By Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio
April 11, 2005

I recently traveled to Charleston (SC) to attend the Mayors' Institute on City Design. Developed 18 years ago by Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley, the Institute invites a handful of mayors six times a year to discuss solutions for key urban design issues in their communities.

A resource team of architects, urban planners, preservationists, developers, economists and transportation experts reviews the mayors' design issues and offers advice at no cost.

The session in Charleston reinforced for me the importance of long-range strategic thinking, good urban design focused on the pedestrian and long-term significance of paying attention to details.

Riley's passion is urban design. For the past 30 years, he has strategically guided Charleston's growth, and its visitors have the pleasure of seeing what this emphasis on planning has achieved. A wonderful Southern gentleman, Riley is convinced that of all the work mayors do, it is urban design that stands the test of time. He sat through each mayor's presentation, as he has for the past two decades.

I chose to present the waterfront park that we hope will become a leisure destination in Tampa, located on the path of the proposed Riverwalk and alongside the art and children's museums.

The group agreed on the importance of our work on the waterfront park and suggested there could be an alternative that would provide an opportunity to create a unified plan. They believed that Tampa, as is the case in many cities, has not been served well by piecemeal planning.

One point reinforced for me was that the very best land, such as the waterfront in Tampa, belongs in the public domain and that the public deserves to be able to access it easily. It was also informative to see that regardless of geography, cities have urban problems that bind us together.

Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan sought advice on affordable housing. In redoing an old public housing project in Lexington (KY), Mayor Teresa Isaac has a challenge similar to one in my own city. The new mayor of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann, wants to improve neglected Chinatown, the oldest section of his city. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has government buildings surrounding a city square that no one uses. Providence needs a meaningful gateway to the city and more activity along its riverwalk, according to Mayor David A. Cicilline. Rochester (MN) Mayor Ardell Brede wants to create an "urban village district" through the center of downtown.

The resource team pointed out a common mistake that mayors often make - believing that a single project, one new building, will revitalize their cities. Often the cliche is that a project will put the city "on the map." When too many resources are poured into a single project, the team noted, the rest of the city actually suffers.

Real revitalization occurs when attention is paid to every block, to every vacant storefront and every neighborhood. In Charleston, no one big project defines the city. A very walkable downtown reflects years of careful attention to detail on every street with the best waterfront land reserved for the public.

In cities like mine, it is equally important that we pay attention to improving our streets from the pedestrian level so that our downtowns have a neighborhood feel. It is an eye on long-term strategic planning, not short-term developments, that should guide our progress.

As mayors, all of us see our cities as places with many assets and with futures that are bright. But key to this is our ability to continue to grow with an emphasis on progressive urban design. We need to give renewed attention to the details, ensure that all neighborhoods receive attention and investment, open up our beautiful waterfronts and public spaces to the people, and make our roadways friendly to people, not just cars. Redevelopment should respect our rich history. Our children should grow up with exposure to the arts and be able to enjoy plenty of quality recreational opportunities.

If, over the next several decades, we focus on these issues - issues that really matter in the daily lives of our citizens — I am certain that my city of Tampa will indeed rank among the most livable cities in the country. And by focusing on design, all of our nation's cities can chart a similar course.

For information on the Mayors' Institute on City Design program, call Aaron Koch at (202) 463-1390 or email AKoch@micd.org.