Friday, June 26, 2015

City of Edina highlighted at Urban Vision Symposium

Edina, Minn., June 22, 2015 – Mayor Jim Hovland and City Manager Scott Neal spoke about city government’s role in creating vitality and energy in a community at the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Urban Vision Symposium June 15-16 in Charleston, South Carolina.

The two-day symposium was organized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Rose Center for Public Leadership and the ULI District Council to recognize innovative leadership strategies and practices from across the country that exemplify the policy and practice areas that underpin ULI. Participants heard from national experts about inventive partnerships, creative resource management, imaginative problem solving and how public and private leadership has come together to improve Americans’ quality of life. The program focused on urbanized communities with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 people.

The City of Edina was invited by ULI South Carolina to give presentations. Organizers described Edina by saying, “With the fourth-highest property values and the top-rated school district in the state, community and economic development initiatives epitomize excellence in land use. Elected officials, city staff and citizen advisory groups come together in innovative and thoughtful ways to provide project-specific input. … [This] proactive community engagement approach demonstrates a public and private commitment to the highest standards of responsible development.”

Neal spoke about innovative financing and the City’s role in revitalizing Southdale Center. Hovland participated in a panel discussion about “thinking big” and strategies to keep inner-ring suburbs vital.

“We met some very interesting people and it was an honor to participate in the Riley Symposium. We learned a great deal about land-use strategies,” said Hovland after returning from Minnesota. “Significant thing for us was affirmation of the things that our Council is working on and the value of the different citizen engagement strategies we are employing. It was a good moment for Edina.”

In addition to Edina, other cities highlighted in the symposium included Boston, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Delray Beach, Florida; Providence, Rhode Island; and Wilson, North Carolina.

The symposium was named in honor of Joseph P. Riley Jr., who has served for nearly 40 years as mayor of Charleston. During his tenure, Riley has optimized a standard for urban design, historic preservation, economic development, affordable housing and innovative public-private partnerships. Under his leadership, Charleson has evolved into a world-class city that is a source of inspiration to communities across the country. Last year, the New York Times went so far as to pose the question, “Is Mayor Riley America’s most beloved politician?”

The annual symposium will recognize cities across the country that epitomize public and private leadership that has resulted in positive community benefits over time.  Each year, a different city will be recognized and the event will be hosted in that city.

Neal and Hovland returned to Edina the day before the tragic shootings in Charleston.

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Mindy Ahler

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The City of Edina
4801 W. 50th St., Edina, MN 55424
mail@EdinaMN.gov 952-927-8861

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