Blog
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Place-Based Love: Here and Abroad Thursday, December 17, 2009
The problem with loving a city, we’re told, is that a city can’t love you back. It’s the groupie dilemma, a case of unrequited love writ unimaginably large. Evidence shows: a city won’t return your phone calls, and a city won’t buy you dinner.
As the holidays approach—closing a month-long season of travel—we have beloved cities on our minds. In 2009, CreateHere met more of Chattanooga than ever before, and we’ve shared our space, our hearts, and our heads with cities across the world. From DC to Detroit, Berlin to Birmingham, we’ve found many reasons to city swoon. This love for place, it’s given us a reason to get up every morning.
As a result, we’re boldly refusing conventional wisdom. We believe: cities can love you back. They are sources of inspiration, centers for change, icons of human potential. They give us daily renewal, and they push us into new modes of living. Our city and others: we’re better for knowing them.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the people and cities that populated 2009, making it a wonderful year, here and abroad. Season’s greetings! Go love a city!
Posted by in Culture
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Survey #193… and counting Wednesday, August 22, 2007
It�s late on Wednesday and we just read survey #193. It�s exciting to hear so many people speaking candidly about their hopes, dreams, wants, needs, and even fears for Chattanooga. There are those that are hopeful, helpful, part of, proud of and some that are dissenting.
Every last word is being read. CreateHere is paying attention, and keeping your responses absolutely confidential unless you advise otherwise.
Posted by in Culture
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Bumper Stickers Sunday, August 19, 2007
I�m just back in from Asheville, NC where I learned more about how local organizations there are helping individuals with diverse and often economically challenged backgrounds flesh out business ideas and make independence a reality. One standout program is called Mountain Biz Works and their curriculum, success rate, and model are all impressive. In fact, many of the small businesses that I visited in Asheville were Mountain Biz Works graduates and clients.
Asheville is a city of similar size to Chattanooga that has also struggled from time to time due to the lack of robust anchor industries beyond tourism. One thing in particular struck me while driving around the city. Everyone there seems to have at least one and often more bumper stickers. They serve as unique froms of identification and camaraderie that work to advance community conversations ranging from friendship to food and public policy. Here�s just a sampling� Local Produce- 1,000�s of Miles Fresher, Buy Appalachian, Save Our Slopes, Keep Asheville Weird, Think Globally- Act Neighborly, Do Something- History is made by those who show up�
- Josh McManus
Posted by in Culture
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What does Chattanooga mean to you? Monday, August 13, 2007
by Josh McManus
A friend put me on to a public radio podcast about “big ideas” that came from the Aspen Institute in Colorado - 5 minute idea speeches from around the world.
The final speech was from the Founder of the Project for Public Spaces, who sent 30,000+ people the question “What does ‘place-making’ mean to you?” One of the many replies said “Place-making is the act of liberation, of staking claim, of beautification; it is true human empowerment”, and quoted Thoreau:
There is no value in life except what you choose to place upon it, and no happiness in any place except what you bring to it yourself.
Posted by in Culture
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CreateHere Launches to Research Creative Economic and Cultural Growth in Chattanooga Friday, June 29, 2007
The first week of July 2007 will bring the launch of a new research and planning project in Chattanooga, focused on the engagement of creative, innovative and entrepreneurial Chattanoogans in the life of the city. Called CreateHere, the project will begin with three months of in-depth discovery, research and planning facilitated by Helen Johnson and Josh McManus.
“Chattanooga is fertile ground for young creative companies to become economic drivers and community leaders,” said Johnson. “An economic development study conducted in Chattanooga last summer reported that for our city to thrive, we need to encourage creative communities. We have already seen the beginnings of a wonderful, dynamic, diverse movement, but there has not been any central plan for pulling young professionals together and helping them plug into Chattanooga for everyone’s benefit.”
Posted by in Culture
