CITY OF RENO NEWS RELEASE
The city of Reno is excited to announce that it has been invited to participate in the 2013 Western Regional Session of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design. The two-and-a-half day symposium is being hosted by cityLAB, an urban think tank within the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The city of Reno will be one of only eight Western cities attending the symposium. Participating mayors present design issues currently facing their cities, such as redevelopment or downtown revitalization. Following each presentation, mayors and experts from the fields of urban economics, planning and landscape will discuss idea-driven approaches that offer fresh, creative perspectives for the city to consider.
Building on the University of Nevada, Reno’s interest in growing the “town/gown” relationship, Mayor Cashell will be requesting the symposium’s input on how to re-establish and strengthen the historic connections between the University, the downtown, and cultural and economic centers south of downtown. This is a great opportunity to have some of the most talented individuals in their fields contribute their expertise to this community goal.
The city’s invitation was facilitated by the Nevada Museum of Art. The museum’s recent exhibit of the work of visionary architect William L. Pereira, “Modernist Maverick,” is emblematic of its commitment to innovative approaches to city design and community-based dialogue on its future.
The Mayors’ Institute is a 27-year initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Architectural Foundation.
During the Institute’s history, more than 500 mayors and 400 design professionals have participated. Mayors who have attended credit the experience as transforming the way they look at their cities. One alumnus, Mayor William A. Johnson of Rochester, NY, states: “In more than 33 years of professional experience, no program or learning experience has been more beneficial to me than this one.”
The institute also been recognized with a number of awards, including a Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 2000, a Progressive Architecture award from Architecture magazine in 1997 and an Institute Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1992.
