The Downtown Electric Shuttle linking the Southside and Riverfront has encouraged downtown revitalization by providing easy accessibility to downtown businesses. The locally-based manufacturer, Advanced Vehicle Systems, has become a world leader in electric buses, and Chattanooga s electric shuttle system has been studied by visitors from around the world. The greenway system includes the popular Riverwalk along the Tennessee River, as well as walking trails along North and South Chickamauga Creeks, the 180-acre Greenway Farm, Old Wauhatchie Pike on the side of Lookout Mountain and a safewalk along the streets of South Chattanooga. Perhaps the most significant of these intangible changes occurred in 1990 when the form of city government changed so that legislative and executive powers are now better separated and legislators are elected by district, allowing better representation of neighborhoods and minorities. The Chattanooga renaissance is a work in progress.
Many challenges remain, and new chapters are constantly being added to the story.
Chattanooga residents will soon have access to more green spaces as the city implements a new master plan to expand and improve its citywide parks and recreation centers. In 1998, the city organized Recreate 2008, a community visioning process to create a ten-year plan for building and improving its public parks. Construction is to begin in 2000. New magnet schools have been created using a federal grant, increased arts education is being provided thanks to local grant funding, and the schools have implemented a character education program throughout the system. A new standards-based curriculum will allow provide better measures of student success and will allow both the school system and the community to track the progress of individual schools.