
Knight Public Spaces Fellows
About the fellowship:
In June 2019, Knight Foundation announced the inaugural group of Knight Public Spaces Fellows, seven talented leaders with exemplary track records of crafting public spaces — parks, plazas, trails, community spaces and streets — that create opportunities for civic engagement.
Each of the fellows receive $150,000 in flexible funding to provide them with the space and freedom to unleash their creativity. They also have access to opportunities to work with and learn from each other, and to elevate their work to a wider audience. The program will encourage the sharing of lessons across cities, and in particular the communities where Knight invests. Participants are expected to build on their ongoing work, while developing new efforts for the field. Learn more about the fellowship here.
The fellowship aligns with Knight’s support of public spaces as a means to connect communities, drawing people out of their homes and encouraging them to meet, play and discuss important issues, while finding common ground. Learn about Knight’s public spaces work here.
Meet the fellows:

Anuj Gupta
(Philadelphia)
Chelina Odbert
(Los Angeles)
Eric Klinenberg
(New York)
Erin Salazar
(San Jose, California)
Kathryn Ott Lovell
(Philadelphia)
Robert Hammond
(New York)
Walter Hood
(Oakland, California)Fellows in the news:
- Walter Hood Wins the Gish PrizeExternal Content / Website
- Oakland landscape designer Walter Hood wins this year’s MacArthur ‘genius’ grantExternal Content / Website
- Studying public space, no strings attachedExternal Content / Website
- Anuj Gupta on the power of the ‘common denominator’ public spaceExternal Content / Website
- Kathryn Ott Lovell: ‘There is huge potential in Philadelphia’s public spaces’External Content / Website
- San Jose artist selected for $150,000 Knight Foundation fellowshipExternal Content / Website
Seven outstanding fellows chosen for their efforts to transform cities as part of inaugural Knight Public Spaces Fellowship
Fellows will receive a share of more than $1 million for their efforts to use public spaces to transform communities
Knight Foundation announces $1 million in new fellowships to support innovative use of public spaces to transform communities
Seeking leading civic innovators for Knight Public Spaces Fellowship by March 22