You are receiving this message because I’ve added you expressed interest in the Chattanooga Venturing Study Group. Unfortunately, folks were not signing up for this list directly and it’s not practical for me to selectively email folks, so I massed subscribed everyone who has expressed interest. You can unsubscribe via the link below. The kickoff event on Monday went very well, with over 60 people in attendance. We got a lot of great input for our 2026 program, a summary of which is included below. We had a good meeting yesterday—our regular meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month at noon at Adelle’s, 400 E. Main St.—reflected on the kickoff meeting, reaffirmed our goals for 2026, and established committees for (a) events and (b) objectives. Reply to this email if you’d like to help or have any suggestions. Our first dialogue session will be on Monday, February 23, at Adelle’s, 400 East Main St. The topic will be “Community Engagement” with Ron Littlefield, former mayor of Chattanooga and a key leader of Venture, Kevin Roig, Mayor Kelly’s Chief of Staff, and others. Please help spread the word, invite others, and register to attend at https://luma.com/cz0hwuhv. Thanks! — Greg Laudeman, Ed.D. Executive Officer and Principal Eduity, LLC www.eduity.net greg@eduity.net 706-271-5521 A Vision of a Better Chattanooga 1. Education - 34 votes / 13 ideas Thriving public education / Public ed as a priority / National role model for public ed / top-rated public school systems (19) Access to Free Early Education (4) Arts education in all schools K-12 (4) Established lifetime learning programs and facilities (3) Training for low income / low skills to build businesses in low income neighborhoods (2) Personal financial literacy in all K-12 schools (1) Being able to afford private schools without having to relocate (1) Better public education facilities Better pay for public school teachers = better quality teachers Higher ACT score in public schools 13->22 (measurable goal!) Community college focused on the humanities Reading proficiency for all African-American males (sound alarm early) 2. Walkability - 15 votes / 5 ideas Places dedicated to people without cars and ADA accessible (4) Mixed Super Blocks for pedestrians - plazas & promenade, eg. Barcelona (4) Inner-city loop of river walk, pedestrian-oriented transit (3) Improved connectivity & wayfinding to public spaces (2) Rails 2 Trails Greenway from river thru North Chatt (2) 3. Urban Design / Roads - 14 votes / 6 ideas Better landscaping in all commercial areas & trees on every street (5) Re-design downtown interstate (bypass?) (2) Reduce traffic, especially the interstate (1) Complete streets Flood-smart city w/resilient infrastructure & ecosystems (1) Improved waste management (sewer & trash) (5)3. 4. Public Transportation - 12 votes / 6 ideas Trolleys! (bring them back!) (6) Improved transportation & connectivity options (3) Fast expansive mass public transit (2) Transportation hub, inter-modal originating in Southside (1) Safe, fun, sustainable transport Transportation hub in the county to the city (maybe at the airport) 5. Governing Structures - 8 votes / 1 idea Metro government (8) 6. Natural Environment - 8 votes / 5 ideas Chattanooga Botanical Garden (5) Environmental protection: places off the table for development (2) Greenspace Investments (1) Reserve at Enterprise South Nature Park as intended Clean water: Room for the River, eg. The Netherlands 7. Housing - 7 votes / 4 ideas Everyone has a place to live. Real affordable housing (6) A review committee to stem the tide of cheap, ugly housing mushrooms all over town (1) An established community land trust. Goal > 1000 homes Zero homelessness. City has low-barrier shelter w/capacity for all amenities. 8. Jobs - 7 votes / 7 ideas Economic Opportunities for all Chattanoogans (3) Infrastructure to support single mothers (1) Narrowed the wealth gap - good jobs for all, higher minimum wage (1) Businesses recruited that care about people, planet, home. Benefit corporations, certified B Corps (1) Competitive salaries / higher minimum wage (1) Small Scale Loans Re-use Innovation Center: reclaimed materials 9. Health - 7 votes / 2 ideas Access to healthcare (4) Chattanooga as a National Center of Excellence in Healthcare (3) 10. Community Life / Neighborhoods - 5 votes / 5 ideas Increased usage of public spaces (1) More opportunities for creating & collaborating across cultures (through work, school, arts-events, neighborhood events, civic engagement, etc.) (1) Rossville Blvd Revitalized: grocery stores, ice cream, apartments (2) Local: neighborhood economic development An endowment for community projects (1) 11. Food - 4 votes / 2 ideas No food deserts: strengthened food/ag systems. Farm to Nooga. (2) Strong local food networks (2) 12. Citizen Involvement - 2 votes / 3 ideas Support and/or streamlined access/inclusion programs for New Chattanoogans (1) Younger citizens engaged & sharing their ideas. (1) High school and college students involved in venturing 13. Means/How we do it… - 1 vote / 2 ideas Kindness (1) Consolidated Efforts (consortium grants?) to address the problem of too many orgs going it alone 15. Tech & Community Engagement - 2 votes / 2 ideas Community Platform for citizen voice (2) One cohesive clearinghouse for plans & visioning. Community-wide plans tied together 16. Attractions - 2 votes / 2 ideas Convention/Destination Center (2) New public attractions Community Assets Development Resource Center Rails 2 Trails City/County council/commission meetings Form-based code committee Time Free Press Chattanooga Area Food Bank National Park City CARTA CNE Trust for Public Lands TDOT Uber/Lyft/Waymo Railroads Aldi Waterways (City of Chatt Program) Lookout Mountain Conservancy Glass Street Businesses: local laundries, music shop, alterations, daycares, repair shops, shoe repair Ag-Businesses: local food, fresh markets, hemp, etc McNabb Center Tech Goes Home Government at all levels Neighborhoods Chamber of Commerce Small business incubator (needs investment) CALEB Kiindhearts A Step Ahead Life Spring Chattanooga 2.0 Better Education Facilities Siskin Children’s Institute Level 1 Trauma Center at Erlanger ArtsBuild City office of Arts and Culture Crabtree Farms YMCA - mobile market Heart Institute ClearStory Arts CEMPA community care Chattanooga Free Store Chattanooga Area Food Bank The kindness of people in Chattanooga