Washington, DC-- Today the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) announce a new agreement to continue the partnership that oversees the Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD) program. Founded in 1986 by former Charleston, South Carolina, Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., the MICD has helped prepare over 1,000 mayors to be the chief urban designers of their cities and connected over 700 design and development professionals to local governance. The program assists mayors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with their most pressing city development challenges. For over 30 years, MICD has helped mayors to use design as a catalyst for vibrancy, livability, safety, sustainability, and economic success in their communities.
“The Mayors’ Institute on City Design gives our nation’s mayors the opportunity, time, and the expertise of the design community to forge solutions and advance ideas about what their cities can become,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “We look forward to working with the United States Conference of Mayors to continue providing this valuable experience to mayors all across the country.”
“We are pleased and honored to join again with the National Endowment for the Arts in serving as the sole partner for the Mayors Institute on City Design program,” said USCM Executive Director & CEO Tom Cochran. “For over 30 years, the MICD program has educated and assisted mayors in becoming their city’s chief urban designer and visionary. As we go forward, we look to bring this message and experience to more mayors as they plan to make their cities better places to live and work.”
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.
About The United States Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.
