Two local entries win grants from Knight Cities Challenge
Two local entries into the 2016 Knight Cities Challenge were chosen by judges to receive grants, Knight Foundation representatives announced this morning.
The two were among 37 projects that will share $5 million in grants provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Each of the ideas is designed to help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunities and create a culture of civic engagement.
This year’s challenge attracted more than 4,500 ideas to make the 26 communities where Knight invests more vibrant places to live and work. It asked innovators of all kinds to answer the question: What’s your best idea to make cities more successful?
“At its core, the Knight Cities Challenge is about discovering and connecting civic innovators, creative interventionists who inspire positive change,” said Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation president. “The winners reflect this goal. Their ideas have the potential to create stronger communities and spaces that spur learning, engagement and growth.”
One of the winning local entries is called Evolving MidTown: Lot by Lot by the Incremental Development Alliance, submitted by Jim Kumon. It won a $174,400 grant to help recruit and train a diverse group of individuals on skills to become small-scale developers. Participants will use distressed or underused lots and receive access to investors and other resources.
The other local winner is called Urban Glen, which was submitted by the city of Columbus and Phillip Trocquet. It received a $4,000 grant to create “urban glens” — inviting spaces with trees, lights and hammocks—on vacant and overgrown lots to encourage people to meet and connect, while cleaning up city-owned properties.
Other winning projects are based in 18 of the 26 communities where Knight invests including: Akron, Ohio; Boulder, Colo.; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Gary, Ind.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Grand Forks, N.D.; Lexington, Ky.; Macon, Ga.; Miami; Long Beach, Calif.; Milledgeville, Ga.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Philadelphia; St. Paul, Minn.; San Jose, Calif; State College, Pa; and Tallahassee, Fla.
This is the second year of the Knight Cities Challenge. In March 2015 Knight announced 32 winners of the inaugural Knight Cities Challenge. Columbus had one winner last year -- Minimum Grid, Maximum Impact, which creates a network of bike and pedestrian connections between Midtown and Uptown.
The 2017 challenge will reopen for submissions in fall 2016.
This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Two local entries win grants from Knight Cities Challenge."