15-05-2025
City once called 'most polluted in America' earns new title after decades of transformation: 'Legacy of change'
AFAR reported that after being voted America's dirtiest city decades prior, Chattanooga, Tennessee, has received the honor of being the country's first National Park City.
In 1969, Chattanooga was labeled the most polluted city due to unregulated emissions from its industrial sector. The pollution got so bad that even daytime driving required headlights. However, the community didn't take that label lightly and got to work.
Eventually, Tennessee's fourth-largest city created more spaces like trails and parks and expanded the waterfront. The National Park City Foundation, a U.K.-based organization (not the U.S.-based National Park system) agreed that the city met the 23 criteria to receive the honorable distinction as a healthier and sustainable urban area worthy of being a model for the future.
"We've used the National Park City movement to encourage folks to think about Chattanooga as a city in a park rather than a city with some parks in it," Mayor Tim Kelly proudly boasted in a video, according to AFAR, adding that he was proud of the city's "legacy of change."
Chattanooga showed how any area can turn itself around and become a cleaner and greener space that supports all life. Within 50 years, it went from having one of the worst labels an area could have to gaining international recognition.
Green and blue spaces aid in better health as people walk, run, hike, bike, swim, and paddleboard with ease. Accessing those designated trails or the 13-mile Tennessee Riverwalk can reduce reliance on cars, a major contributor to carbon gases that overheat the environment. More vegetation giving off oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide promotes easy breathing and reduces the likelihood of respiratory illnesses like childhood asthma.
Conservation efforts also help secure food supply for all. Pollinators thrive among native vegetation, where they forage for pollen, nectar, and seeds. These plants also provide habitats to rest and raise young. For example, milkweed is native to Tennessee and is the sole food source of the Monarch butterfly, and adding such plants enables populations to thrive again. Other local native plants and trees like the Eastern red columbine and purple coneflower add to the area's biodiversity.
Other cities are on their way to improvement, too. Kinloch, Missouri, is removing illegally dumped waste that plagued the area for years, while Arlington, Texas, has gone as far as bringing in 400 goats to eat up invasive species in a local park.
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