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Yale University's Alexander Garvin will address the annual meeting of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.

One of the nation's most decorated urban planners will be the inaugural lecturer in March as the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. goes public with its annual meeting.

Alexander Garvin, an adjunct professor of urban planning and management at Yale University, will be the featured speaker at the WDDC's yearly meeting, at 6 p.m. March 11 at the Scottish Rite theater downtown.

The lecture will be the culmination of two days Garvin will spend in Wichita, a visit he calls a "diagnostic exercise with a prescriptive element."

Garvin plans to spend his pre-lecture time touring Wichita, viewing the city from land and air and meeting people.

"I really can't tell you what I'll say until I tour Wichita," Garvin said. "There's nothing like going there, seeing it, meeting people and then changing my lecture the night before to include the pictures I've seen."

Garvin's visit is a chance to tap into best practices that have succeeded in other cities, said Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.

"This is a man who's done it, and he can present it simply how important it is for the public to partner with private investment to revitalize a downtown," Brewer said.".. It's an idea that's perfect for Wichita."

Garvin is president of Alex Garvin & Associates. His other credits include nine years as managing director for planning for NYC2012, New York City's committee for the 2012 Olympic bid.

He's been vice president for planning, design and development at the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the agency in charge of redeveloping the World Trade Center area after 9/11.

He's also held positions in five New York City administrations, including deputy commissioner of housing and city planning commissioner.

It's essential, Garvin said, to diagnose what Wichita's downtown needs because there's no "one size fits all" method of growing downtowns.

"We've been doing this in the United States for the last 150 years," he said. "There are any number of things you can try that will work in some places and not in others.

"My goal is to explain what they are and place Wichita in that context."

Garvin's lecture is the first of what new WDDC president Jeff Fluhr hopes is an annual lecture to link the public with national expertise in downtown redevelopment.

Fluhr worked with Garvin in 1998 on a master plan in Baton Rouge, La.

"As we've heard in the mayor's State of the City address, it's very important for us to look at how we can develop downtown, how we can engage the public to create an environment through the public sector that encourages and fosters the private sector," Fluhr said.

"Alex has tremendous expertise in how to foster that environment."

Fluhr said he wants all of the city's development partners -- from the Wichita Independent Business Association to the Regional Economic Area Partnership -- to attend.

In addition, he hopes that college students from Wichita State, Newman and Friends will take part in the lecture.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for us to create a heightened understanding of what we're doing," Fluhr said, "to take a very pointed look at where we are and how things are moving forward."