Seven innovative projects will use public data to enhance civic engagement.

MIAMI — June 10, 2020 — In an effort to transform how publicly available data is used in communities to engage residents, the John S. and James. L. Knight Foundation today announced $1 million in funding for seven innovative projects across the country that put data to work in support of greater civic engagement. 

For more than a decade, an unprecedented amount of big data has been made available to the general public by governments and private companies through efforts such as the U.S. Open Government Initiative or Uber’s Movement platform. But so far, these efforts have mostly been leveraged by individuals with the technical expertise to successfully mine the data. Knight’s funding aims to advance such important aforementioned projects to harness data to generate greater civic engagement, and create more informed and engaged communities.

“These projects meet residents where they are — on platforms they recognize, and in the cities they know — to show that we can engage residents with data and create more responsive communities,” said Lilian Coral, Knight’s director for national strategy and technology innovation. “Utilized well, open data could help local governments effectively tackle major community issues, such as the health effects of lead and pollution, or growing gentrification in communities.”

These seven innovative projects (kf.org/opendatawinners) will work to enhance civic engagement by developing new models of public trust around big data, while also exploring new ways to capture community sentiment. If successful, they will serve as a spark for civic dialogue and conversation and help residents be a part of developing solutions for community challenges. Citizen engagement with data can also foster greater government and institutional accountability, since data will become clearer, more accessible and applicable to their daily lives.

Each project will operate in one of the 26 communities where Knight invests. They include:

• Visual Data to Support Urban Planning (Charlotte): To develop an immersive platform that allows 3D visualization of neighborhoods and community data that engages community members in the development of the City of Charlotte’s Comprehensive Plan. The effort will focus on young people, who have been especially disengaged.
  
• Neighborhood-Led Permitting (Philadelphia): To expand a startup, resident-led effort that draws on the city’s existing open data platform to notify neighbors of permitted construction and to provide educational resources to help identify unsafe construction which has led to building collapse and lead exposure.

• SIM-PHL (Philadelphia): To support the Entrepreneurial Game Studio at Drexel University that will use available municipal data to develop a SimCity-type game that allows residents to explore the political, economic and sociological forces that shape an urban neighborhood in a playful and engaging format.
  
• Edit the City! (Philadelphia): To generate public-sourced open data recommendations for the South Street Headhouse District vision planning process. Residents will be enabled to provide input on alterations to the public realm and co-create the future of the street through creative remote and digital engagement. In the first phase, the project will support the business community and the reopening and recovery of South Street in the aftermath of COVID-19.
  
• Urban Periscope (San Jose): To use augmented reality to create data visualizations telling pedestrians and residents about the spaces they are traversing and encouraging participation in civic action. The project is led by Gensler, a design and architecture firm shaping the future of cities.
  
• Making Civic Data Accessible with Audio (Wichita): A collaboration between the audio company Sonify, the Wichita Community Foundation, Envision and local newsrooms to use data in audio as a way to enable data-driven storytelling that targets users who are blind or visually impaired. The overall goal is to learn how to communicate data with sound, with the potential for wider applications.
  
• SmartAirLA-Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma (Long Beach):  To pilot a real-time Asthma Alert that identifies when and where Long Beach asthma patients are likely to experience an asthma attack from concentrated air pollution.  With the Alert, the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma will reach out to pediatric asthma patients and their families to improve asthma self-management.  The Alert will also help asthma patients avoid infections during outbreaks such as COVID-19 where air pollution and asthma are high-risk factors.

The open data initiative is part of Knight’s Smart Cities program, which seeks to support stronger, more engaged communities by enabling the voice of the community to be reflected in the design and use of technology.

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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.

Media Contact:

Marla Oxenhandler, [email protected], 954-699-4400 or Julie Spechler, [email protected], 954-401-1425.

Image (top): Charlotte, North Carolina by Clay Banks on Unsplash.

Knight Foundation announces $250,000 re-investment to support young civic innovators to create vibrant and civically engaged communities.

