The Challenge:
Chattanooga's economy is booming, but many of us are being left behind. City policies and allocation of public resources play a HUGE - and necessary - role in how development occurs. Left on its own, the "Market" will never create a city that works for all of us.
It is critical that developers and city decision-makers are held accountable to the working families impacted by new development. As a starting place, we believe that there should be institutional transparency for decisions involving public incentives, publicly accessible documentation of the proposed impact on our communities, and community-informed metrics for how developers will follow through on promises made to our communities.
It is critical that developers and city decision-makers are held accountable to the working families impacted by new development. As a starting place, we believe that there should be institutional transparency for decisions involving public incentives, publicly accessible documentation of the proposed impact on our communities, and community-informed metrics for how developers will follow through on promises made to our communities.
Three core values must be centered when public resources are used to spur economic growth:
What We Want
There needs to be a bridge between the broad community and the city and county boards that help make these decisions. The boards with the greatest responsibility for guiding our city's role in development include the Health, Educational, and Housing Facility Board (HEB), Industrial Development Board (IDB), and Planning Commission. Board members are often asked to make big decisions with little information and no accountability to community stakeholders. CALEB is well positioned to facilitate transparency between these boards and the broader community.