Alton Park Connector
What We’re Doing
Working with local residents to build a safe pathway that connects thousands of residents to the benefits of a great trail network.
Our Goal
Help connect this neighborhood to Chattanooga’s greenway system.
We’re working alongside the community to build this greenway with them, not just for them. Get to know the residents that will benefit most from the Alton Park Connector and why this project is so vital to their community.
Community: Alton Park
In Her Words: “There’s the beauty that exists and the beauty, we, as residents, remember. Sadly, we were a victim of Black flight as well, due to integration, limited investment, and environmental obstacles that pushed many residents to other communities. However, beyond Alton Park’s physical, socio-economic and environmental characteristics is our collective belief that this community has much more to contribute.”
Community: Alton Park
In His Experience: The absence of environmental regulations led to contamination from the dumping of coal tar, creosote, pesticides, glass, and other industrial waste into Chattanooga Creek and on nearby land. “My wife had asthma really bad. I wanted to find out what caused her asthma and made other residents ill. I studied the chemicals produced in Alton Pak but found pollution in other communities, especially where Blacks lived.”
Organization: Net Resource Foundation
In Her Experience: The children live in Alton Park, a neighborhood less than a mile away from the Riverwalk, but the busy roads that surround the neighborhood make it difficult and dangerous to walk downtown. “These kids live so close to this trail, but they are still so disconnected from it. We need our kids to know that their neighborhood is important, but it’s also a part of a greater Chattanooga.”
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We teamed up with the artist 2$ON The Prince for “Stories of Resilience,” highlighting Alton Park community leaders and their wisdom around environmental justice issues and navigating the challenges of their underinvested community. Created in partnership with Arts Build, hear real stories of how a community responds to climate change and environmental racism.
Read More About 2$ON and TPL
P.O. Box 3240
Chattanooga, TN, 37404
(423) 265-5229
tennessee@tpl.org