MIAMI – (June 1, 2020) – To unlock the creative potential of young civic innovators and create more resilient post-pandemic communities, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announces a $250,000 re-investment in Emerging City Champions fellowship and microgrant program.

The leadership program – which seeks millenials and Gen Z innovators with bold ideas to enhance public space, mobility and civic engagement – is accepting applications for 20 new leaders for its 2020-2021 class. ECC seeks individuals with creative solutions to drive transformative change as cities reopen and look for a way forward in the post-Covid world.

ECC provides $5,000 in seed funding and unique training from established city builders to turn ideas into reality. Last year’s ECC leaders worked on projects that invigorated downtown Aberdeen, S.D., through historic public art, removed barriers for Charlotte residents with disabilities, and drove community skills sharing in Philadelphia.

“If there were ever a time to invest in young innovators with new ideas about how to build cities anew, it’s now,” said Sam Gill, Knight’s chief program officer and senior vice president. “This effort will equip the next generation to lead in a time of change.”

Amanda O’Rourke, executive director of 8 80 Cities, which leads the ECC program said: “Civic engagement, public space and mobility have always been central to ECC, and each cohort of leaders have consistently brought some of the most responsive and innovative ideas to advance these things in their communities.”

This will be the sixth ECC class. Since 2015, Knight Foundation’s investment in the program has launched the leadership journeys of over 100 exceptional alumni who have gone on to found nonprofit organizations, establish businesses and influence government policies. Current Knight Public Spaces Fellow Erin Salazar’s career as a city builder began with her ECC project, a community mural that led to a multi-year transformation of San Jose’s downtown.

Other ECC leaders have made significant improvements to their communities by using their skills as artists, educators, grassroots advocates and public servants. They have created neighborhood programs, community events, and vibrant public spaces that have pushed boundaries, changed mindsets and inspired long-term investment in the public realm. 

“We are grateful that Knight Foundation has doubled down on its support of the program, recognizing the important role public space plays in creating more inclusive and healthy communities, and understanding that diverse young leaders with community-driven solutions are key to the future of cities,” O’Rourke said.

ECC is a year-long incubator for civic innovators between the ages of 19 and 35 with project ideas that take place in or benefit one of the 26 communities where Knight invests. Winners will be awarded $5,000 in seed funding and training from established city builders to turn their ideas into reality.

A major component of the program is a trip to Toronto for interactive tours of community-led programs and public spaces, presentations by inspiring city leaders, as well as hands-on workshops on project planning, community engagement, communication and tactical urbanism.

Emerging City Champions is led by 8 80 Cities, a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life for people in cities by bringing citizens together to enhance mobility and public space. Support for 8 80 Cities forms one part of Knight’s efforts to help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement.

To apply to the Emerging City Champions Fellowship, applicants must submit either innovative and untested ideas, or existing projects that they are seeking to scale up at emergingcitychampions.org by Sunday, July 12, 2020.

About 8 80 Cities
8 80 Cities is a nonprofit organization based in Toronto, Canada. We are dedicated to contributing to the transformation of cities into places where people can walk, bike, access public transit and visit vibrant parks and public places. Our approach is to engage people and communities across multiple sectors to inspire the creation of cities that are easily accessible, safe and enjoyable for all. We achieve our mission through grant projects, advocacy work and our innovative services. For more, visit: 880cities.org.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit kf.org.

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Media Contacts:
Amanda O’Rourke, Executive Director, 8 80 Cities, 647-784-3048, [email protected]

 Kenny Ma, Director of Communications, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 305-908-2646, [email protected]

Photo (top): ECC 2015-19 alumni; courtesy of 8 80 Cities.

In a nation emerging from a pandemic, Reimagining the Civic Commons responds to a growing need for revitalized civic assets.

(May 27, 2020) — A national initiative to advance ambitious social, economic and environmental goals through public spaces announced a major expansion today. Reimagining the Civic Commons has added five new U.S. cities who join the original cohort of cities making strategic investments in parks, libraries, trails and community centers across the country. 

