January 24, 2005

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Mayor Riley to Open ASLA 2005 Annual Meeting
NEA design director to introduce Mayors’ Institute founder.

The Honorable Joseph P. Riley Jr., Honorary ASLA, mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, will deliver the opening keynote address at the ASLA 2005 Annual Meeting & EXPO, October 7–10, 2005, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Riley will be introduced by Jeff Speck, Director of Design for the National Endowment for the Arts and coauthor of Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream.

Joseph P. Riley Jr., Honorary ASLA, mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, will deliver the opening keynote address at the ASLA 2005 Annual Meeting & EXPO. Photo courtesy of the Mayor's Institute for City Design

Riley is widely considered one of the most visionary and effective government leaders in America. Under his leadership, Charleston has experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district, has seen the construction of Waterfront Park and the development of nationally acclaimed affordable housing, and has experienced unprecedented growth. Throughout Riley’s tenure, the city government has set an impressive record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts, and culture. The city has created parks and other public spaces and spurred economic revitalization and development. Thanks in large part to his efforts, the Charleston is recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the United States.

Riley has held a number of national leadership positions and received many awards and distinctions, including the ASLA’s 2004 Olmsted Medal, which he will be presented in Ft. Lauderdale. He served as resident of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1986–1987 and currently is on its executive committee. He was given the Outstanding Mayor’s Award by the National Urban Coalition and the Distinguished Citizen Award by the National Association of Realtors, and he was named the 1991 Municipal Leader of the Year by American City & County. Riley was awarded the first President's Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for outstanding leadership and was the first recipient of the Urban Land Institute’s J. C. Nichols Prize for Visionary Urban Development.

A firm believer that a city’s mayor is its chief urban designer, Riley helped establish the Mayors' Institute for City Design (MICD) in 1986. Since that time, the MICD has provided fundamental urban design information and support to more than 600 mayors from cities across America. Jeff Speck will give a brief overview of the Mayors’ Institute and introduce Mayor Riley, who will deliver the keynote address and discuss the importance of design excellence in the public realm.

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