By Karen Kennedy
Mayor Jim Brainard has just returned from the 50th International Making Cities Livable Conference in Portland, Ore., where he was awarded the first Joseph P. Riley Award by the International Making Cities Livable Council.
According to Suzanne Lennard, director of the IMCL, Brainard was chosen for the award for his inspirational leadership in creating a vibrant, multi-functional heart for Carmel.
“The beauty, harmony and diversity of the compact urban fabric of City Center and the Arts District, town squares, parks and the Center for the Performing Arts demonstrate a clear understanding of true urbanity and a vision of Carmel as a great city,” Lennard said.
Brainard spoke at the awards ceremony to a large group of mayors, council members, architects and city planners from around the world.
The award, which will be bestowed annually, is named after Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., who has served as the mayor of Charleston, S.C. since 1975. Riley is widely regarded as a passionate visionary in the field of true urbanism, and is the founder of the Mayor’s Institute on City Design.
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