We are reevaluating the value and intrinsic character of the centers of our communities, the cities and villages and places where density occurs and walkable neighborhoods and commercial districts are being newly appreciated and revitalized along with a renewal of community involvement   This year’s 7th Annual Reshaping Rochester Series focuses on the efforts, strategies and successes that characterize places where opportunity has been realized.  “Celebrating the City” features an incredible roster of innovative thinkers, practitioners and leaders to share their ideas and experience with us here in Rochester. 

Upcoming Schedule

Michael Watkins
April 24th

Roberta Brandes Gratz + Movie Presentation
May 15th and 16th

All evening lectures will be held at Gleason Works, 1000 University Ave.

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Peter J. Park
Planning Director, City of Denver, CO

"Transformation: Don't be Afraid of It"

Peter Park will take us through a genesis of the transformative process in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the 1990’s where he was a key player in planning and implementing  the creation of the River Walk, a downtown revitalization project , for more than a decade.  He will discuss the specifics of his projects, the nature of their catalytic effect,  addressing  the challenges faced including community “buy in”, bureaucratic hurdles and the changing of a city’s culture required to transform the physical environment for everyone’s benefit.

Click here to listen to this lecture online.

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William Fulton
Former Mayor of Ventura, CA; Principal, Design Community & Environment

Hon. Mark Mallory
Mayor of Cincinnati, OH

"Getting It Done!"

Two mayors of two very different cities will share their experiences in leading  their communities forward to meet 21st century challenges.  Facing issues similar to Rochester including public safety,
economic development, the environment, educationand youth employment in an era of reduced funding and resources, both leaders have been effective and instrumental in making positive changes and spurring collaborative efforts in their cities, succeeding in producing nationally recognized results. 

Click here to listen to these lectures online.

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**Special Presentation/Luncheon**

In partnership with the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation

"Making a Great City"

Featuring

Max Reim
Co-Managing Partner & Principal, LiveWorkLearnPlay, Toronto
Jay Fowler
Executive Director, Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority

These two dynamic experts will talk about creating
and managing downtowns, discussing the necessary collaboration, processes, organizations and strategiesfor success.  On the macro level, Reim will share his wealth of experience designing and operating vibrant retail centers in environmentally and financially sustainable large scale mixed - use projects located in the United States as well as other countries.  Fowler will talk on the micro level about his work which has centered on the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has been involved in coordinating projects in the downtown. He has also been a key player in the creation of a vision plan for the downtown and the implementation of plans, which over time, will achieve long term goals.

Click here to listen to these lectures online.

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

Michael Watkins
AIA, AICP, CNU, ICA & CA LEED

"Downtown: It's About People Not Projects!"

Vibrant cities concentrate their planning to accommodate the pedestrian, making  dynamic  public  and civic spaces which serve as a catalyst for investment and development.  Michael ‘Watkins brings us a wealth of experience on this subject,  having designed more than 60 towns and neighborhoods in the United States and abroad.  He will bring with him countless examples illustrating this prime urban design “pillar” concept, explaining how it works at all levels from design to implementation. 

Gleason Works, 1000 University Ave.

Two Evenings, Two Events!

"Movers and Shapers"

Tuesday, May 15th, 7pm
Film: Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City

Directed and produced by Judith Paine McBrien, “Make No Little Plans” reveals the fascinating life and complex legacy of architect and city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham. In the midst of late nineteenth century urban disorder, Burnham offered a powerful vision of what a civilized American city could look like, one that provided a compelling framework for Americans to make sense of the world around them.
He built some of the first skyscrapers in the world, directed the construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition that helped inspire the City Beautiful Movement, and created urban plans for Washington D.C., Cleveland, Chicago, Manila, and San Francisco, all before the profession of comprehensive urban planning existed. Burnham sought to reconcile concepts often thought contradictory: the practical  and the ideal; business and art; and capitalism and democracy. At the center of it all was his idea of a vibrant urban community.

Wednesday, May 16th, 7pm
Roberta Brandes Gratz
Urban Critic, Journalist, Author

Roberta Brandes Gratz, is an author, international lecturer on urban development issues and former award-winning reporter for the New York Post.  Her newest book is The Battle For Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. Earlier works were the now classic The Living City: Thinking Small in a Big Way, and Cities Back from the Edge: New Life for Downtown.  She also wrote a report in 2001 for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, “A Frog, A Wooden House, A Stream and A Trail: Ten Years of Community Revitalization in Central Europe.” 
Ms. Gratz has served on the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and in 2010 was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg to serve on the Sustainability Advisory Board for PlaNYC.
In 2005, in collaboration with Jane Jacobs, Ms. Gratz and a small group of accomplished urbanists founded The Center For the Living City.

Gleason Works, 1000 University Ave.

Prices

Movie Ticket $10.00 USD Lecture Ticket $10.00 USD Movie/Lecture Combo $15.00 USD

General Pricing
Lectures: $10 or FREE with valid student ID
Luncheon: $50

Location
All evening lectures will be held at Gleason Works, 1000 University Ave.
Luncheon will be held at the Radisson Riverside Grand Ballroom, 120 E. Main St.

Call RRCDC for more info: 585.271.0520