Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD)

Home
United States
Washington D.C., DC
Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD)

The Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for

08/27/2026

Our next virtual seminar explores a topic in high demand: How can city leaders plan for social infrastructure in their communities?

Next Thursday at 1pm ET, our speakers will offer recommendations for reinvesting in civic spaces large and small, citing real-life examples. While the presentation will be available afterwards, the live discussion is limited to mayors and city staff, allowing for a candid atmosphere to ask your tough questions.

Register now: https://zurl.co/jY7zg

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts Gehl - Making Cities for People Institute for Public Knowledge

08/21/2026

Many thanks to the design leaders who attended last week's MICD Special Session hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design and the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology in Philadelphia, PA. This cohort of experts in architecture, landscape architecture, arts and culture, transportation, urban planning, urban design, and economic development introduced mayors to the many facets of the design process, and illustrated how design can generate creative solutions to complex problems.

Many thanks to the design leaders in attendance:
+ Alma Du Solier | Hood Design Studio | Oakland, CA
+ Rebekah Jane (RJ) Justice | City of Knoxville | Knoxville, TN
+ Erin Lonoff | HR&A | Minneapolis, MN
+ Richard McCoy | Landmark Columbus Foundation | Columbus, IN
+ Jasmine Pomar | Oakland Department of Transportation | Oakland, CA
+ Alice Shay | Buro Happold | New York, NY
+ Roger Sherman | Gensler | Los Angeles, CA

Read the full press release: https://zurl.co/zk8gT

Photos by Marenco Photo for University of Pennsylvania

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design The Ian McHarg Center for Urbanism + Ecology

08/19/2026

Last week, the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design and the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology hosted a Special Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) in Philadelphia, PA. The event convened seven mayors and seven design experts from around the country in a collaborative workshop to discuss the most pressing design and development issues in each mayor's city. Throughout the session, mayors explored frameworks for designing new public spaces, strengthening unique districts, connecting to nature, sparking infill development on vacant parcels, and leveraging public investment for multi-layered benefits. Participants left with strengthened aspirations and a new set of tools for leading with design. Take a look at these highlights from three days of collaboration and inspiration.

Many thanks to the mayors in attendance:
+ Mayor Mindy O’Neall | Fairbanks, AK
+ Mayor Julie Sayers | Lenexa, KS
+ Mayor Kyle Schlachter | Littleton, CO
+ Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra | Northampton, MA
+ Mayor Allan Branch | Panama City, FL
+ Mayor Mike McGuinness | Pontiac, MI
+ Mayor Jake Wilson | Somerville, MA

Read the full press release: https://zurl.co/oVR8q

Photos by Marenco Photo for University of Pennsylvania

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design The Ian McHarg Center for Urbanism + Ecology

08/13/2026

Mayors and city staff are invited to join us on September 3rd at 1pm ET for the Virtual Seminar "Social Infrastructure is Essential Infrastructure – Shaping the Affordable & Joyful City" with Eamon O'Connor (Senior Project Manager, Gehl) and Michael Koncewicz (Associate Director, Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University). Stemming from a recently published resource by the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU and Gehl, their presentation will offer six key recommendations for reinvesting in civic spaces large and small and explore how those recommendations play out in real-life examples, followed by a candid discussion about how city leaders can operationalize designs that foster human connection and community.

The live event and discussion are open to mayors and city staff only; the presentation portion will be posted after the event.

Register now: https://zurl.co/1pABi

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts Gehl - Making Cities for People Institute for Public Knowledge

08/10/2026

This week, a new cohort of mayors and design leaders will convene in Philadelphia, PA for a Special Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, hosted by The University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design and the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology.

At this collaborative workshop, mayors will engage with design leaders to find solutions to the most critical planning and design challenges facing their cities. Sessions are organized around case study projects: each mayor selects a project or challenge from their city that the mayor is actively working to address. At the session, mayors introduce their projects with a 15-minute presentation, and the attending mayors and design leaders identify important issues, offer suggestions, and discuss potential solutions. The interchange sparks lively debates, generates new ideas, and inspires creative thinking. Between these discussions, a Resource Team of design leaders from around the country also delivers presentations on their areas of expertise.

We look forward to joining you in Philadelphia!

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design The Ian McHarg Center for Urbanism + Ecology

07/13/2026

Our newly released resource, Governing for Design Excellence, offers concrete advice for structuring your administration and city processes to get the results you want from planning and development projects. Through our work with cities across the country, we have identified three primary ways mayors can strengthen their local ecosystem of design excellence: by building internal capacity, extending that capacity through partnerships, and improving the processes that shape how decisions are made. This guide offers a unique self-assessment and relevant case studies from mayors and cities around the country.

This guide is part of our Principles for City Design Leadership series, which is grounded in a simple idea: the decisions mayors make every day shape the future of their cities. Decisions about streets, public spaces, housing, infrastructure, and economic development all leave a physical imprint on a community, shaping whether a city becomes more equitable, more resilient, more connected, and more beautiful over time.

