In his firs
t trip “Down Under”, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield found many similarities between his community and that of Mayor Paul Pisasale of Ipswich, Australia. Both cities are essentially bisected by waterways and both are focusing on returning to the riverfront, quality of life and sustainable development as keys to a brighter future. “I was very impressed by all that I saw there,” said Littlefield. “Both cities have the same heart. Ipswich even has a walking bridge using an old railroad trestle which mirrors our restored Walnut Street Bridge in downtown Chattanooga.” Littlefield noted that other features were remarkable such as both cities having railroad museums and even such interesting details as back-in angle parking in the downtown area. “We thought that we were doing something different in Chattanooga” Littlefield noted.
Mayor Littlefield was invited to Australia to talk about Chattanooga’s transformation from “the most polluted city in America” in 1969 to a clean, green co
mmunity of today that regularly the 2 mayors makes top ten lists of most livable cities. While in Australia, he also spoke to attendees at a conference sponsored by the International Riverfoundation, to a gathering of members of Partners for Livable Communities Australia, and a meeting of the Moreton Regional Council. In a meeting with executives of Cisco Systems in Brisbane, Littlefield outlined Chattanooga’s world class fiber optic smart grid system that is moving his community ahead in the digital age and “once more, putting Chattanooga on the short list of progressive cities”.
