Birmingham's Urban Landscape: A Living Legacy

Presented at the ICAA Southeast Garden Symposium by William Gilchrist

In June 2024 the Southeast Chapter of the ICAA hosted the ICAA Garden Symposium: The Natural City Beautiful in Birmingham, Alabama. The symposium included a series of events focused on the late 19th-century City Beautiful Movement as it evolved in the post-Civil War industrial city of Birmingham. Set within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the City of Birmingham and surrounding areas are one of the most geographically and environmentally diverse regions in the United States. The topography quickly moves from transportation-friendly valleys to mineral-rich mountains, a combination that has guided the development of both a practical urban city grid and contrasting picturesque hillside neighborhoods.

The Symposium's keynote lecture was delivered by William Gilchrist, Director of Planning and Building, City of Oakland, CA. Bill’s career has spanned public and private sectors. In his previous roles as director of Place-Based Planning in New Orleans, LA, and director of the Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits in Birmingham, AL, he oversaw the merger of city departments including engineering, public works, planning, urban design, and building and inspection services, as well as integrating permitting processes to improve efficiency and customer service. His work has been recognized by the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National League of Cities, the American Planning Association (APA), and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Bill was also the director of the Urban Design Studio in the Atlanta Office of EDAW/AECOM. He has consulted in creating public processes for land-use policy in Romania and Ukraine.

Bill has engaged academic centers of excellence in design and planning as resources for local and regional development and served on advisory bodies to MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Tulane University, and Auburn University. For over a decade he was a member of the Board of the National Association for Olmsted Parks.

Sponsors

These events are presented as part of the Bunny Mellon Curricula at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.

The ICAA is very grateful to the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation for its generous support of this program, along with our Bunny Mellon Curricula Sponsors:

Lead Sponsor, Hollander Design Landscape Architects
Garden Symposium Sponsor, Kathryn M. and Ronald J. Herman Charitable Foundation
Garden Design Prize Sponsor, Harrison Design
Continuing Education and Public Programs Sponsor, Charlotte Moss
Film Series Sponsor, Janice Parker Landscape Architects

With Additional Support Provided By

Presenting Sponsor: McKinnon and Harris

Silver Sponsorship:
Historical Concepts
Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs
Marmi Stone
Pledger Architect
Shoppe
Troy Rhone Garden Design

Friend Sponsorship:
Alex Smith Garden Design
Amoroso Compliance Consulting
Fixtures & Finishes
Land Plus Associates
Stellar Windows & Doors
Tammy Connor Interior Design

Tags: bunnymellon, garden, symposium