Miller Park was Chattanooga’s first downtown park when it opened in 1976. The park was created in an effort to fulfill Burkett Miller’s vision to revitalize the downtown area, and almost four decades later we hope to continue that vision. Today, Miller Park is directly across the more popular Miller Plaza where Nightfall is held, two blocks from the Public Library, and is used by religious groups, protest gatherings, and small community events. For these reasons we feel that Miller Park is perfectly situated to become a locus of diversified community connection. We have combined Chattanooga’s reputation as the Scenic and Gig City as well as drawing inspiration from the existing culture of Chattanooga with an emphasis on food, sustainability, and technology to design Miller Park to be more in line with Chattanooga’s brand. Our plan will improve Miller Park and continue Chattanooga’s exciting revitalization, while also enriching the surrounding community.
Miller Park is more popular among low income Chattanoogans than any other demographic due to the area where the park happens to be situated. We do not seek to displace these Chattanoogans (an impossible and unethical endeavor), instead we wish to ethically energize the park. Chattanooga has a public commitment to sustainability. This pledge has made it attractive to investors from the personal to corporate level. Greening of urban spaces is occurring at a remarkable scale nationally. Chattanooga can build upon our commitment to sustainability by turning Miller Park into a small urban herb & food garden.
Below is a proposal for how the land can be transformed using low-cost, high-value interventions.
Miller Park gardens will be a self-sufficient ecosystem. For example, the fountain that is currently in the park will be used to implement an aquaponics system. Not only will this reduce soil and water costs, but it will also turn the park’s main feature into something more interactive. The decorative fish which could range from koi to carp would appeal to all ages, and the aquaponics raft would engage the public into rethinking the stereotypes behind food production. It can also serve to educate people on how ecosystems can occur at any scale and be utilized for food production at a less invasive level.
The traditional gardens would comprise of vertical and horizontal plots using areas of the park that are currently underutilized. There would also be rainwater collection units, composting bins, and educational plaques that would inform visitors about the plants grown. It is our hope that these gardens would be created and maintained by the community, and qualified persons could help train interested locals on it’s construction, upkeep, and maintenance. The education of food & nutrition is vital to a city that hopes to cultivate a successful and productive community. It can also alleviate some of the worst aspects of poverty by increasing food literacy for those who most need it. This plan requires minimal construction costs, and can be utilized by all members of the public even the nearby Battle Academy for educational purposes.
Other added features of the park will emphasize sustainability in thought and practice. To supplement the garden, we want to install solar grills and picnic tables that will replace the solitary cement benches. The cement benches are the first thing people approaching from Georgia Ave. and Cherry St. see. They send out the wrong message. We want Miller Park to invite people to gather together in comfort, not sit in stony isolation.
We also plan to add a EZH2O water fountain. It can be used to drink directly from, or to refill a water bottle. This will encourage people to be healthier, produce less waste, and be mindful of small measures a person can take to live a more sustainable life.
Recycling should also be present in the park. Currently city recycling bins do not exist in this area of downtown. If Chattanooga is truly committed to sustainability, city recycling should be adopted to replace at least some of the trash cans.
Of course, trash isn’t the only thing that can be recycled. Potable water is something that Chattanooga has in vast amounts, but changing water culture to improve our water, and ensure it’s availability for generations to come is a crucial step to being more sustainable. One way to address this issue is again by educating the public through example. A public bathroom with an eco-friendly toilet/sink that is always open will not only demonstrate how bathrooms can be more sustainable, but also address public urination/defecation problems that local businesses and the city currently deal with. Considering that people can and have suffered legal penalties for “going” downtown due to lack of available restrooms, this would be a great step to creating a cleaner downtown overall.
Solar Grills
They use power from the sun in place of propane gas or coal to grill food. People can enjoy home-cooked meals in a lively environment with no pollutive emissions.
Water Fountains
The EZH2O series bottle filling stations deliver a quick, fresh, water bottle fill for today’s active crowd while the Green Ticker display provides positive feedback for and a visible sign that you are environmentally conscientious. A sanitary no-touch sensor prevents contact transmission of germs.
Water Efficiency Toilet + Sink
The toilet + sink combo saves 2 gallons per person, per day. They save money, conserve water by using grey water (water unclean for drinking) for the toilet instead of wasting water that should be in our sinks or in our water bottles. The touch sensing faucet improves sanitation by reducing the risk of germs spread by touching the knobs on conventional sinks.
Miller Plaza and Miller Park have free wifi, but most of the sitting area in Miller Plaza takes place in a gazebo with no greenery. An outdoor charging station in Miller Park would complement the indoor work area at Miller Plaza. People today are multi-device savvy so a TVA solar phone charging station (There is one currently in Market Sq, Knoxville), and another station for charging laptops would draw people from all walks together. The laptop section would have seating that encourages groupings. Of course, someone could always come by themselves, but sitting in proximity to another could organically start conversation that might have otherwise never occurred. In this way it would differ from a cafe in that people:
• do not have to buy anything or cost the business money in terms of lost seating/revenue.
• would encourage group seating as opposed to the small tables that cafes provide.
With these changes, Miller Park transforms into an interactive place of living, working, playing, and learning. It would also become Chattanooga’s first downtown park to produce, reduce, and recycle. A bold, simple step to making Chattanooga more sustainable.
Alex Raykowitz and Jenn Krukowski also participated on project under my leadership.