Lexington, Macon, Miami, Minneapolis and San José will join Reimagining the Civic Commons, which is comprised of innovative civic leaders forging new ways to design, manage and operate public spaces for the benefit of all. The five new cities join the original five demonstration cities of Akron, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia, forming a network of 10 cities transforming civic assets to connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust and create more resilient communities. A majority of the expansion cities, with the exception of Minneapolis, are communities where the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation operates.

Reimagining the Civic Commons is supported by Knight, The JPB Foundation, The Kresge Foundation and William Penn Foundation. The initiative is designed to demonstrate how strategic investments in our civic assets can advance engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development in cities and neighborhoods.

Leaders at these foundations acknowledged that a robust civic commons is key to the nation’s recovery from COVID-19, allowing cities to rebuild social capital and create more equitable and resilient communities.

“Amidst the safer-at-home measures during this pandemic, we have seen public spaces—our parks, open spaces and trails—sustaining people in ways we only contemplated a few months ago,” said Dana Bourland, vice president of environment at The JPB Foundation. “A growing number of people have now deeply experienced that our civic commons delivers multiple benefits—reduced stress, improved health, a necessary sense of human connection. High quality, well-maintained public spaces are critical infrastructure and they must be available to everyone within walking distance from their home. And they should be at the top of the to-do list for policymakers, leaders and cities.”

In addition to the expansion into new cities, the more than $10 million in new philanthropic investment will continue to support the leading-edge public space efforts in the five original demonstration cities. These demonstration cities have made substantial strides since they began four years ago: 

• In Akron, formerly neglected Summit Lake in one of the city’s hardest hit neighborhoods has become a gathering place where residents can experience nature every day. Ninety-four percent of visitors to the lake believe the previously isolated neighborhood now has a bright future. 

• In Chicago, investments in unique civic spaces like the Stony Island Arts Bank Campus and the formerly vacant St. Laurence School are sparking a South Side neighborhood revitalization. More than 650 free programs held in civic commons sites drew over 26,000 people to neighborhood spaces in the last three years.

• Detroit has transformed vacant lots into a new park and greenway, and an empty storefront into the Neighborhood HomeBase, a welcoming community hub. The result is increased public life throughout the neighborhood and 10 new storefronts for local businesses on the commercial corridor.

• Memphis has reimagined a set of all but abandoned spaces along the Mississippi River to become an active, revitalized waterfront. Formerly home to Confederate monuments, the renamed and revitalized Fourth Bluff Park and River Garden now welcome a diversity of Memphians every day, and River Garden has nearly doubled visitor numbers. 

• Philadelphia has a new riverfront bike and pedestrian trail, a renovated public library and park space, an elevated park, a nature and youth education center and a neighborhood-oriented gathering space in West Fairmount Park. The project created a robust, collaborative network of public space practitioners and helped set the stage for $500 million of new civic asset funding through the Rebuild initiative. 

“Months of quarantine has brought home to all of us just how much we need great public spaces.” said Sam Gill, Knight’s chief program officer and senior vice president. “These spaces will be key to supporting socially connected, healthy communities as we emerge from this pandemic.”

The expansion into five new cities presents opportunities to:

• Enhance civic engagement and civic trust through public spaces that are programmed to support authentic neighborhood and community participation.

• Engender support for — and investment in — public spaces within communities as an approach to a more engaged and vibrant community.

• Grow the capabilities of leaders in communities, both in civil society and in public administration, to conceive of, build and program public spaces that deliver outcomes in communities.

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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit kf.org.

About The JPB Foundation

The mission of The JPB Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the United States through transformational initiatives that promote the health of our communities by creating opportunities for those in poverty, promoting pioneering medical research, and enriching and sustaining our environment. For more, visit jpbfoundation.org.

About The Kresge Foundation

The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grant, loan, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information visit kresge.org

About William Penn Foundation

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. The Foundation’s assets exceed $2.5 billion. For more, visit williampennfoundation.org.

Media Contact:

Leslie Carlson, Brink Communications. [email protected], (503) 805-5560