March 6, 2006

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) held a special session on community revitalization in Miami February 21-23. Hosted by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and in partnership with Bank of America, the event was attended by Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and St. Petersburg Mayor Richard Baker.

Each of the mayors presented a challenge faced by his city in redeveloping a neighborhood. Following the presentation, experts in architecture, urban planning and housing policy joined the mayors in a discussion offering advice on everything from urban design and traffic considerations to community centers and plans for implementation.

The event began with a reception and dinner sponsored by Bank of America in Miami. National Endowment for the Arts Director of Design Jeff Speck, American Architectural Foundation President and CEO Ron Bogle, Bank of America Community Development Corporation President Jim Grauley, and Conference of Mayors Executive Director Tom Cochran all gave opening remarks.

In his opening comments, Cochran reflected, “We’re incredibly proud of the Mayors’ Institute. This program gives mayors the valuable opportunity to reflect on their cities and to make decisions that will impact their futures for many years to come.” Diaz concluded the evening by giving remarks about the ongoing revitalization of downtown Miami.

McCrory opened the session with a presentation on the Eastland Area of his city. Plagued by a dying mall, commercial corridors without adequate pedestrian access, and a lack of comprehensive transit, the area is not currently seeing the boom in economic investment that the rest of the city is enjoying.

Daley presented the “Little Village” neighborhood of south Chicago – a neighborhood that has enjoyed considerable success as a commercial destination for Hispanics residing in the Midwest. The concerns that he brought to the Institute were that the neighborhood has very little park space, an under utilized industrial site, and a new school that lacks adequate connection to the neighborhood.

Baltimore is looking to capitalize on the recent development of the University of Maryland Bio Park near the Poppleton Area, which is just west of downtown. O’Malley presented an ongoing initiative to plan and redevelop a section of the neighborhood into a coherent community. This area would consist of market-rate housing, commercial development, affordable housing, and neighborhood services with ties to a proposed transit line.

Following the success of its Midtown revitalization, St. Petersburg has turned its attention to the Childs Park area of the city. Baker rendered a portrait of the neighborhood plagued by crime and consisting of a high concentration of youth. Primarily residential, the neighborhood lacks sustained commercial development and community services.

Menino discussed the Dudley Square neighborhood of Boston. A large bus terminal is currently the center of activity in the neighborhood, and the Mayor is looking to develop surrounding sites to create a more vital center and to provide services for those living in the neighborhood.

Joining the mayors at this special session were resource team members: Paul Brophy, Founder of Brophy & Reilly LLC; Don Carter, President of Urban Design Associates; Fernando Costa, Planning Director for Fort Worth; Julie Eizenberg, founding partner of Koning Eizenberg Architecture; James Grauley, President of Bank of America’s Community Development Corporation; Ann Sewill, Vice President and California Director for the Enterprise Foundation; and Audrey Singer, Immigration Fellow at the Brookings Institution

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. Since 1986, the program has assisted over 650 mayors in transforming their communities through good urban design. More information about the Mayors’ Institute on City Design is available at www.micd.org.