Jacksonville, FL (November 9, 2026) – Scenic Jacksonville will welcome nationally recognized urban planner Mitchell Silver, FAICP, to keynote the seventh annual Great Cities Symposium on Thursday, February 4, 2027, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Garden Club of Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville is at an exciting moment,” said Scenic Jacksonville interim executive director Travis Smith. “As our city continues to grow and evolve, it’s crucial that we keep learning from leaders who have successfully guided growth in communities across the country. Mitchell Silver’s experience will challenge us to think in creative ways about the future we’re creating together for Jacksonville.”
Silver is an internationally recognized urban planner, city leader, author, and speaker with more than forty years of experience shaping communities through innovative city planning, parks, placemaking, and implementation strategies. Widely regarded as one of America’s leading urban thinkers, he has advised
cities across the United States and around the world on creating vibrant, people-centered places.
“Mitchell Silver has played key roles in developing some of the most successful cities and public spaces in the US, and we are extremely fortunate to have him share his expertise with Jacksonville’s leaders and public,” said Bill Hoff, Scenic Jacksonville’s Board Chair.
Silver has uniquely varied and accomplished professional experiences to share that span roles inside city government and as an elected official, in urban planning leadership and consulting roles, and as a professor in a major university. He served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, President of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners, and as Chief Planning Officer for the city of Raleigh, North Carolina. He currently serves as Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been recognized among the world’s most influential urbanists.
During his presentation, “Planning with Purpose,” Silver will explore urban demographic shifts, the evolving role of downtowns, the value of land, and how parks and public spaces can strategically strengthen commercial development and create more vibrant communities.”
The Great Cities Symposium is an annual program hosted by Scenic Jacksonville for the purpose of bringing inspired examples of leadership and peer city solutions to the people of Jacksonville. The program attracts over 350 business and civic leaders from across Jacksonville with the opportunity to inform, entertain and connect to one another while continuing discussions of how we can continue to improve our city for the benefit of future generations.
In addition to the speaker program, the event offers hors d’oeuvres and sweets from Biscottis, a specialty cocktail, beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks with social time for connection and engagement.
Sponsorship opportunities and ticket information is available at https://www.scenicjax.org/7th-annual-symposium/.
Photos, speaker bio and other press materials to accompany this release can be found here.
About the Great Cities Symposium
As Scenic Jacksonville’s signature fundraising event, the annual Great Cities Symposium supports the organization’s year-round advocacy, education, and community engagement efforts to advance a more scenic, resilient, and thoughtfully designed Jacksonville. Prior speakers include Victor Dover (2026), Carol Coletta (2025), AG Lafley (2023), Bob Buckhorn (2022), Ron Littlefield (2021), and Joe Riley (2019).
About Scenic Jacksonville
Scenic Jacksonville, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a more scenic, resilient, and thoughtfully designed Jacksonville through education, advocacy, and community engagement.