North Montgomery Residents invited to Shape the Future of the Lower Wetumpka Corridor Nov. 18-20

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Following a September 2 preliminary visit, a national design team will return to North Montgomery November 18-20 for three days of public workshops and design sessions on the future of the Lower Wetumpka Road corridor. The return visit builds on a conversation at the Chisholm Community Center, where neighborhood association presidents, faith leaders, business owners, residents, and city officials gathered at the Chisholm Community Center to discuss the corridor: where it stands today, and what it could become.

The September meeting marked the preliminary visit of a Design Assistance Team (DAT) from Communities by Design (CxD), a program of the Architects Foundation, the philanthropic partner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The partnership reflects the City of Montgomery's commitment to fostering resilient, thriving neighborhoods in North Montgomery, with residents at the heart of the work, and builds on preliminary planning that grew out of Mayor Steven L. Reed's participation in the Mayors' Institute on City Design (MICD).

Led by Chief Resilience Officer Esesua Ikpefan, the North Montgomery steering committee hosted an exceptional team: Team Leader Steven Lewis, FAIA; Erin Simmons, CxD Senior Director of Design Assistance; and Joel Mills, CxD Senior Director. Together, they bring more than 50 years of architecture and urban design experience. Lewis, a past president of both the Architects Foundation and the National Organization of Minority Architects, is a former Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design and received the AIA's 2016 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award for social responsibility. Simmons and Mills have guided more than 100 communities across the United States and abroad in turning shared priorities into plans that get built.

Nelson Jancaterino, Director of the Chisholm Community Center, and Steering committee members Joyce Salter, Pastor Jamal Browder, Demonica Pugh, Valerie Hall, Antone Robinson, and Pastor Cameron Thomas engaged in robust conversation with the team who also met with City leaders, including Chief of Staff Kwasi Obeng, P.I.P.E. Director Kippy Tate, Economic Development Director Frank Robinson, Housing Director Reginald D. Marable, and Constituent Affairs Specialist Rayrita Patterson. Conversations covered the corridor's housing, vacant properties, business climate, walkability, public spaces, and identity.

The Design Assistance Team program brings customized, interdisciplinary groups of volunteer professionals together with residents, civic leaders, and local stakeholders in a participatory public process. Each process develops community-driven strategies grounded in local context, informed by professional analysis, and designed to build momentum for implementable change. Since 1967, Design Assistance Teams have held public processes in over 250 communities across the country, engaging tens of thousands of citizens directly in public work to improve their communities. The award-winning program has generated billions of dollars in sustainable development for partner communities and led to some of America's most celebrated places.

Impact surveys from participating communities have found that 98 percent identified "strategic focus" and "new ideas and recommendations" as key outcomes, while 89 percent reported that the process helped build "long lasting community trust." For North Montgomery, that means national expertise focused entirely on local priorities, and a community-backed roadmap that can attract the partners and investment needed to carry it forward.

Now it's the community's turn. The Design Assistance Team returns for a full team visit November 18-20, 2026, hosting three days of public workshops and design sessions before sharing its recommendations. Residents, business owners, faith leaders, and anyone who cares about North Montgomery are encouraged to attend and help shape what comes next. Follow the City of Montgomery's websites and social media platforms for times, locations, and updates, or contact Chief Resilience Officer Esesua Ikpefan at (334) 604-9977 or [email protected].