In a new effort to re-engage the public's imagination and participation in envisioning downtown Chattanooga's next 25 years of development, the River City Company has launched their first Urban Design Challenge, a year-long series to showcase new concepts and potential plans for sites they say are key to the future of downtown.
THE PROJECTS
over the next 12 months six projects will be presented to the public online and during special events.
September: 700 Block of Market Street
November:Civic Forum Block
January 2012: Patten Parkway
May 2012: 4th Street Corridor at US 127
March 2012: Vine Street Corridor
July 2012: Broad and Main between 13th and Chestnut
Six project sites were selected along with six diverse architecture/design teams. Beginning in September and continuing every two months, each team will present their proposed plans for their assigned site to the public via special events and online viewing.
The concepts won't necessarily become realities, since many of the project locations are privately owned, but will serve as a knowledge base for future discussions about developments and improvements to downtown.
"We hope we can help influence what happens at these sites and inspire different thoughts about the highest and best use of the properties," River City Company CEO Kim White said.
White said while there are easily more than six sites that could use some fresh eyes with fresh ideas for improvement or development, they decided on key areas that were gateways, connectors to the campus of UTC, and potential jewels in the center city.
The first project that will be presented to the public is for the 700 block of Market Street, which is currently a building-less gap stretching the entire middle of the block in the central business district downtown near Miller Plaza.
Since 2000, the site has been scheduled for development, old buildings demolished, and several projects abandoned, leaving an open wound in the heart of downtown.
"It is a gap. That's the challenge. The question is what will not only fill that gap but energize between those two activity points to the north and to the south of that block," River Street Architecture architect Craig Peavy said.
Peavy and architect David Barlew assembled a 6-person multi-disciplined team including a developer, an environmentalist, a civil engineer, and a landscape architect to brainstorm and design ideas for the next 30 days before deadline of the first presentation in September.
Barlew said there are major opportunities with the site including the fact that it sits right on the bus line, there is existing street and sidewalk landscaping, and the area is traveled by pedestrian, bicyclists, cars and public transit.
"One of the opportunities for development would be to respond to all of those different modes of getting around," Barlew said.
Peavy and Barlew said they are hoping to use the pressure of being the first team scheduled to present ideas to set the tone and infuse some highly charged creative energy into the contest.
American Institute of Architects Chattanooga chapter president Eric Meyers is the principal architect at Elemi Architects and leading the team chosen to present concept plans for the 4th Street Corridor site.
The Elemi team will have until May 2012 to research and design plans for the project area that includes the exit off US 127 downtown and continues across Chestnut and Broad streets up through Market Street.
"Since we heard about this I've been walking down there and trying to experience the area at different times of day. There is an entire edge of urban fabric that needs to contribute to 4th Street, as the riverfront progresses into the central business district. And that is not happening now. You don't feel any activity. But a half a block away you can feel so different," Meyers said.
Meyers, whose firm worked on the restoration of the old Terminal Hotel near the Choo-Choo to become what is now the Terminal Brewhouse, said his motivation to participate in the contest which has $7,000 award, is truly as an urbanist. He said he believes the competition will forward what has been a vacuum in urban thinking in our city for some time.
"These are sites that are going to be very challenging but can be the most rewarding for our city. That's what I'm really looking forward to getting into this," he said.
White said the contest is a new way to look at future opportunities for high quality development downtown.
"I hope we end up with a body of work that is inspirational, and that we engage the city on why good design quality is so important," White said.
