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Chattanooga was one of the featured cities in U.S. News & World Report's special report on "Cities that Work." The article focused on six cities that are applying a variety of strategies to breathe life into their downtown areas.

The article praises Chattanooga's reincarnation from a city known mostly for its pollution to a shining example of urban renaissance. The article cites the city's visioning process and its beneficial public-private partnerships as crucial components of the city's turn around.

The article notes the aquarium and the children's museum are big attractions in drawing Chattanoogans back to its downtown riverfront which was once practically vacant. According to the article, the city's population bottomed out at 119,082 in 1970 is projected to be near 210,000 by 2002. City Council Chairman David Crockett is quoted as saying that when visitors come to Chattanooga they see, "A city that was down and had the collective will to get back up."