By Nicholas Foster, MICD
February 2, 2009

The Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) hosted a breakfast meeting for both MICD alumni and prospective participants on January 19 at the 77th Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. Moderated by MICD leadership, including American Architectural Foundation President and CEO Hon. AIA Ron Bogle and National Endowment for the Arts Director of Design Maurice Cox, the forum provided MICD alumni an opportunity to share ideas and experiences with fellow alumni as well as mayors who have yet to attend a session of the Institute. Charleston (SC) Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., the Institute's founder, provided the keynote address, highlighting the successes of the MICD that has spanned nearly 25 years.

Several mayors, including Rochester (MN) Mayor Ardell Brede, USCM Vice President Burnsville (MN) Mayor Elizabeth B. Kautz, and Meridian (MS) Mayor John Robert Smith, provided testimony to the importance of the MICD and its ability to provide mayors with an array of resources to combat a multitude of design challenges facing their respective communities. Newly-elected Pelahatchie (MS) Mayor Knox Ross articulated the value of the Institute for the nation's smaller-sized cities. Minneapolis (MN) Mayor R.T. Rybak also voiced his continued support for the Institute and asked MICD leadership and staff how he and other alumni mayors could help spread the good word to enhance the Institute's visibility and recruit newly-elected mayors.

A few mayors, including Berkeley (CA) Mayor Tom Bates, inquired about the possibility of MICD taking on additional sessions with specific topics or themes, such as a MICD session dedicated to Transit-Oriented Development, or Urban Sustainability. Tulsa (OK) Mayor Kathy Taylor also discussed her own experience at the 40th National Session of the MICD, as well as the recent Alumni Technical Assistance Institute that was held in Tulsa just two weeks prior. Taylor credited the Institute with helping members of her city staff shape the vision for a redevelopment project that her city was pursuing.

In addition to nearly a dozen prospective participants, were numerous MICD alumni, including: Tom Bates, Berkeley (CA); James Brainard, Carmel (IN); Ardell Brede, Rochester (MN);John Callahan, Bethlehem (PA); David Cicilline, Providence (RI); Michael Coleman, Columbus (OH); Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City (OK); Patrick Henry Hays, North Little Rock (AR); James W. Holley, III, Portsmouth (VA); James Humphrey, Ft. Myers (FL); Ronald Jones, Garland (TX); Elizabeth Kautz, Burnsville (MN); Scott W. Lang, New Bedford (MA); Dannel Malloy, Stamford (CT); Ken Miyagishima, Las Cruces (NM); Jim Newberry, Lexington (KY); Ed Pawlowski, Allentown (PA); Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Charleston (SC); John Robert Smith, Meridian (MS); Knox Ross, Pelahatchie (MS); R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis (MN); Mark Stodola, Little Rock (AR); and Kathy Taylor, Tulsa (OK).

The Mayors' Institute on City Design is a partnership program of the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Architectural Foundation, and the United States Conference of Mayors. To date, the program has assisted over 770 mayors in transforming their communities through good urban design. The Mayors' Institute conducts several sessions each year. For a list of upcoming events, past attendees, or for more information, visit www.micd.org.