About The Innovation District

Where Chattanooga’s entrepreneurs, academics, and creatives collide. 

Events Calendar

Discover activities and events in the area.

Resiliency Checklist

Everything you need to prepare your organization for a crisis.

Small Business Supports

Helping small business owners across the region.

The Edney Innovation Center

The front door to the Innovation District of Chattanooga.

Tech Goes Home

Expanding access to technology and teaching digital literacy.

Digital Access Committee

Bringing together partners to close the digital divide, together.

HCS EdConnect

Home internet at no cost to thousands of families.

Connected Communities: Orchard Knob

The OKC leverages the collective support of partner organizations to tackle the whole picture of health and wellness in the historically underserved neighborhood.

Chattamatters

Answering the most basic and most complex questions about life in Chattanooga

EMPACT Program

Preparing residents for the jobs of tomorrow, and today. 

Chattanooga Smart Communities Collaborative

Working together to identify our region’s challenges and create solutions.

Environmental Sensors

Collecting and analyzing air quality data from across our region with US Ignite.

Education (4K Microscope & Lola)

High-tech tools in Hamilton County’s classrooms.

Community Connectivity

Expanding access to the internet in homes and neighborhoods.

About the Innovation District

 Established in 2014, The Innovation District of Chattanooga is a quarter-mile radius from downtown’s Miller Park.

 In the district, established businesses and startups cluster with educational and cultural institutions to create a vibrant and innovative atmosphere. The district also contains several public spaces and a host of coffee shops and restaurants, linked by attractive streets, a bike share program, and free downtown electric shuttles.

Chattanooga’s Innovation District is a place where people from all walks of life can come together to create and collaborate. Whether it’s within the realm of technology, art, recreation, commerce, or civic engagement, the Innovation District is a place that welcomes all and encourages new ways of thinking. The Edney Innovation Center is the front door to Chattanooga’s Innovation District, providing free public meeting spaces and abundant programming. The Innovation District Framework Plan, published in 2018, outlines the values of the district and its vision for the future.

The Innovation District of Chattanooga is the first innovation district in a mid-sized city, and it has been featured in works by Brookings Institution, National League of Cities, The Kaufman Foundation, and The New York Times. Drawing residents from neighborhoods that span the city, The Innovation District of Chattanooga strives to be inclusive and invites everyone to share ownership of the place and its programming.  The Enterprise Center hosts quarterly Innovation Ecosystem Tour Days to give regional leaders and business owners a deeper understanding of the resources available locally. Additionally, we regularly host visitors from around the country to tour Chattanooga’s innovation ecosystem. 

The Innovation District is only possible because of a dedicated network of partner organizations and events who animate the area, including: Big 9 Roots Festival, River City Company, Chattanooga Public Library, The Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Society of Work, Co.Lab, The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, UTC, Patten Towers, and the Chattanooga Design Studio. 

An illustration shows a map of downtown Chattanooga, highlighting buildings included in the Innovation District Framework Plan.

The Innovation District Framework Plan

Building on Chattanooga’s unique integration of its advanced digital assets with a dynamic culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Framework Plan for the Innovation District of Chattanooga articulates our community’s shared values and vision for embracing the energy and excitement in our innovation economy. Published in 2018, the Framework Plan revolves around shared values that animate our work, inform our proposed use of land and inspire how we think about the people and culture that are integral to the Innovation District. Download a PDF of the plan. 

Innovation districts need anchors—universities, existing industries, cultural attractions—and Chattanooga’s district, like many others, has a number of traditional anchors. What makes that district stand out, though, is one of its nontraditional anchors—EPB.

Follow the Innovation District of Chattanooga

Contact Us About The Innovation District

Kevin Love, Director of Innovation District Programs, kevin@theenterprisectr.org