Competition is in the air. The Premier League kicks off today, select soccer has kicked off for my oldest, the youngest starts soon, and of course Alabama kicks of in 336 hours. As for me, my writing time this week has been consumed by a design competition. I’ve heard ample grousing amongst the natives about this particular contest: Are the requirements for this competition excessive and onerous? Does the challenging site beg the question of whether or not it should even be developed? Is opening a competition for a small site in North Chattanooga to designers in (effectively) all of the major cities in the South (as opposed to showcasing and cultivating local talent) good for Chattanooga? The questions are moot.
When there is a competition in one’s own town (and in my case, immediately next to one’s own project), one must respond. Would I like to win? Sure. But more than that, I don’t want someone from Atlanta, Nashville, or Birmingham to come steal our biscuit. So, this week I’m sending out positive vibes to all of my brother and sister designers in Chattanoogan- play up ya’ll! We must protect this house!
On a more macabre note, I just read something rather unsettling. Elvis died on this day in 1977. That summer he played his last four shows in Des Moines, Madison, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis before returning to Tennessee to die aged 42. As fate would have it, this summer I've been to Des Moines, Madison, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, and turned 42… Note to self: steer clear of codeine, Valium, and morphine in the bathroom.
...on Urban Design in Chattanooga. (and the Big C)
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