The land use challenge for the city of Memphis, identified by Mayor Wharton and his team, is to better leverage the Medical Center — with its concentration of hospitals, higher education and life science companies in close proximity to downtown — as a catalyst for economic growth. The team is proposing to create an innovation district for research and development and technology companies that would serve the Medical Center’s businesses, spark economic development, create jobs, and help revive the surrounding neighborhoods.

Mayor Wharton and his team – Maura Black Sullivan, deputy chief administrative officer for the City of Memphis; Reid Dulberger, chief economic development officer for the city and Shelby County; and Josh Whitehead, director of the office of planning and development for the city and Shelby County – are serving as 2013-2014 fellows for the Rose Center. Through the fellowship program, participants receive leadership training and professional development opportunities, and they work with ULI to address local land use challenges. Memphis is one of four cities selected for the 2013-2014 Rose fellowships, along with Honolulu, Indianapolis and Portland, Ore.

This week, Rose Center representatives are visiting Memphis to meet with Mayor Wharton and his team, tour the site, talk with community and civic leaders and other stakeholders, and begin crafting a plan for the innovation district. The Rose Center team consists of the following experts:

• Susan Anderson, Director, Planning and Sustainability Bureau, City of Portland, OR
• Janne Corneil, Principal, Corneil Collaborative Planning&Urban Design, Carlisle, MA
• Ana Gelabert-Sanchez, Principal, Gelabert-Sanchez & Associates and Design Critic, Harvard University, Coral Gables, FL (panel co-chair)
• Calvin Gladney, Managing Partner, Mosaic Urban Partners, LLC, Washington, DC (panel co-chair)
• Robert Iopa, President & Principal, WCIT Architecture, Honolulu, HI
• Ilana Preuss, VP & Chief of Staff, Smart Growth America, Washington, DC
• Jim Schumacher, President, Schumacher Urban Projects, PLLC, Matthews, NC
• Adam Thies, Director, Department of Metropolitan Development, Indianapolis and Marion County, IN

“The ULI Daniel Rose Fellowship program is an outstanding opportunity for Memphis to pull together entrepreneurial resources to transform a vital area of our inner city core,” Mayor Wharton said. “The medical district has the knowledge base, tremendous opportunity for growth, and the infrastructure that position it to be a world-class hub of innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship to deliver products and services to individuals and businesses around the globe. We must find ways to protect, expand and create a global identity for this significant part of the city. We are most fortunate to have so many creative minds and innovative thinkers assisting us in this effort.”

The Daniel Rose Fellowship is the flagship program of the Rose Center, established in 2008 by the ULI Foundation Governor Daniel Rose. The Center aims to empower leaders in the public sector to envision, build and sustain successful 21st century communities by providing access to information, best practices, peer networks and other resources to foster creative, efficient and sustainable land use practices. The fellowship provides city leaders with the insights, peer-to-peer learning, and analysis needed to successfully improve their cities. The fellowship begins with the selection of four city mayors. Each mayor then nominates three additional fellows to serve on their city’s fellowship team. The mayors’ team members are made up of city department leaders or public agency directors with land use decision-making authority.  The fellowship’s program of work includes a study tour of another U.S. or foreign city, a working retreat, and study visits to each of the four fellowship cities.

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 30,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. ULI Memphis serves the Mid-South, and was founded in 2004 by some of Memphis’ most respected architects, developers and land planners.

Please join us for a presentation of the Rose Center panel's preliminary findings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CST on Friday, January 17th, at the Bioworks offices at 20 Dudley Street in Memphis.