Friends of MICD,
Yesterday we kicked off our virtual seminar series with a powerful and poignant presentation by Bryan Lee, Jr. of Colloqate Design and Paul Farber of Monument Lab on the reckoning that is happening with monuments across the country. They reminded us that there is no such thing as permanent public art — that monuments take maintenance and mindsets to keep up. If those shift, what opens up? How do mayors help leave room for grief and resilience in a landscape with new scars? How do you, instead of rushing to “fix the problem,” find pathways to repair, listen, grow, and move towards more equity? As Paul reminded us, if you have a toxic site in a city, you would remediate it before building anew on it. While the discussion with mayors that followed, as always at MICD, was off-the-record, you can view Bryan and Paul’s presentation on our website. It’s well worth thirty minutes of your time.
In addition to our previously announced seminar on a (tested and built!) design-based approach to community safety with Ifeoma Ebo, today we’re also announcing our next two seminars: one on creatively thinking about your parks (to address economic recovery, creatively funding maintenance, promoting social equity — this one will have a little bit of everything to do with parks!) with Ernie Wong, and one on equitable street design for pandemic response and recovery with Zabe Bent, Dr. Destiny Thomas, and Ariel Ward. Mayors, sign up today, and remember that you’re welcome to also invite a senior staff member to observe.
Trinity Simons
Executive Director
Mayors' Institute on City Design |
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WATCH Monuments – Reckoning with the Past, Envisioning the Future
As cities grapple with critical conversations about monuments and public space, mayors can lead by creating spaces for communities to heal and move towards a more equitable future. Watch the powerful presentation from Bryan Lee, Jr. of Colloqate Design and Paul Farber of Monument Lab below.
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Mayors’ Virtual Seminar: Safe Places, Active Spaces – A Design-Based Approach to Community Safety
Wednesday, July 29 | 1:00-2:00pm Eastern
Ifeoma Ebo | Founding Director, Creative Urban Alchemy
In light of current movements to reimagine local government’s role in public safety, this seminar will introduce mayors to a design process that promotes community safety and empowerment in historically marginalized communities. Mayors will gain new tools for centering equity and community empowerment in city projects, as seen in a series of demonstration projects facilitated by the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice that reimagined the space around public housing through community design and problem-solving. Participants will learn how to use the the BlackSpace Manifesto to provide the guiding principles for action planning, demonstrated through a series of public space transformation projects.
Mayors will take away concrete examples of how to use a design process that promotes equity and community safety, as well as a framework for working with historically marginalized communities with respect, trust, and empowerment.
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NEW Mayors’ Virtual Seminar: Parks Are Your New Asset
Tuesday, August 4 | 12:30-1:45pm Eastern
Ernest C. Wong | Founding Principal, site design group, ltd.
As COVID-19 has crippled our cities, parks have become the new assets of the public realm. As gathering spaces for demonstrations and protests, these public spaces can also be re-programmed to address economic recovery and benefit the public good. Renowned landscape architect Ernest Wong of site design group will help mayors explore a variety of park design solutions to encourage social distancing and healthy travel, as well as policy ideas to promote park maintenance while driving solutions for other social equity issues.
Mayors will learn about a variety of recent projects and participate in a discussion of challenges and solutions in their own cities.
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NEW Mayors’ Virtual Seminar: Streets for Pandemic Response & Recovery
Tuesday, August 11 | 3:30-4:45pm Eastern
Zabe Bent | Director of Design, NACTO
Dr. Destiny Thomas | Founder and CEO, Thrivance Group
Ariel Ward | Transportation Engineer, SFMTA
The COVID-19 pandemic has layered a viral public health crisis on top of three pre-existing public health crises in U.S. cities: climate change, traffic fatalities, and racial injustice. Through their recent resource, Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery, NACTO has documented and encouraged quick-build mobility projects and practices, in order to weather the acute crisis posed by COVID-19 and transition to a just, sustainable recovery. Our speakers will explore the various ways city transportation agencies have managed dramatic shifts in mobility in recent months, and dissect ways to make design and policy decisions rooted in equity.
Attending mayors will learn about recent projects and the principles behind them, then participate in a discussion of practices and process that can lead to just outcomes in their own communities.
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The Mayors’ Institute on City Design is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Since 1986, the Mayors’ Institute has helped transform communities through design by preparing mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities.
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