Frequently Asked
Questions
What
is the Florida Public Officials’ Design Institute?
The Florida Public
Officials’ Design Institute at Abacoa is a program
established by South Florida community leaders under the
auspices of Florida Atlantic University's Center for Urban
& Environmental Solutions. The Design Institute hosts
a series of two-day symposia on city design, organized around
presentations and discussion. During each session, a team
of design and development experts work with elected officials
in addressing specific smart growth and design challenges
in their communities.
Although the working
session is limited to the participants and their assigned
design experts, the evening session preceding the Design
Institute workshop is marketed to the public. Mayor
Joe Riley of Charleston,
a founding member of the national Mayors’ Institute
on City Design, opened the inaugural program with a presentation
on the revitalization of Charleston. Robert
Gibbs, an expert in retail analysis and economics
from Michigan, was the keynote speaker for the April 2003
program and Charles
Jordan, President of the Conservation Fund,
headquartered in Portland, Oregon, was featured in November
2003. The May 2004 keynote address was delivered by Philadelphia's
Jonathan
Barnett, author of Redesigning Cities:
Principles, Practice, and Implementation. Dr.
Chuck Bohl, University of Miami, Florida, and
author of Place Making, was the featured speaker
in October and December 2004. Delivering the keynote in
the April 2005 program was
Walter Kulash, Principal and Senior
Traffic Engineer with the Orlando-based community-planning
firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart,
Inc. John
Classe, Vice President of Planning and Infrastructure
of Baldwin Park Development Company, delivered his keynote
address in January 2006 titled, Baldwin Park: New Life
for Old Places. The November 2006 featured traffic
expert Michael
Wallwork and his lecture titled, Transportation
& A Sense Of Place -- How To Have Both. John
McIlwain,
Senior Resident Fellow, ULI/J. Ronald Terwilliger, Chair
for Housing at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), delivered
his keynote address titled, Designing For Housing Choice:
How Communities Can Provide Housing For Everyone in
the June 2007. Senior Vice Pesident of Project for Public
Spaces, Kathy
Madden, was the featured speaker in the November
2007 and her lecture was titled, Placemaking: Principles
Needed For Communities In Creating A Great Place To Live.
What kind of design challenges
do public officials generally bring for review?
All facets of
city design are considered valid areas of study. Such issues
include: attracting redevelopment and infill development,
building mixed-use development, siting convention centers
or stadiums, redeveloping brownfields and greyfields, including
affordable housing in the development mix, offsetting the
forces of gentrification, adopting urban design standards,
building transit-oriented development, and maintaining mobility.
There is no constraint on geographic size of the sites selected
by the participating public officials.
Who participates?
Participants are
elected officials who are dedicated to improving the design
of their municipalities. They appreciate the importance
of design of the public realm and want to enhance their
leadership opportunities in shaping their communities.
The November
2007 participants were:
The June 2007
participants were:
The November
2006 participants were:
The January
2006 participants were:
The April 2005
participants were:
The December
2004 participants were:
The May 2004
participants were:
The November
2003 participants were:
The April 2003
participants were:
The October
2002 participants were:
Who
are the design experts who comprise the resource team? How
are they selected?
Resource team
members are invited based on area of expertise and commitment
to designing and developing towns and cities that people
love and are proud of. They volunteer their time and talent
because design is a critical aspect of building towns and
cities. Team members are selected based on the expertise
required to address the problem that each public official
has identified.
Resource
Team
How
is the Design Institute funded?
The Design Institute
is funded by Florida Atlantic University, and grants from
foundations, and private donors. In-kind contributions are
made by the resource team members and by the steering and
advisory committee members of the Design Institute.
Why should a public official
participate?
The Design Institute
helps officials make better choices for their communities
because they receive a first-hand analysis of the community’s
specific needs. Generally, four public officials participate
in each session, supported by experts who have visited their
communities, been briefed by the official’s staff,
and who understand the issues relevant to the projects.
The Institute offers problem solving by experts in addition
to an interchange of ideas with other officials from the
area, and helps officials refine their technical knowledge
and enhance their understanding of design principles.
It also can make a difference on the bottom line. Nancy
Graham, former Mayor of West Palm Beach, credits her participation
in the Mayors’ Institute on City Design with enabling
her to focus on revitalizing the city and allowing for its
subsequent financial success.
Where did
this idea come from?
Community leaders
in South Florida created the Design Institute program, which
is modeled on the Mayors’ Institute of City Design.
The Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa
is designed for all elected officials and is not
limited to mayors or commission chairs. Although there is
no formal affiliation, Grover Mouton of Tulane University,
who is on the faculty of the Mayors’ Institute, serves
as a member of the Florida Institute’s Advisory Committee.
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