The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and American Architectural Foundation have unveiled a free 22-page booklet spotlighting the Mayors' Institute on City Design, which NEA calls one of its signature programs.
The booklet dramatizes the impact of Mayors’ Institute by listing the 625 mayors who have graduated from the program since its creation in 1986 and marks their cities on a U.S. map. All 50 states and Puerto Rico have dots marking participating mayors and host universities.
“Of all the programs by the NEA, it is hard to imagine one that has done more tangible public good than the Mayors’ Institute on City Design,” said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. “Even a short list of this program’s many accomplishments demonstrates the positive leadership and informed counsel it has provided to communities across the nation.”
In the booklet, Metro Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson’s waterfront park is showcased, and a number of mayors endorse the value of the Mayors’ Institute, including Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak; Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle; Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez; U.S. Senator and former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman; U.S. Rep. and former Macon, GA, Mayor Jim Marshall; U.S. Rep. and former Charlotte Mayor Sue Myrick; Columbus, OH, Mayor Michael Coleman; Tennessee Governor and former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen; U.S. Rep. and former Fort Worth Mayor Kay Granger; Nebraska Governor and former Lincoln Mayor Mike Johanns; Rochester Mayor William Johnson; and Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz.
U.S. Conference of Mayors Executive Director Thomas Cochran said, “The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is so powerful. It brings together mayors with designers who help them implement their vision for their cities in the best possible way.” Jeff Speck, director of design for NEA, added, “The energizing effect of bringing mayors and designers together in an intimate setting, apart from the day-to-day concerns of running a city, was immediately evident.”
In addition to 625 mayors, more than 400 design professionals have participated in Institutes. Their collaboration sparks ideas and instills a greater appreciation for the power of design among mayors, while educating designers on the needs of cities. In the creative environment of a Mayors’ Institute, urban projects are refined and new ideas are born.
“We are preparing for an era in which design will be at the top of the agenda for cities that want to compete and succeed. These are dynamic, innovative times that elevate the need for the Institute,” said Ron Bogle, president and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation.
The Mayors’ Institute on City Design, recognized in 2000 with a Presidential Award for Design Excellence, began when Charleston, SC, Mayor Joseph R. Riley approached NEA about sponsoring a program that understood mayors as the chief urban designers of cities. The program was funded, and the Mayors' Institute now sponsors six sessions a year.
“A mayor who understands design – the issues of scale, diversity, public spaces, and livability – is a mayor shaping a city that will succeed,” said Mayors’ Institute Director Aaron Koch.
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