South Carolina: Mayors' Institute for Community Design

The South Carolina Mayors’ Institute for Community Design enhances the design and planning of South Carolina communities. Modeled after the national Mayors’ Institute on City Design, the institute is hosted by the South Carolina Design Arts Partnership, a joint program of the South Carolina Arts Commission and Clemson University. The institute trains elected officials to be the chief urban designers of their hometown and ultimately establishes South Carolina cities as models of community design and planning. The year-long process starts when a small group of mayors participate in a retreat to discuss their community development needs, ideas and issues. Following this orientation, Design Arts Partnership staff and volunteers conduct site visits to develop a community profile and define design challenges. The mayors present these profiles at a colloquium and receive feedback from a resource team of community design professionals from around the country. For more information about the institute, contact South Carolina Design Arts Partnership Executive Director Lindsey Moore.