Thirty-five years ago, Chattanooga, which straddles the Tennessee River, was a decaying industrial city with high levels of pollution. Employment was falling and residents were fleeing to the suburbs, leaving abandoned properties and increasing crime. In 1969, the EPA presented the city with a special award for "the dirtiest city in America." Then, Chattanooga Venture, a nonprofit organization founded by community leaders, launched Vision 2000, the first step of which was to bring people from all walks of life together to build a consensus about what the city could be like. Literally thousands of ideas were gradually distilled into 223 specific projects. Then, with the cooperation of all sectors - including government, business, lending institutions, and average persons - work on the projects began, providing employment in constructino for more than 7,300 people and permanent employment for 1,380 and investing more than $800 million. Among these projects were the following:

-With the support of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, local government clamped down hard on industries to control pollution.
-Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise fostered the building or renovation of more than 4,600 units of low- and moderate-income housing.
-A new industry to build pollution-control equipment was spawned, as was another industry to build electric buses, which now serve the city without noise or pollution.
-A recycling center employing mentally handicapped adults to separate materials was build.
-An urban greenway demonstration farm, which schoolchildren may visit, was created.
-A zero-emissions industrial park utilizing pollution-avoidance principles was build.
-The river was cleaned up, and a 22-mile Riverwalk reclaimed the waterfront and built parks, playgrounds, and walkways alon the riverbanks.
-Theaters and museums were renovated, and freshwater and saltwater aquariums were built.
-All facilities and a renovated business district were made pedestrian friendly and accessible.

Revision With these and numerous other projects, many of them still ongoing, Chattanooga has moved its reuptation from one of the worst to one of the best places to live. Chattanooga Venture developed a step-by-step guide for community groups to assist them in similar efforts to build sustainable communities, and the city's experience is being modeled in other cities throughout the United States as well as internationally.

*taken from Environmental Science, Tenth Edition, by Richard T. Wright

Western New York got a lot of stimulus funds.

Most are bullshit. Lots of companies got dollars on the PROMISE of creating jobs. If it follows the way the PILOT programs work, all you have do is SAY you'll create jobs, and you'll get cash. Nobody actually bothers to check up on you and make SURE you actually tried to create those jobs.

It's all a sham.

Prime example?

The state just approved a bill that forces over 100k state employees to a 4 day work week, with the 5th day being unpaid, until the state approves a budget. The 100k state employees only represent HALF of the state work force. HALF.

Of course, all the assemblymen and state senators keep their normal pay and work week, whatever that work week actually is. They're also still paying the outside 'consultants' to tell them how they should fix the budget issues.

Granted, some of the union contracts these folks work under are shit, but that's a separate issue. These politicians won't cut themselves one penny.They'll continue to be paid for fucking everything up.

The short answer is, yes, things like that are PLANNED.

Thank New York's bullshit maze of political shenanigans and developers with empty promises and even emptier pockets for anything not getting done.

Even CanalSide is getting bogged down because community groups are pressuring the Common Council to put rules in to promote minority hiring and such.

How about hiring anybody willing to work?