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Mayors at MICD 38 Address Sustainable Urban Development
FEBRUARY 2007 — MIAMI — In partnership with Bank of America, the Mayors' Institute on City Design hosted its 38th National Session in Miami, FL February 20-22, 2007. Hosted by Mayor Manuel Diaz and the City of Miami, the event was attended by York, Pennsylvania Mayor John Brenner; Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown; Toledo Mayor Carleton Finkbeiner; Irvine Mayor Beth Krom; Southfield, Michigan Mayor Brenda Lawrence; and Pembroke Pines, Florida Mayor Frank Ortis. Experts in architecture, urban planning and development joined the mayors in a discussion, offering advice on everything from sustainable urban design and housing to transportation patterns and plans for implementation.
The Mayors' Institute on City Design, 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. The program has assisted over 700 mayors in transforming their communities through good urban design.
The session is the third MICD national session sponsored by Bank of America. The Bank has made a sustained commitment to America's communities - pledging $750 billion in loans and investments for community development over the next 10 years. Among its priorities are affordable housing, economic development, and urban redevelopment projects. This particular session focused on sustainable building and urban development. Previous sessions have focused on designing inclusive communities for immigrants and creating workforce housing.
The 38th National Session began with a reception and dinner at Bank of America Tower in downtown Miami - a venue that offers sweeping views of Miami's rapidly changing skyline. 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 Krom opened the working meetings of the session by leading a broad discussion on the evolution of Irvine's suburban development and strategies to introduce mixed-use development and connected transit into the city. Focusing on the Orange County Great Park site and the city's two major business centers, Mayor Krom and the resource team explored potential sites for increased density and regional connectedness.
Like in many cities across the nation, Buffalo converted a primary retail street into a pedestrian mall during the 1980's, and business has since floundered. Mayor Brown presented a proposal to reopen the street to traffic, asking the participants to explore the new dynamics this situation would create, and how the city would need to reconfigure the mix of uses and introduce new uses, possibly including housing, to the street.
The City of Toledo is actively pursuing redeveloping its Marina District, directly across the river from downtown. Mayor Finkbeiner presented a conceptual master plan, asking the resource team to consider the experiential qualities as well as strategies to engage the public and connect the site to surrounding neighborhoods.
Mayor Lawrence engaged the participants in a discussion about Southfield's Civic Center, an 850 acre development which serves as the city's office, service, and sports entertainment hub, and its connection to the adjacent retail, office, and entertainment district. Looking to effectively create a "downtown" with these two areas, the resource team worked with Mayor Lawrence to discuss transportation and phasing strategies.
Mayor Brenner opened the second day of the session by presenting the Broad Street redevelopment effort currently underway in York. Presently occupied by a warehouse, a former jail, and vacant land, the site is located in the otherwise dense historic fabric of York. Mayor Brenner led the resource team in a discussion on possible uses for the site, financing and public engagement strategies, and phasing scenarios. Mayor Brenner reflected, "Interacting with a top-notch team of experts was truly an honor."
The City of Pembroke Pines is developing a 115-acre plot of land into a city center that will house retail, office space, residential, and city services. Mayor Ortis shared the master plan with the participants, asking for feedback on usability, design, and financing opportunities.
In addition to case study presentations made by the mayors, each resource team member had the opportunity to highlight key issues from his/her area of expertise.
Liz Ferrer, an executive within Bank of America's Community Design Corporation, related various financing strategies to the mayors in attendance, while also describing mixed-used development projects financed by the bank that contributed to the revitalization of a community. Carol Franklin, a landscape architect and founding principal of Andropogon Associates, highlighted the importance of incorporating existing natural systems into large-scale design projects. Howard Frumkin, MD, the Director of the National Center for Environmental Health at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke of how automobile oriented urban design has contributed to a decline in public health and a rise in obesity.
Bert Gregory, a noted architect and President and CEO of Mithun, focused his presentation on how mayors can incorporate sustainable strategies into their urban design decisions.
Michael Kinsley, a principal with the Rocky Mountain Institute, discussed community engagement strategies for change and development.
David Lee, an urban designer and architect on the faculty at Harvard University, discussed components of successful large-scale design projects, including: transportation, a mix of uses, and community involvement.
Ian Lockwood, a transportation engineer with Glatting Jackson, promoted intermodal, pedestrian-oriented design.
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, founding principal of Duany Plater-Zyberk and founder of the Congress for New Urbanism, endorsed principles of walkability, density in development, and community engagement.
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