November 8, 2010

The Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) returned to Charleston (SC) October 27-29 for its 48th National Session. Hosted by Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. and the city, the event was attended by Columbia (SC) Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, Bridgeport (CT) Mayor Bill Finch; Charlotte (NC) Mayor Anthony Foxx; Ventura (CA) Mayor Bill Fulton, Vancouver (WA) Mayor Timothy D. Leavitt Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker, and Conference of Mayors Vice President Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa. Experts in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, urban development, and transportation joined the mayors in the two-and-a-half-day discussions, offering pragmatic advice on how the mayors could approach the urban design challenges facing each of their cities.

The 48th National Session began with a tour of downtown Charleston, led by Michael Maher, Director of Charleston's Civic Design Center. The tour showcased major downtown sites that have been instrumental to Charleston's transformation as a destination city, including King Street, the waterfront park, and the historic preservation of many of the city's residences. Later that evening, a reception and dinner were held at City Gallery, which prominently features Charleston's waterfront revitalization. Riley presented on the role of design in Charleston's transformation after remarks were made by MICD Director Story Bellows; American Architectural Foundation President & CEO Ronald Bogle, Hon. AIA; The United States Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran; and National Endowment for the Arts Design Director Jason Schupbach.

Finch initiated design discussions the following morning by presenting on the city's efforts to build a new train station along the Seaview Avenue Transitway. Bridgeport, along with regional partners, recently was awarded a federal Sustainable Communities grant to being planning efforts along the transit corridor. The city hopes to revive its waterfront, leverage its natural infrastructure assets, and increase density by building transit oriented development around this new station.

Parker discussed the potential of the Washington Avenue corridor adjacent to downtown. This area has steadily seen growth and investment in new housing, retail, and commercial uses. Houston would like to capitalize on this positive momentum by planning strategically for multi-modal transit and housing options, which will accommodate future projected growth in the area.

Fulton presented ideas for capping Highway 101 to better connect the downtown to its waterfront. By creating a seamless connection to its waterfront, Ventura could create new development opportunities and foster increased waterfront accessibility for its residents.

Foxx discussed a planned development south of downtown called Ballantyne, which features many different uses segregated by blocks with ample parking lots as opposed to mixed uses within a block. The mayor sought to understand how this area could become sustainable over time by creating new redevelopment guidelines that take into account complete streets, safe routes to schools, and suburban retrofitting.

Leavitt presented a proposed bridge infrastructure improvement project that will create multi-modal connections between Vancouver and Portland (OR). The mayor received feedback on how critical the design of the bridge is, as its presence will have a significant impact on the experience of the waterfront, and it has the potential to become a new icon for Vancouver.

Benjamin described his city's efforts to bring new uses to Main Street in downtown through enhanced connections with the University of South Carolina. The mayor hopes to revitalize downtown's Main Street by bringing in campus energy, creating new development that focuses on the after-work crowd, and provide traffic calming design for streets intersecting Main Street.

In addition to these discussions, Villaraigosa led a brief lunchtime presentation and discussion on Friday. He discussed how Los Angeles has benefited from MICD and the important role that mayors play in shaping the urban form of their cities.

The mayors and resource team members deemed the 48th National Session highly successful. Benjamin commented that, "A fundamental appreciation of design principals and good urban planning is essential to being a great mayor- Interaction with these skilled professionals helped me take it to another level." Parker stated, "I got as much from seeing the [other mayors] presentations discussed as from my own."

Joining the mayors at this National Session was a distinguished group of resource team members: Angela Brooks, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Brooks - Scarpa Architects; James F. Charlier, AICP, President of Charlier Associates, Inc.; Cinda Gilliland, LEED AP, Principal at SWA Group; Peter Landon, FAIA, LEED AP, Founder and Principal at Landon Bone Baker Architects; Theodore C. Landsmark, M.Env.D. J.D. Ph.D. Assoc. AIA Hon. D.F.A., President of the Boston Architectural College; Brian M. Leary, President and Chief Executive of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.; Mitchell Silver, AICP, Director of Planning, Raleigh, North Carolina; and H. Ruth Todd, AIA, AICP, LEED AP, Principal at Page & Turnbull.

MICD is a National Endowment for the Arts leadership initiative in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and The United States Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, the Mayors' Institute has helped transform communities through design by preparing more than 850 mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities. MICD conducts several sessions each year. For a list of upcoming events, past attendees, or for more information, visit the website www.micd.org.