MICD News

MICD Press Releases | MICD in the News

The Mayors’ Institute piloted its first ever Alumni Technical Assistance Program on July 16-18. Partnering with the City of Santa Rosa, the event was far more than a sharing of knowledge and ideas. It was also a tribute to a great civic leader with an unfulfilled vision for Santa Rosa’s future. Read More.

It is with great sorrow that the Staff of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design announce the death of The Honorable Bob Blanchard on June 17th, 2008. Read More.

In partnership with Bank of America, the Mayors' Institute on City Design hosted its 41st National Session in Chicago, IL May 21-23. Hosted by Mayor Richard M. Daley and the City of Chicago, the event was attended by Yonkers, New York Mayor Philip A. Amicone; Hamilton Township, New Jersey Mayor John F. Bencivengo; Madison, Wisconsin Mayor David J. Cieslewicz; Oakland, California Mayor Ronald V. Dellums; Alexandria, Virginia Mayor William D. ‘Bill’ Euille; Garland, Texas Mayor Ronald E. Jones; and Worcester, Massachusetts Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes. 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 with a keen eye towards supporting transit-oriented development. Read More.

Freeport, New York Mayor William F. Glacken recently testified before the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities Hearing on the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, May 8, 2008. In his testimony he highlighted his experience at the Northeast Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) in December 2006.  Read More.

Complementing the original MICD model, which invites mayors to bring their design case studies to a session to share with fellow mayors and a panel of nationally renowned design experts, this new Alumni Assistance program will invite a small team of design experts into a mayor’s community to perform a finer grain study of the project. The assistance will build upon the lessons learned during a mayor’s experience at an MICD session, using his or her city design case study as a starting point for continuing the dialogue. As no two cities share the exact same design challenges, the nature of the post-Institute assistance will be tailored to each city. Read More.

It is with great sorrow that the Mayors’ Institute on City Design announces the death of J. Mark Schuster on February 25th, 2008. Read More.

The Mayors' Institute on City Design hosted its 40th National Session in Charleston, South Carolina October 24-26. Hosted by Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. and the City of Charleston, the event was attended by Lincoln, Nebraska Mayor Chris Beutler; Port St. Lucie, Florida Mayor Patricia Christensen; Sparks, Nevada Mayor Geno Martini; Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Frank Melton; Lexington, Kentucky Mayor Jim Newberry; Hoboken, New Jersey Mayor David Roberts; and Tulsa, Oklahoma 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. Read More.

In partnership with Bank of America, the Mayors' Institute on City Design hosted its 39th National Session in Providence, RI July 9-11, 2007. Hosted by Mayor David Cicilline and the City of Providence, the event was attended by Lansing, Michigan Mayor Virg Bernero; Santa Rosa, California Mayor Bob Blanchard; Altoona, Pennsylvania Mayor Wayne Hippo; Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Ron Littlefield; Richmond, California Mayor Gayle McLaughlin; Stratford, Connecticut Mayor James Miron; Little Rock, Arkansas Mayor Mark Stodola; and Lawrence, Massachusetts Mayor Michael Sullivan. Experts in architecture, urban planning and development joined the mayors in a discussion, offering advice on how best to capitalize on redevelopment opportunities in the various cities. Read More.

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. Read More.

The Mayors' Institute on City Design celebrated its 20th Anniversary on December 13, 2006 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. MICD Founder Mayor Joseph Riley, Jr. of Charleston, South Carolina, Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Frank Cownie of Des Moines, Iowa, and Mayor Douglas Palmer of Trenton, New Jersey, spoke about the impact that MICD had on their leadership style and the physical shape of their cities. The mayors also discussed development issues currently facing American cities and the role that public officials play in shaping their cities through design. The evening's panel discussion was moderated by Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker magazine. Read More.

It is with sorrow that the National Advisory Council and Staff of the Mayors' Institute on City Design announce the death of The Honorable Michael A. Guido on December 5th, 2006. Read More.

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. Read More.

The Mayors' Institute on City Design facilitated a discussion panel at the first ever Mayors Hemispheric Forum, hosted by City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, on September 27 and 28 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami. Eighteen mayors from key international cities attended the two day forum, along with an accomplished group of officials to share best practices, regional insight and the opportunity to engage in pressing issues of mutual interest. Read More.

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is pleased to announce an opportunity for universities to serve as partners for hosting 2007 regional Mayors’ Institute sessions. Many of these Institute sessions are hosted by universities around the country. The MICD is currently seeking leading design institutions to host a select group of mayors and city design experts for the purpose of strengthening our nation’s communities. Read More.

Five Louisiana mayors and a panel of design experts gathered in New Orleans from August 14-16 to discuss city planning and protection in the post-Katrina era. Mayoral attendees included Mayor-President Melvin Holden of Baton Rouge, Mayor-President Joey Durel of Lafayette, Mayor Candace Watkins of Covington, Mayor Ben Morris of Slidell, and Mayor Ronnie Harris of Gretna. Read More.

The American Architectural Foundation is pleased to announce that Jess Wendover will be the new Director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. She will replace Aaron Koch as Director of MICD, who will pursue graduate studies in city planning at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design in the fall. Read More.

The Mayors' Institute on City Design held a special session on neighborhood redevelopment in San Francisco on June 27-29. Hosted by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and in partnership with Bank of America, the event was attended by Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Portland Mayor Tom Potter, Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, and West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel. Read More.

The National Advisory Council of the Mayors' Institute on City Design met June 27, 2006 in San Francisco. The primary topic of discussion at the June meeting was the MICD's involvement in the recovery efforts of the Gulf Coast. The Mayors' Institute will utilize the ideas and recommendations of its National Advisory Council members as it continues its outreach to the affected mayors in the region. Read More.

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design held a special session on community revitalization in Miami on February 21-23. Hosted by Miami Mayor Mayor Manuel Diaz and in partnership with Bank of America, the event was attended by Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and St. Petersburg Mayor Richard Baker. Read More.

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design partnered with the University of Pennsylvania to host a first-of-its-kind symposium, critically examining the relationships between universities and their cities during a meeting on November 16-18. Read More.

New Orleans and Biloxi, MS – The Mayors’ Institute on City Design recently hosted mayors from New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport and other Mississippi Gulf cities impacted by Hurricane Katrina during two special design institutes on November 14-15, 2005. Read More.