Monday, March 15

Notes from Timeline Exercise

  • Rich history/culture
  • Important gathering places: food establishments, i.e. Smoky Mountain Market, Nan Denton's, Dudley Hodges', Babe Maloy's
  • South Knox and Seymour are growing toward each other
  • Happy about downtown redevelopment
  • A lack of unity
  • Mistrust of progress
  • Political mistrust
  • Increase in traffic
  • Need more businesses in South Knox
  • Low crime rate
  • Traffic could be worse
  • Strong family ties
  • Cas Walker mentality = status quo
  • Mistrust of leaders
  • Roads bring in business
  • There have been changes in transportation (i.e. buses)
  • Used to get around via hitchhiking
  • Change has been both positive and negative
  • Very little change in roads
  • "Bridge to Nowhere" led to loss of businesses and houses
  • Some property values increased as a result of "Bridge to Nowhere"
  • Beauty of the land
  • South Knox feels far from downtown Knoxville
  • World's Fair meant poor housing and displaced people
  • Issue regarding toxic materials - took 10 years for people to listen
  • John Sevier Highway good and bad (access too narrow)
  • Politicians get hopes up
  • South Knox is self contained, isolated
  • Have to travel to get to something, i.e. movies, shopping
  • Dogwood trails
  • South Knox adaptable, i.e. school footings wrong
  • South Knox fights for ideals, i.e. school situation
  • Merger of schools had negative effects, i.e. closing of some neighborhood schools
  • Green spaces - continued on back -
  • Bridge closures - negative
  • Public housing developments - not a good thing
  • Pride in local leaders from South Knox
  • South Knox has experienced progress in recent years
  • Easy access to downtown
  • South Knox is being "pulled" more and more into the greater Knoxville community, which is good for business but not as good for protecting rural beauty and pristine aspects of the area
  • Roads threaten to displace homes
  • Government is not all bad. Projects can be done for the greater good of the community.
  • Government grants can work

 

Monday, March 29, 2004

Ah-Ha's (Retrospective Observations) from Timeline Exercise:

  • South Knox is the "quiet side" of Knoxville
  • Family history is important part of culture and residents have a strong identity with the area
  • Residents also have a strong identity with neighborhoods in South Knox
  • South Knox is somewhat separated (divided) by neighborhoods
  • South Knox sometimes feels left out - feels that attention of government or whatever is elsewhere in the community
  • Perception if South Knox is negative in other parts of Knoxville. Also, perception of different parts of South Knoxville varies.

"Take Forwards" from Timeline Exercise (Values/Characteristics of South Knox that group wants to preserve:

  • Unity
  • Good sense of neighborhood
  • Uniqueness of environmental areas in Knox County
  • Lack of traffic congestion
  • The river as an asset
  • Variety in retail
  • The value of Seymour's passage through South Knoxville
  • Good place to have business
  • Bicycle and pedestrian ways
  • A balance of unique past and character and progress
  • Natural beauty (ridges)
  • Safety (low crime)
  • "Curb appeal" of some areas
  • Good air quality
  • Wise planning of geographic area

"Leave Behinds" from Timeline Exercise (Values/Characteristics of South Knox that group would like to change/leave behind:

  • Poor bike/pedestrian trails
  • Mistrust
  • Bad "curb appeal" of some businesses
  • Bad air quality
  • Feeling that we're "red-headed stepchildren"
  • Heavy traffic and wreck areas (certain traffic lights, etc.)
  • Unsafe aspects of Chapman Highway, including design aspects and enforcement of laws
  • River as a barrier
  • Lack of variety in retail
  • Urban sprawl