Helen Johnson and Josh McManus of CreateHere in Chattanooga, TN, talk with Cities x Design about nurturing the creative economy in their city. Their discussion touches on the innovative non-profit model of their organization, how they meet staffing challenges and the advantages of being privately funded.

Chattanooga is a small town hidden at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. This former river commerce hub has, like many other places, experienced the negative impact of de-industrialization and is today looking at creative solutions to boost its image. The opening of Volkswagen’s $1 billion manufacturing plant in 2011, should help with Chattanooga’s population growth and economic vitality.

Designer collectives such as Young Monster work on the promotion of music bands and feed the local creative scene that is slowly taking shape. Thanks to the support of Create Here, many creative enterprises find the support to launch their businesses and contribute to the city’s social and cultural life. Their fellowship program entitled Lead Here encourages young people to take action in their own community.

Augusta and Gill Holland wanted something innovative and ambitious for Louisville so they took a 110 year-old masonry structure in the heart of the city’s arts district and decided to turn it into the first commercial building with a LEED platinum certification.

The Green Building is a model of architectural preservation with a modern core: an authentic masonry structure, natural lighting, eco-friendly materials, renewable energy systems, solar panels, geothermal wells and most original of all, a recycled denim insulation. This marvel of green architecture was conceived by Doug Pierson from FER Studios.

With 15,000 square foot of mixed-use space, the building houses a restaurant that serves food from local farms (732 Social), an art gallery, event and office spaces. It also boasts an indoor-outdoor courtyard, an urban farm, and a green wall vertical garden.

Steve Wilson, Founder, 21c Museum Hotel, talks to Cities x Design about philanthropy, collecting art, regenerating a city center and why he chose to open an art hotel in Louisville, Kentucky.

Richard Crabtree talks with Cities x Design about the design community and design economy of Columbus, OH, and the visionary work of Salvato Coe + Gabor.

Paul Davis, Paul Nini and Kristen Harris talk to Cities x Design about what makes Columbus a creative city and why the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts revels in its independence.

For the longest time Columbus has been considered a typical American city and its local population has been viewed as a mirror image of the U.S. population as a whole. For this reason the city is often used as a testing ground for corporate America’s latest products and services.

Large chain retailers and brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch and The Limited (parent company of Victoria’s Secret) are headquartered in Columbus. Similarly, large insurance companies are firmly based there as well.

Despite such facts, Columbus doesn’t lack personality and is not afraid of supporting independent initiatives. And with the largest university campus in the United States, Ohio State University is a strong local asset that grows and graduates inspired young minds and plays a role in spreading fresh ideas into the city’s diverse communities.

During our short stay, we had the opportunity to walk High Street of Short North, an area recently praised in the New York Times. Highlights include Jeni’s Ice Cream offering handmade confections made with locally sourced ingredients, the spacious and luminous Northstar Cafe, and Tigertree, a select store with unique design pieces from the area and beyond. The noteworthy North Market (the only market in Columbus and also small business incubator) was unfortunately closed during our visit.

James and Larkin of Wall to Wall Studios share their insights into the keys to success of rebranding a neighborhood.

The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum complex that includes  19 museums, 17 of which are located in Washington D.C. One can look at it as a cluster of varied architectural buildings or a giant display of over 136 million objects, artworks and specimens. Visitors have free access and usually make the effort to walk the long distances from one building to another – the Smithsonian website clearly advises people to wear comfortable shoes before a visit.

Due to our limited schedule, we narrowed our visit to the National Museum of the American Indian (pictured above). We were initially attracted to its controversial postmodern design which was previously referred to as “native by design” by the National Geographic magazine. The building was designed by several Native American architects – Douglas Cardinal, a Blackfeet Indian; Johnpaul Jones, a Cherokee/Choctaw; Ramona Sakiestewa, a Hopi, Donna House, a Navajo/Oneida, and Lou Weller, a Caddo Indian – and its construction was assisted by a Native American Design  Collaborative known as the Table Mountain Rancheria Enterprises.

The museum has an exterior cladding of Kasota dolomitic limestone that give the building the appearance of a stratified stone mass that has been carved by wind and water. The interior is unfortunately more conventional and consists of dark gallery spaces generously filled with over a million artefacts.

A temporary exhibition called Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America caught our attention. By looking beyond the traditional representations of Native American culture, this show reflects indigenous culture in a 21st century context. We learned that skateboarding has inspired many Native American youths to start their own companies and build community-based skate parks in the United States. By fusing design, graphic art, filmmaking, and music through skateboard culture, those individuals are affirming their identity within contemporary American society, perhaps to also show that their heritage is vibrant and alive.

Providence, one of America’s oldest cities and the birthplace of the American industrial revolution, pursues Rhode Island’s story of innovation through its schools, its communities, its businesses and its public services. It is a city that uses its creative resources to transition from past to present and understands the need for a more sustainable future.

Providence is a mid-sized city that is conveniently located between New York and Boston and is known for its outstanding young student population. The renowned RISD and Brown University play a major role in the community and are sources of valuable ideas for the region and the world. Since 2008, A Better World by Design is an example of how local and international designers come together in Providence to think about a better future through design: how can we reshape our community and sustain our environment?

Providence is an inspired city because it is constantly searching for newness and ideas, whether it is food or new places to experience and visit. At the Steel Yard, people connect while learning about things that are hand-made, introducing welding, blacksmithing and casting amongst others activities. This former steel and iron industrial site serves as a catalyst for urban regeneration and community growth through creative approaches. Meanwhile, La Laiterie promotes “haute farmhouse cuisine” by featuring the best of local and seasonal produce on their menus. The honest quality of its dishes is a reason in itself to visit Providence.