Miller Park

Located in the heart of Chattanooga, in the center of the city’s thriving Innovation District and one block from City Hall, Miller Park is a two-acre urban placemaking project accomplished in collaboration with landscape architect Spackman Mossop Michaels.

LOCATION

CHATTANOOGA, TN

SIZE

2.4 ACRES

YEAR OF COMPLETION

2018

SERVICES

URBAN STRATEGIES

AWARDS

2021 AIA NEW ORLEANS AWARD OF MERIT

PHOTOGRAPHER

STEVE POMBERG CHATTANOOGA FROM ABOVE

Commissioned by the City of Chattanooga, SMM/EDR led the planning and engagement process, with SMM leading the site design and EDR designing a performance pavilion. The design team took steps to integrate the public into the design process from the outset, and over a six-month span, held numerous open meetings and online platforms for capturing and integrating community input. The design challenge involved reconsidering the sunken plaza which, in its existing configuration, created a disconnect between city and public space.

By elevating the entire park to street level and applying a “shared street approach” between Miller Park and the adjacent Miller Plaza, the team strived to create a unified civic space and encourage pedestrian traffic throughout the park.

In its flexible layout, the park plays host to numerous cultural events. Bolstered by underground internet and electricity, its state-of-the-art pavilion serves as an ideal space for immersive, technology advanced productions. Beyond its civic and social benefits, the reimagined park provides immense ecological benefits in a dense urban area. Stormwater management solutions and a strategically positioned soil cell system enable tree roots to stretch without disrupting pavement, while simultaneously cleaning pollution from rainwater.

Such a cohesive vision might not have materialized were it not for community input. Without such input, a project of this magnitude becomes just another development, one lacking purpose and beauty. Listening to local needs and concerns played a crucial role in designing a collaborative, accessible, and energized downtown Chattanooga.