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In June 1998, a U.S. News and World Report cover story profiled six cities - only two of them in the U. S. - "with lessons to share on improving services, fighting blight, making urban life safe for kids, and reversing the decades-long flight of residents and businesses." Chattanooga was one. Other cities highlighted included Minneapolis, Minnesota; Curitiba, Brazil; Tilburg, the Netherlands; and Melbourne, Australia. About Chattanooga they said, "Leaders were unwilling to give up Chattanooga for dead" after the federal government labeled Chattanooga as the dirtiest city in America in 1969. The city began by empowering the local Air Pollution Control Bureau to require filters for industrial smokestacks and rigorously monitor and control particulate emissions. But the real turnaround began in 1984 with Vision 2000 - a 20-week series of community meetings that sought citizen input on Chattanooga’s future. A key theme to emerge was "celebrating the river". An ongoing public/private partnership has turned the riverfront wasteland into a sparkling promenade and lush parkland. "Slowly, blue herons and Chattanoogans alike returned to the river" and civic pride has improved by leaps and bounds. Now visitors come to see a city that was down but had the collective will to get back up. |
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