For an deep dive into the newest resource, join MICD for a webinar this Wednesday, July 15th at 1pm Eastern for our webinar "Governing for Design Excellence: Unlocking Better City Design through Mayoral Leadership" led by MICD Executive Director Trinity Simons Wagner and the Urbanism Bureau Founder Gerardo Garcia. This webinar is free and open to the public, and the recording will be posted to our website after the event.

Register for the webinar: https://zurl.co/EqA4Y

Explore more about the Principles and download the full suite of guides: https://zurl.co/VkhOm

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts

07/09/2026

Many thanks to the design leaders who made the 82nd National Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design in Nashville, TN in June such a success. This cohort of experts in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, arts and culture, transportation, urban planning, real estate development, and economic development joined the mayors for two and a half days of discussions, exchanging ideas and offering pragmatic advice for each of the mayors' projects.

Many thanks to the design leaders in attendance:
+ Tom Balsley | Founder/Design Principal, SWA/Balsley, New York, NY
+ Toni L. Griffin | Founder, Urban American City, New York, NY
+ Eric Kronberg | Founder, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects, Atlanta, GA
+ Bryan C. Lee, Jr. | Founder/Principal, Colloqate Design, New Orleans, LA
+ Mukul Malhotra | Principal/Chief Innovation Officer, MIG, San Antonio, TX
+ Regina Myer | President, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, Brooklyn, NY
+ Breeze Outlaw | Deputy Commissioner of Policy and Administration, City of Boston Parks Department, Boston, MA

Read the full press release: https://zurl.co/byNpq

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts

07/08/2026

In June, Mayor Freddie O'Connell hosted the 82nd National Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design in Nashville, TN. The event convened seven mayors from around the country in a collaborative workshop to discuss the most pressing design and development issues in each of their cities. Seven experts in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, arts and culture, transportation, urban planning, real estate development, and economic development joined the mayors for two and a half days of discussions, exchanging ideas and offering pragmatic advice for each project.

Throughout the session, mayors explored frameworks for transforming disconnected waterfronts into vibrant community assets, investing in the public realm to build community and catalyze reinvestment in overlooked corridors, reimagining abandoned places as spaces of cultural and economic vitality, and removing barriers to designing housing for all. Participants left with strengthened aspirations and a new set of tools for leading with design.

Many thanks to the mayors in attendance:
+ Mayor Freddie O’Connell | Nashville, TN (Host)
+ Mayor Dorcey Applyrs | Albany, NY
+ Mayor Aftab Pureval | Cincinnati, OH
+ Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss | Dayton, OH
+ Mayor Jon Mitchell | New Bedford, MA
+ Mayor Danny Avula | Richmond, VA
+ Mayor Joseph L. Cobb | Roanoke, VA
+ Mayor Caroline Torosis | Santa Monica, CA

Read the full press release: https://zurl.co/b3O1W

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts Freddie O'Connell, Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County

"

06/30/2026

Last week, Mayor Freddie O’Connell hosted the 82nd National Session of the Mayors' Institute on City Design in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mayor O'Connell's administration is focused on two priorities: making the city more affordable and improving quality of life for everyone who lives in Nashville. This event convened seven mayors from around the country in a collaborative workshop to discuss the most pressing design and development issues in each of their cities, against the backdrop of historic growth and enduring vibrancy in "Music City."

Thank you Mayor O'Connell for being such a welcoming host for MICD 82!

National Endowment for the Arts United States Conference of Mayors Freddie O'Connell, Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County

06/29/2026

How can mayors strengthen their administration's ability to lead with design?

This webinar will introduce MICD’s Principles for City Design Leadership and offer a behind-the-scenes look at one of our first associated resources, Governing for Design Excellence, designed to help city leaders put the principles into action.

The Principles for City Design Leadership are here to help mayors center design, the built environment, and the well-being of their residents in everyday decision making and processes. The Principles help you navigate complex choices that align policy, investment, and implementation around long-term public benefit rather than short-term pressures.

Building on the Principles, Governing for Design Excellence offers concrete advice for structuring your administration and city processes to get the results you want from planning and development projects. Through our work with cities across the country, we have identified three primary ways mayors can strengthen their ecosystem of design excellence: building internal capacity, extending that capacity through partnerships, and improving the processes that shape how decisions are made.

We invite you to join us on July 15th at 1pm Eastern for our webinar "Governing for Design Excellence: Unlocking Better City Design through Mayoral Leadership" led by MICD Executive Director Trinity Simons Wagner and the Urbanism Bureau Founder Gerardo Garcia.

The live event and discussion are free and open to the public; the presentation portion will be posted after the event.

Register for the webinar: https://zurl.co/4nUUV
Learn more about the Principles for City Design Leadership: https://zurl.co/jLIEQ
Learn more about Governing for Design Excellence: https://zurl.co/NgfFT

United States Conference of Mayors National Endowment for the Arts

Address

Washington D.C., DC

Telephone

+12024631391

Website

http://micd.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD):

Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund
400 I Street, SW

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Washington D.C.?