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Mayors' Institute Holds 37th National Session in Charleston, South Carolina
OCTOBER 2006 — CHARLESTON — The Mayors' Institute on City Design held its 37th National Session in Charleston, South Carolina on October 18-20. Hosted by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., the event was attended by Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy, Missoula Mayor John Engen, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, Sumter, South Carolina Mayor Joseph McElveen, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, and Billings Mayor Ron Tussing. Each of the mayors presented a challenge faced by his/her city. Following the presentation experts in architecture, urban planning and development joined the mayors in a discussion, offering advice on everything from urban design and housing to transportation patterns and plans for implementation.
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. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the program has assisted over 675 mayors in transforming their communities through good urban design.
The event began with a reception and dinner at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston. Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., the founder of the MICD, gave the keynote lecture for the evening. Discussing his successes in Charleston and their applicability in other cities, Mayor Riley set the tone for the event by stressing that mayors are the chief urban designers of their cities.
Mayor Duffy opened the session with a presentation on the future of Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester - a site which includes a 1960's internal mall, five mostly vacant Class-B office buildings, and an underground parking garage with 1800 spaces. While considering notable revitalization successes nearby, Mayor Duffy and the resource team explored options for redeveloping this site in a manner that would create a sense of resurgence downtown. At the conclusion of the session, Mayor Duffy reflected, "The session was inspiring, educational, practical, and very valuable to me. I leave here with a new level of understanding regarding my role as mayor."
Mayor Thomas followed, relating a tale of rapid change and development faced by Galveston, a situation shared by many southern coastal towns. While welcoming development and the tax revenue it brings, Mayor Thomas remains committed to preserving access to the beach for residents, who are largely low-income, and sought recommendations on how to encourage developers to actively give back to Galveston. Mayor Thomas echoed, "I will use what I've learned as soon as I get back to Galveston. Overall, these two days were some of the best and most informative I have spent anywhere."
Mayor Tussing concluded the first day of discussion with a presentation on the library block in downtown Billings. Currently occupied by the library, city offices, an auto dealership, infill parking, and other scattered buildings, the block has been a target of failed redevelopment efforts for years. Mayor Tussing and the resource team investigated the city's role in this effort and a more proactive approach for working with future developers.
Like in many midsized cities, post-WWII development in Missoula is characterized by large lots fronted with surface parking and wide streets with little concern for pedestrians. Mayor Engen led the participants in a very broad discussion about how these development patterns may be changed over time, in Missoula as well as in cities across America. Energized by the lively discussion, Mayor Engen expressed, "I'm stealing at least three ideas!"
Mayor Mallory followed with an account of the Walnut Hills neighborhood in Cincinnati, a heavily blighted, high crime, high poverty neighborhood that has not seen the energy of redevelopment already occurring in the community and surrounding areas. He sought ideas on how to invigorate this neighborhood and remove physical impediments to its revitalization.
Mayor McElveen concluded the session by leading a discussion on his efforts to expand and improve upon investment in the south section of Sumter. Over 98% African American with high rates of crime and poverty, the neighborhood is characterized by struggling commercial enterprises and substandard housing. Participants engaged in an animated discussion about the neighborhood, which lies across the railroad tracks from the wealthier section of town, making recommendations that are relevant in cities across the South.
In addition to case study presentations made by the mayors, each resource team member had the opportunity to highlight key issues from his/her areas of expertise. Jim Charlier, a transportation planner and Principal of Charlier Associates, Inc. in Boulder, CO, promoted intermodal, pedestrian-oriented design. Maurice Cox, a former Mayor of Charlottesville, VA and Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, encouraged mayors to engage their communities in design discussions. Mike Ghielmetti, a developer and President of Signature Properties in Pleasanton, CA, highlighted large-scale projects that emphasize community values and the pedestrian experience while remaining financially and politically feasible. Joan Goody, FAIA, an architect and Principal of Goody Clancy Architecture, Planning and Preservation in Boston, MA, related strategies for developing residential units in varying densities for unique needs within a city.
Robert Peck, an MICD advisory council member and Vice President at The Staubach Company in Washington, DC, recalled his days as the commissioner of public buildings for the General Services Administration in discussing the role of public buildings in cities, while underscoring the positive contribution that a mayor can make to his/her city through the construction and preservation of significant public buildings and spaces. Christine Saum, a former Executive Director of the MICD and the Director of the Urban Design and Plan Review Division at the National Capital Planning Commission in Washington, DC, evoked her experience with the MICD and highlighted significant opportunities mayors have in improving their cities, including programming interstitial spaces for citizens. Kennedy Smith, Co-Founder and Principal of the Community Land Use and Economics (CLUE) Group in Washington, DC, spoke of maintaining authenticity in downtown redevelopment. Michael Vergason, FASLA, FAAR, Principal of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects in Alexandria, VA, promoted ecologically responsive design.
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