LLast night, mayors from all over the country congregated in Houston Hall for the opening night of the 43rd national session of The Mayors' Institute on City Design. The event featured speeches by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph Riley.
The Mayors' Institute on City Design is a partnership program between The National Endowment for the Arts, the American Architectural Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. MICD holds sessions throughout the country that partner groups of mayors with groups of designers to discuss and resolve the most pressing design challenges faced by their cities. Since the start of this program, over 770 mayors have participated in the sessions.
The event commenced with a speech by Nutter, who said Philadelphia is "honored and thrilled to be the host city" this year.
In addition to welcoming the visiting mayors, Nutter introduced Riley as the evening's keynote speaker, describing him as the "envy of mayors across the country."
Riley's talk focused on his experiences in the field of urban revitalization and preservation.
As the founder of MICD and currently in his ninth term as mayor of Charleston, Riley has led the city in the restoration of hundreds of historical buildings. His projects include the preservation of cabins that were once inhabited by newly-freed slaves, the building of public housing that fits into the city's historic motif, the transformation of an abandoned train station into the Charleston Visitor Center and the building of several parks.
Riley also spoke on the importance of preserving street corners, which he said are the keystones that hold districts together. He said he is willing to spend additional money because he feels citizens deserve the very best the city can offer.
Riley explained that in his work, he strives to preserve "the memories, the texture of the neighborhood."
"When you let it go, it's gone forever," he added.
The event was also attended by Mayors Cedric Glover of Shreveport, L.A., Bobby Hopewell of Kalamazoo, M.I., Joyce Seals of Saginaw, M.I., and Thomas McMahon of Reading, P.A. Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, R.I., will also be in attendance at the session later this week but was unable to attend last night's opening event.
The session will continue through February 14.
