Concerned desperation became the common ground shared by representatives from 60 diverse, often conflicting interests, who met weekly to address Chattanooga's dismal future. A non-profit agency fashioned out of their determination to revive a dying community, was soon destined to generate the "groundswell for urban renaissance."

Starting in October of '84, with the backing of Lyndhurst, a local foundation, Chattanooga Venture scheduled 32 public visioning sessions. Out of 2,600 households called upon to participate, 1,800 people came out with hundreds of ideas. Suggestions freely flowed for what participants felt would make their city an inviting place in which their grown children would want to remain. The extensive wish lists were then consolidated, voted upon and prioritized.

Five months later Vision 2000 emerged along with the eventual financial commitments from the Lyndhurst Foundation and private benefactors to build the $45 million Tennessee Aquarium on a former industrial waterfront wasteland.

Meanwhile, in order to maintain momentum and give people immediate proof of progress, initiatives intended to begin strengthening the social economic fabric of the community moved forward. A former 'Y' was converted into a much-needed shelter for abused women and children, and a heritage silent-movie theater was elegantly renovated into a civic auditorium. A music festival provided for an annual focus on the waterfront's future transformation.

With commitments in hand of close to $12 million from various foundations and financial institutions, Chattanooga Venture established RiverCity Company to manage and administer the larger waterfront projects, such as the aquarium. The aquarium's eventual completion spurred on over $1.3 billion more invested towards an eye-popping urban renewal worthy of its international acclaim.

Daring, and renewed prosperity quickly turned Chattanooga's urban renewal into a thriving industry. Rundown buildings and abandoned industrial wastelands gained vibrant new life as eateries, a children's science museum, an IMAX theater and a number of large hotels. Her plentiful parks, public squares, and appealing walkable neighbourhoods aside, the manufacturer and seller of zero emissions vehicles is just one testament to the city's new 'clean' image. Another is Chattanooga's fleet of electric buses servicing the downtown with free fares arriving every 5 minutes!

While becoming a key tourist destination was marginally hoped for at the outset, by the year 2000 Chattanooga's coffers enjoying annual windfalls of over $500 million. And summer 2003 saw the sod turned once again at the Tennessee Aquarium for a $30 million expansion.

The Chamber of Commerce Director of Marketing freely admits that Chattanooga is not yet where they want to be. To assist in getting there the Chamber has converted an old ceramic factory into a small business factory, incubating some 60 small businesses. Succeeding businesses needing to expand outside of the incubator are likely to move into any of the numerous properties being renovated in and around the city.

Chattanooga's impressive accomplishments are in part, reflective of sustainability's enormous market potential. Not an easy concept to explain, nor grasp, sustainability^{¶ §} is about re-establishing and strengthening connections between the fiscal, social and ecological aspects of daily living.

"Despite [a] deep concern for our children's well-being and futures, we seem to handle the problem of maintaining our environment by fighting instead of cooperating," observed Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, founder of The Natural Step^{¶ Δ §} (TNS). In the late 1980's, this Swedish medical doctor, and cancer-treatment researcher called upon scientists, economists, business leaders, and others to help him develop a scientific framework that organizations, businesses and even entire communities now use in striving towards sustainability.

Successes like Chattanooga's transformation, and TNS's internationally acclaimed framework, are achieved by 'backcasting'; a method of imagining oneself at some point in the future then pre-defining the steps taken along the way to reach it. In Chattanooga's case, connecting that future point with a paternal drive for leaving behind an invaluable legacy, increased the potential of success.

Sustainability's long-term objectives of cleaning up after the industrial era involve the restoration of our natural living-systems and protection of increasingly scant resources. According to The Futurist July/August 2003 cover story, within the past few years alone restorative development has exploded into a trillion dollar a year industry.

Meanwhile our human social and economic legacies are in equal need of restoration. As reflected within Chattanooga's urban renewal,^{¶ Δ} healthy, natural environments often become the benefactors when human activities are focused on socioeconomic sustainability.

