Chattanooga Design Studio

One week away from CIVIQ with Bridget Marquis!
Thursday, February 26, 2026
“Doors Open” at 5:30 PM, EST at the Public Library (Downtown Branch)
Learn more and save your seat at: www.chattanoogastudio.com/civiq

📅 Save the Date for CIVIQ with Bridget Marquis!
"The Power of the Commons"

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, EST

Bridget A. Marquis is the director of Reimagining the Civic Commons, a national initiative demonstrating that strategic investments in public spaces can connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust and create more environmentally and economically resilient communities. She manages the national Civic Commons Learning Network, housed at U3 Advisors, providing coordinated learning, impact assessment and storytelling across eleven U.S. communities.

Join us Thursday, December 4th at 5:30 PM at the Library for CIVIQ with Kim Trent!

Historic Preservation is a critical tool for building successful and vibrant communities in the 21st century. Kim Trent brings more than a quarter century of experience in crafting preservation solutions by bringing together development professionals, government officials and non-profit preservation organizations to work cooperatively for the benefit of all involved. The result has been not only the preservation of historic places. It has also attracted millions of dollars in private and government investment that proves historic preservation is a good investment in communities across the county.

Kim Trent led the growth of Knox Heritage from a small non-profit with no staff and few resources into one of the most effective preservation organizations in the country. Through her knowledge, interpersonal skills and passion, she established Knox Heritage as a nationally-recognized preservation leader. She transformed Knox Heritage’s preservation efforts from vocal opposition into a proactive, win-win approach that builds on relationships with business, governmental, and community leaders to achieve mutually beneficial solutions. She is also an effective advocate for preservation as a driver of tourism and economic growth. Kim has led a number of restoration projects that have leveraged millions of dollars of public and private investment in the community. From private homes to landmark buildings downtown, her work on these projects has resulted in millions of dollars in investment in East Tennessee’s economy. Under her leadership, Knox Heritage expanded its work to cover the 16-county Knoxville region.

Learn more about Kim here:
kimtrentpreservationstrategies.com/

Get your (free) tickets here!
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/chattanoogadesignstudio/event/civiqwithkimtrent/

We hope to see you at CIVIQ next Wednesday, October 1st!

"Nature Remixed: Reimagining Community and Biodiversity"
CIVIQ with Richard Roark
Hosted by Chattanooga Design Studio & Thrive Regional Partnership
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Barrelhouse Ballroom
1501 Long St, Chattanooga, TN 37408

5:30-7:00 pm
Always Free, All Welcome

Chattanooga Design Studio thanks the Lyndhurst Foundation for seeding and funding CIVIQ: A Series Honoring Robert Taylor.

Richard Roark
Chief Purpose Officer, OLIN Studios

Richard Roark is OLIN’s Chief Purpose Officer, a landscape architect, and a certified planner dedicated to creating ecologically resilient and socially just public landscapes. His work transforms places once contaminated, neglected, or—as he describes them—“cast off” and “left behind,” into environments that are not only visually compelling but also healthier and more equitable.

Among the projects he will present are the American Embassy in London, the 51-mile Los Angeles River Master Plan, Hunts Point in the Bronx, and the Infrastructure Plan for the communities of Caño Martín Peña in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Each illustrates how design can repair ecological systems while strengthening community life.

A partner at OLIN, an internationally recognized landscape architecture, planning, and urban design studio, Richard holds master’s degrees in both Landscape Architecture and Community Planning from Auburn University. His practice centers on reinvigorating the public realm, advancing equity, and expanding opportunity for all. His leadership has been recognized widely, including the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2020 Award of Excellence in Urban Design for Philadelphia’s Dilworth Park.

Get your (free) tickets here!
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/chattanoogadesignstudio/event/civiqwithrichardroark/