IQC hosted the Mayor’s Institute on City Design for a regional session in Oklahoma City November 20-22. 7 mayors and 7 resource team members in fields related to design, planning, and development came together for two days of meetings. Each mayor brought a challenge from their home community for discussion with the group.
Mayors
Dothan, AL Mayor Mark Saliba
El Dorado, AR Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer
Miami Lakes, FL Mayor Manny Cid
Normal, IL Mayor Chris Koos
Quincy, IL Mayor Kyle Moore
Rock Hill, SC Mayor John Gettys
Westminster, CA Mayor Tri Ta
Resource Team
Paulina Baeza | Indian Nations Council of Governments, Tulsa, OK
Hans Butzer | University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Cathy O’Connor | Alliance for Economic Development, Oklahoma City, OK
Arti Harchekar | Alta Planning & Design, Oakland, CA
Mary Margaret Jones | Hargreaves Jones, New York, NY
Kennedy Smith | Community Land Use + Economics Group, Alexandria, VA
Gina Sofola | Sofola & Associates, Oklahoma City, OK
In preparation for the event, IQC staff visited each of the 7 cities to learn about each mayor’s priorities and ideas for case studies they could present at the session. As we see all the time in our work in Oklahoma, the 7 communities from across the nation all have committed elected leaders and staff that are pushing for positive changes and recognizing the connection between the built environment and quality of life.
The session opened with a tour of Oklahoma City, highlighting the legacy of the MAPS program, success of commercial district revitalization, and history of the city. The next two days were spent in intensive discussions in which each resource team member shared concepts and principles from their expertise, and each mayor shared a case study highlighting a design opportunity in their city. The group provided guidance and direction for the mayors based on their case study, ranging from urban design to implementation strategies.
About MICD
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership the United States Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, MICD has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities. MICD conducts several sessions each year. For a list of upcoming events, past participants, and more information, visit micd.org and follow @MICDdotORG on Twitter.