3/26/2009

Chattanooga, Tennessee – As part of a $15,000 regional planning study grant, a Sustainable Design Assessment Team is scheduled to be in the region May 4-6 and will be reviewing their findings in a community presentation on May 6.  Currently, the Assessment Team members and their daily schedule have not been finalized.  Organizers hope that the study will recommend community growth policies and possible incentives to help achieve a sustainable, high quality future for the region.  “In the end we will be discussing ways to build better communities both for ourselves and for our children,” said Steve Haase, chairman of the local steering committee and past president of AIA Chattanooga.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) program known as a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) is a community assistance program that focuses on the principles of sustainability and will be looking at issues in Bradley, Hamilton, Marion and Catoosa, Dade, Walker, and Whitfield Counties.  The Assessment Team has been asked to look at our built environment and how it affects regional transportation, recycling, and water issues.  The Steering Committee also pointed to the importance of energy efficiency, air quality, and food and agriculture production to a successful regional plan.  The study is expected to focus on creating and maintaining quality of life and sustainable growth in the region.

The local AIA chapter is coordinating the regional planning study grant that is run by AIA National and their Center for Communities by Design.  Local support is also being provided by the Lyndhurst Foundation, City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, green|spaces, and other regional organizations and businesses.  Chattanooga is one of only ten communities nationwide to receive a 2009 grant from the AIA for the study.

AIA Chattanooga members and other regional community leaders are concerned about how the Enterprise South development will affect the future of the region.  Of most concern is the development of new residential and commercial areas within the area of study and the associated civic structures and facilities that will need to follow.  These forces will strain efforts to preserve the natural environment.  Without guidelines for sustainable growth and expansion of neighborhoods and commercial areas, our community will continue to grow outwards making it difficult to meet the climate protection agreement requirements as signed by the Mayors of Chattanooga and Signal Mountain.

For additional information on Sustainable Design Assessment Teams, please visit www.aia.org