March 7, 2011

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is pleased invite all mayors to the National Mayors Summit on City Design April 27-29 in Chicago.

At the Summit, mayors will join the nation’s foremost experts from the design and development disciplines that work together to design livable cities. Summit participants will celebrate 25 years of MICD, honor the design legacy of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and, most importantly, explore and promote the critical importance of design in urban environments.

The cadre of more than 100 mayors will include MICD alumni, as well as other mayors who are committed to design as a solution to the problems facing our cities. Participants from the design world will include those who have served on the "resource teams" for past MICD sessions, such as architects, urban planners, landscape architects, developers, and others in related design professions.

The roster of invited speakers reflects the exceptional nature of this gathering and the diverse disciplines that come together in designing effective and inspiring urban environments. Invited speakers include: President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman (confirmed), Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (confirmed), and founder of MICD Charleston (SC) Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr (confirmed).

The Summit will be part celebration, part investigation, and part think tank. The Summit will include plenary sessions that explore broader questions about the nature of design in shaping the urban experience and the role of civic and design leaders in solving problems for residents. A series of forums will enable participants to discuss design issues in smaller groups, and make recommendations for a national city design agenda. These sessions will explore the themes of Design and Transportation, Design and Development and Design and 21st Century Challenges.

The National Mayors Summit on City Design will energize mayors, design professionals, and agency representatives about the power and potential of good design. The caliber of participants will draw national attention to the importance of design in shaping and sustaining our cities. In addition, the participants will identify key, emerging design issues that mayors must consider, and they will make recommendations on ways of working collaboratively (with design professionals, government representatives, the business community, and city residents) to address those issues. Summit proceedings, outcomes, and recommendations will be documented and distributed broadly to help shape policy and influence decision making for better outcomes in designing our cities.

• Design and Transportation: How we move between and around our cities shapes the urban experience. As we look to create more livable, sustainable communities, transportation becomes one of the most critical drivers for the development of a framework for investment within different districts of our cities. Transportation investments are often key drivers for economic development in cities. Designing neighborhoods and cities that encourage multiple modes of transportation requires a more holistic approach to planning and development – integrating these transportation decisions with larger urban place-making objectives.

• Design and Development: The role of design in catalyzing development can be seen in cities across the country. New catalysts and paradigms for development have led to reinvestment in city centers and quests for authenticity and the celebration of unique urban assets have led to a renewed interest in historic preservation and adaptive reuse. The Design and Development forum will address new trends and models of urban development, challenges to attracting and implementing these investments in cities large and small, and where and how new innovations might occur in the future.

• Design and 21st-Century Challenges: The design of 21st century cities requires attention to a wide variety of issues not historically connected directly to development conversations. Climate change and the recognition of limited natural resources can significantly influence design and development decisions, and new tools are providing public and private sector leaders with reams of data and information that can help drive better decision-making. At the same time, the populations inhabiting cities are changing – creating cities that respond to an aging population, public health crises, and security risks require a new approach to city design.

For more information and registration, visit the website www.micd.org

For questions regarding the summit, contact Story Bellows, MICD Director, at 202-463-1390 or send e-mail to sbellows@micd.org.

For more information regarding hotel and registration, contact Carol Edwards with the Conference of Mayors at 202-861-6747.