2009 - Summer MICD ATA Newsletter Article

The Mayors’ Institute on City Design Alumni Technical Assistance program has had a busy summer. With four programs in August alone, AAF is happy to announce successful visits to the following cities: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; New Bedford, Massachusetts; Little Rock, Arkansas and Auburn, Washington.

Mayor Sandy Bloem and the citizens of Coeur d’Alene welcomed three urban designers: Scott Hein (City of Vancouver, BC); Jacinta McCann (EDAW AECOM – San Francisco, CA); and Michael Singer (Michael Singer Studios – Wilmington, VT) as well as co-host Portland’s Metro planning authority. For three days, Mayor Bloem, the resource team and several stakeholder groups explored design opportunities for the City’s Education Corridor, located immediately west of the historic downtown, along the banks of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River. Suggestions for future growth of a combined higher education campus as well as incorporation of the existing wastewater treatment facility were just a few of the issues the team addressed.

For Mayor Scott Lang and New Bedford Economic Development Council staff, MICD design resource team members Daniel Bluestone (University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA); Catherine Crenshaw (Sloss Real Estate – Birmingham, AL); and Antonio Di Mambro (Antonio Di Mambro + Associates, Inc. – Boston, MA) focused their efforts on State Pier – a large working pier in the Acushnet River and adjacent to historic downtown New Bedford. The Mayor challenged the MICD resource team to propose strategies and phasing for the Pier’s redevelopment and create better pedestrian access from the Pier to downtown. The tea proposed comprehensive, phased planning strategies that helped the city view the site within the greater context of its waterfront.

Mayor Mark Stodola and a variety of downtown stakeholders worked for three days with MICD design resource team members Bill Gilchrist (EDAW AECOM – Atlanta, GA); Cinda Gilliland (SWA Group – Sausalito, CA); and Betsy Jackson (The Urban Agenda, Inc. – Ann Arbor, MI) and analyzed downtown Main Street, the historic core of Little Rock commerce that has fallen on hard times. With much storefront vacancy and threat of demolition, much of the 24 block area creates opportunities for revitalization and growth of Little Rock’s historic downtown that the team identified. Best practices for urban infill business improvement districts and programming were addressed as the team engaged over 100 citizens through interviews and public programs.

Finally, Mayor Peter Lewis hosted the MICD design resource team of Judith Kinnard (Tulane University – New Orleans, LA); Kathryn Merlino (University of Washington - Seattle, WA); and Rick Sundberg (Olsen, Sundberg, Kundig, Allen Architects – Seattle, WA). The Mayor, his staff and the MICD team analyzed a five block redevelopment area in historic downtown Auburn. The redevelopment abuts the City’s Main Street corridor and has the potential to catalyze residential and commercial interest in the city center. The MICD team proposed urban design strategies that focused on creating density and urban open space that enhances Auburn’s unique character and natural features. For this program, MICD worked with the University of Washington’s School of Built Environments.

As the MICD ATA program year comes to a close, AAF feels fortunate to have such strong support from Deedie Rose as well as partners in the National Endowment for the Arts and The U.S. Conference of Mayors.

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