:: Mayors Design Summit ::
The DesignAlabama Mayors’ Design Summit was begun in 2006 as a program dedicated to bringing quality design and planning to Alabama communities. Modeled after the national Mayors' Institute on City Design, DesignAlabama hosts an annual event organized around presentations and round table discussions. During the Summit, five Mayors from selected communities present real projects and solicit feedback and design solutions from a resource team of community design experts. The invited group is small in order to create an intimate roundtable setting where assests and challenges are openly discussed. Diverse conversation and the generation of varied ideas and perspectives are the goals of the Summit. The DesignAlabama Mayors’ Design Summit hopes to offer Alabama mayors an opportunity to reinforce and enhance their influence on the quality of life and aesthetics of their unique communities.
Mayors chosen to attend the conference will find that there will be no cost to them except their individual travel expenses. In return for being selected, each mayor will be asked to make a 20 minute presentation at the conference on their city and design issue, asking each of them to also come prepared with any maps, photographs, renderings, etc, they already have addressing their design issue.
Design topics typically focus on the following:
Smart Growth Strategies What will your legacy be? Thoughtful and strategic planning can position a community for defendable decision making, strong consensus building, and the ability to capture the opportunities of distinct local assets.
Downtown Redevelopment Your downtown is both the figurative and literal “heart of your community.” A thriving downtown attracts visitors and creates a place that your citizens proudly call “my hometown.”
Greenspace Planning Recreation and wellness are shaping decision making across the country. Walkable communities with strong green amenities in neighborhoods and downtown have a competitive edge.
Making the Most of Existing Assets Assets-based planning starts with “what’s good about your community” and uses these distinct and authentic local attributes to shape a road-map for good decision making—a strong foundation for sustainable prosperity and the highest quality of life for your citizens.
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