The 5th annual Great Cities Symposium, hosted by Scenic Jacksonville, is Oct. 9 at the Garden Club of Jacksonville, 1007 Riverside Ave.
The primary fundraiser for Scenic Jacksonville, the event supports the nonprofit’s work to preserve, protect and enhance the character of Jacksonville’s natural and built environment.
The Jacksonville Daily Record is a sponsor.
Guest speaker Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership since 2017, spearheaded Tom Lee Park, a 31-acre riverfront park that is a model for inclusive, environmentally restorative urban parks, according to a news release from Scenic Jacksonville.
Named one of the top 100 Most Influential Urbanists, past or present, by Planetizen in 2023, Coletta also led the Tennessee city’s Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a collaboration of the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail social hour. The program at 6:15 p.m. includes remarks from Coletta and a Q&A. Desserts and cocktails will be served after the program.
Scenic Jacksonville’s Great Cities Symposium is a program for civic land business leaders that aims to inform, educate and spark community conversations about the vibrancy of peer cities and how Jacksonville can learn from their successes and challenges and implement initiatives and solutions for the benefit of the community, the nonprofit said.
Other sponsors include Gateway Jax, Foley & Lardner LLP, the Brinton family, Barbara and William Harrell and Bert and Demetria Livingston.
Tickets are $125 per person. Visit scenicjax.org to register.