There is much St. Catharines, and Niagara, need to learn and apply from Chattanooga's gutsy lessons.

The single most important lesson appears within the final paragraphs of the Harold Tribune's January 19th article, "Southern city's rebirth is a model for Imagine Manatee" which first inspired this writing. Chattanooga's lasting legacy is not found within the physical transformations of buildings and land use but within "its public empowerment. Every idea for Chattanooga's future took root in a public meeting."

Armed with extensive research, firsthand experience, and unfulfilled expectations, I can attest to the absence of 'public empowerment' at similar public meetings recently held within St. Catharines.

Chattanooga Venture actively engaged the community from across a very broad spectrum. The city's future belonged to everyone, and that urgent future depended on as much energy and commitment as could be made available. By comparison, no such efforts have ever been made in St. Catharines.

While not involved with the 1996/7 St. Catharines Task Force for Downtown Revitalization, I did attend the St. Catharines Community Initiatives for which two-part visioning sessions were held for each of the four main sections of the city; Downtown, West St. Catharines, Merriton, and Port Dalhousie.

Attendance for the Community Initiatives was left for those who, like me, just happened to find out that any public meetings were being held. If you happened to be busy that evening, too bad. The 12 people who did turn up for downtown core meetings were mostly the local Don Quixotes who also brought along the usual amounts of cynicism. Regrettably, those apprehensions and suspicions would only be reinforced once more.

No similarities can possibly be drawn between Chattanooga's 32 ongoing public meetings and the Community Initiatives scant visioning sessions.

The Chattanoogan approach clearly signaled a sincere determination for change. Multiple sessions nurtured serendipitous moments out from which greater creativity, alignments, and commitments emerged. Equally important, they encouraged the opportunities for deeper involvement from the broader community.

Conversely, far too little was done at the Community Initiatives sessions to stimulate any real in-depth group discussion. Anything close to the idea of an Aquarium would not have had a chance for any life beyond the possibility of it receiving recognition for being a great idea. Furthermore, it has been close to three years since I signed up to be involved in initiatives listed in the recently completed Community Initiatives Plan. The lack of contact has only reinforced my doubts of anything close to a Chattanoogan experience ever happening here.

While somewhat optimistic about St. Catharines possibly replicating Chattanooga's success, I am painfully reminded of our jaded collection of tunnel-visioned councillors, particularly prior to the 2003 municipal elections. From my perspective, over the years they have displayed little understanding of risk, community investment, and vision. Even the meaning of 'governance' over administration seemed at times, to escape them.

Not to appear totally pessimistic, the ongoing Niagara Water Quality and Protection Strategy (NWQPS) meetings initiated by Regional Niagara have successfully engaged an extremely diverse cross-section of the community over the past year. As a member of the Citizen's Advisory Committee, I am proud to see the impact of our contributions apparent within a strategy already drawing praise from outside observers.

The time has long arrived for our communities to join the ranks of so many others looking to co-create communities of value. For me, the challenge is to see Niagara lead, not follow trends in establishing sustainable communities within Canada.

Against public complacency and mistrust of public servants and elected officials, how exciting it is to think that given the proper opportunity, we too could collaboratively renew community prosperity and deepen civic pride by deciding to turn our communities into a choice destination for our children to remain.

My heart soars at the thought of my birthplace and that of two of my three children, actually undergoing a transformation now known to be possible. I find excitement in seeing all the future opportunities for fulfillment that a concerted urban renewal could have to offer entrepreneurs of various stripes, and hundreds of college and university graduates seeking quality of life and work. My soul yearns for the communities of Niagara to choose the paths of betterment, healing and restoration over stagnation, apathy, and underemployment.

So let us now raise the sustainability bar high above Niagara and participate together in seeing our Niagara anew. Otherwise, I'm moving to Chattanooga.^¶