By Nicholas Foster, MICD Program Manager
November 12, 2007

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design hosted its 40th National Session in Charleston (SC) October 24-26. Hosted by Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. and Charleston, the event was attended by Lincoln (NE) Mayor Chris Beutler; Port St. Lucie (FL) Mayor Patricia Christensen; Sparks (NV) Mayor Geno Martini; Jackson (MS) Mayor Frank Melton; Lexington (KY) Mayor Jim Newberry; Hoboken (NJ) Mayor David Roberts; and Tulsa (OK) Mayor Kathryn L. Taylor. Experts in architecture, urban planning, and community development joined the mayors in a discussion, offering advice on how the mayors could approach the challenging redevelopment projects facing their respective cities.

The 40th National Session commenced with a reception and dinner held at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston. MICD founder and Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. gave the keynote lecture for the evening. Discussing his successes in Charleston and their applicability in other cities, Riley set the tone for the event by stressing that, ultimately, mayors are the chief urban designers of their cities.

Lexington Mayor Newberry opened the working meetings by discussing the College Town project, which is aimed at drawing more students from the city’s two academic pillars — The University of Kentucky and Transylvania University — into the downtown area. The resource team supported the mayor’s vision and encouraged him to focus on reducing the number of automobile trips generated while supporting design standards that would increase connectivity into the downtown corridor as a means of bolstering economic and cultural activity in downtown Lexington.

Port St. Lucie Mayor Christensen presented her city’s attempts to address streetscape design issues along a principal thoroughfare which hosts a variety of uses; including light industrial, commercial and residential. The mayor was met with a variety of design and planning solutions that the resource team offered as a means to contenting with the underutilized corridor. Additionally, resource team members suggested infill, mixed-use development could benefit the City as it contends with issues related to rapid population growth.

Jackson Mayor Melton shared with session participants his vision to rejuvenate one of his city’s underperforming streets into an economically-healthy, safe, and vibrant corridor. The mayor expressed his concern for public safety and the welfare of his citizens and participated in a discussion with the resource team on how urban design could be used to create a healthier public realm of Jackson.

Mayor Martini presented his city’s plans to redevelop one of Spark’s visually-blighted and underperforming commercial corridors. The mayor shared his desire to bring high-quality design to the neglected corridor as a means of increasing the quality of life for those residing in neighborhoods within and bordering the redevelopment area. Resource team members offered practical design solutions that would allow the mayor to bring noticeable, positive change to the area in a timely manner.

Lincoln Mayor Beutler showcased plans to redevelop a large section of land located within close proximity to downtown and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. The mayor engaged in a discussion with other participants on which design and planning solutions would bring about the best outcome for the city residents. Resource team members suggested broadening the scope of the project to realize the site’s full potential and advised the mayor to think of the project as a legacy project for his city.

Hoboken Mayor Roberts discussed various planning and design issues facing his city and how Hoboken’s main transit terminal may serve as a focal point for which the city could anchor higher-density development. Resource team members supported the mayor’s vision for a high-quality public realm and suggested that by enhancing the city’s urban design standards, higher densities could be achieved without sacrificing the quality of life for city residents.

Tulsa Mayor Taylor presented her city’s plans to redevelop areas surrounding the downtown corridor. The mayor explained that she would like to leverage city-owned real estate to serve the surrounding community. Numerous designers suggested that additional community outreach would be needed to ascertain what uses would be most appropriate for available downtown land, suggesting that the city should think broadly about the full range of redevelopment potentials.

Joining the mayors at this national session were resource team members: Lee Bey, Executive Director of the Chicago Central Area Committee; Angela Brooks, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Pugh - Scarpa Architects; Phil Erickson, AIA, President of Community Design - Architecture; Ray S. “Rip” Farris, III, Managing and Founding Member of Tuscan Development; Charnelle Hicks, AICP, PP, Founder and Principal of CHPlanning, Ltd.; Paul Okamoto, Founding Partner of Okamoto Saijo Architecture; Dan Pitera, Executive Director of the Detroit Collaborative Design Center; and Laura Solano, Principal at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

MICD, a partnership program of the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Architectural Foundation, and the United States Conference of Mayors, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006. To date, the program has assisted 744 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 the websie www.micd.org.