Successful performance of this mission will provide economic opportunity for the city's citizens and improve their quality of life. In support of this mission, the Policy & Communications Department facilitates activities related to administration - council relations, historic preservation, major capital investment projects, and public input processes for city projects and services, especially in the downtown area and adjacent neighborhoods.

The Department works closely with City Council, Knox County, KCDC, CBID, the Chamber Partnership, the Development Corporation of Knox County, and through the Resource Valley program. The Department aggressively pursues creative methods to leverage city economic resources to help realize this commitment to quality growth.

Downtown Knoxville has become a vibrant and exciting neighborhood as well as serving as the city's entertainment and cultural hub. Downtown is an important economic driver for our city. Thus the Department takes major responsibility for downtown projects, especially those in which the city makes an investment with the expectation of economic return for its citizens. It is crucial that the city make full use of its citizens' ideas and opinions in considering such investment of the public's funds. The Department of Policy & Communications actively involves the public through design and conduct of public input processes and through appropriately transparent decision-making processes.

The City's decision to place Historic Preservation within the Department of Policy & Communications underscores the role of historic preservation of our structures as not only of great benefit to its citizens, but also of great value in attracting visitors, residents, and business activity to our city.