, TN 37405. Anyone with any level of knowledge is welcome! RSVP here <https://luma.com/onm3yr1w> or just show up!
Join the Facilitator Bank! Learn about community engagement, conflict resolution, and group facilitation to create shared vision and establish common approach with task forces and working groups. Click here to complete the interest form <https://go.eduity.net/apps/forms/s/wDYqrBQoXnM2QNDcx2F3EkHc> to be considered for this limited opportunity!
The Next Regular Study Group Meeting will focus on the “Community Confab” DIY Kit and Facilitator bank. In-person or online. Click here to RSVP. <https://luma.com/mcn1coy0>
ADVANCE NOTICE: Chattanooga Venturing Dialogue on Entrepreneurship and Small Business! Planning for Wednesday, July 29, 5:00 PM. Register early at https://luma.com/lfh3yyip. This will be our first dialogue using the community confab method!
Thank you for your continued interest in lessons from Chattanooga Venture and related initiatives. I really think we have barely scratched the surface of what’s possible!
—
Greg Laudeman, Ed.D.
Executive Officer and Principal
Eduity, LLC
www.eduity.net
greg(a)eduity.net
706-271-5521
