Meet the civic innovators working to make cities more livable, vibrant and successful. Knight Foundation’s Carol Coletta interviews people whose ideas are helping cities attract and retain talent, open up economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement. The Knight Cities podcast is an initiative of the Knight Foundation. Join the conversation on civic innovation.

press release

New ‘Knight Cities’ podcast to help showcase the work of civic innovators, spread lessons on building more successful cities (8/13/2014)

Episode Guide 

1. Civic innovators share ideas on shaping communities in new ‘Knight Cities’ podcast – Interview with Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates (8/13/2014)

2. A conversation with Gil Penalosa on building better communities (8/20/2014)

3. A conversation with San Jose, Calif., Mayor Chuck Reed (8/27/2014)

4. Innovator Bryan Boyer on the future of work (9/3/2014)

5. Arts leader Deborah Cullinan leads community change (9/10/2014)

6. Plain talk with economist Joe Cortright on the success of cities (9/17/2014)

7.  How the pop-up movement is changing communities A Conversation with Cathy Ho (9/24/2014)

8.  Tapping the talent pool of foreign students – A Conversation with Neil G. Ruiz (10/01/2014)

9. Phil Cooley shares insights from Detroit’s comeback (10/8/2014)

10. Talking livability and sustainability with Vin Cipolla (10/15/2014)

11. Jeff Risom of Gehl Architects on improving the quality of public life (10/22/2014)

12. Mary Kramer discusses the catalytic effect of The Detroit Homecoming (10/29/2014)

13. Terry Mazany on what’s next for Chicago (11/5/2014)

14. A conversation on race and inclusion with Angela Glover Blackwell of PolicyLink (11/12/2014)

15. Leslie Koch on transforming New York’s Governors Island into a vibrant public space (11/19/2014)

16. Alice Cabaret on innovating to improve neighborhoods (11/26/2014)

17. Ryan Gravel discusses community engagement and Atlanta’s BeltLine (12/03/2014)

18. Scott Stowell on designing for people (12/10/2014)

19. Jason Roberts on building better blocks in our communities (12/17/2014)

20. Paul R. Levy on how Philadelphia transformed its Center City (01/07/2015)

21. Matt Lerner on Walk Scores and why neighborhood walkability matters (01/14/2015)

22. Shaun Abrahamson, on how startups can solve the challenges cities face (01/21/2015)

23. Sandra Kulli on creating community (01/28/2015)

24. Dennis Scholl on how art brings vibrancy to communities (02/04/2015)

25. Miami developer Avra Jain shares insights on real estate revitalization (02/11/2015)

26. Charles Leadbeater on why empathy is essential for city success (2/18/2015)

27. What never appears in your city’s economic development playbook, with Paul Grogan (2/25/2015)

28. How to Go Solo, with George Gendron (3/4/2015)

29. Emerging stronger from trial by fire in Chicago, with Jim Lasko (3/11/2015)

30. The case of the vanishing neighbor, with Marc Dunkelman (3/18/2015)

31. Building a new kind of economy, with Tessy Britton (3/26/15)

32. Reimagining Philadelphia’s civic commons, with Shawn McCaney (4/1/2015)

33. Philly’s Fairmount Conservancy demonstrates value of public-private partnerships, with Katherine Ott Lovell (4/8/2015)

34. Insights from Down Under in making government bureaucracy open to change, with Erma Ranieri (4/22/2015)

35. Prototype Festival hacks traditional methods of city planning, with Neil Hrushowy (4/29/2015)

36. Philly media site pursues ‘active’ citizenship, with Jeremy Nowak (5/6/2015)

37. Rebalancing the cost-of-living equation to build better communities, with Scott Bernstein (5/13/2015)

38. 5 things you need to know about our economic future, with Kathi Vian (5/20/2015)

39. Educating communities on the value of repurposing vacant schools, with Lindsey Scannapieco (5/27/2015)

40. Resilience and recovery in the Big Easy, with Roberta Gratz (6/10/2015)

41. How communities can benefit when big developments move in, with Ralph Rosado (6/17/2015)

42.  Pop-up Pool Project adds a splash of cool in Philly, with Ben Bryant (6/24/2015)

43. Mining science to shift public behavior, with Ted Robertson (7/2/2015)

44. Positioning libraries for the future, with Miguel Figueroa (7/8/2015)

45. Nonprofit boards have power to influence policy – if they will seize the opportunity, with Anne Wallstad (7/2015)

46. Miami Science Barge, a showcase for environmental education, with Alissa Farina (7/19/2015)

47. The Underline, a good idea on the move in Miami, with Meg Daly (8/5/2015)

48. Philly park with renewed sense of purpose packs in the crowds, with David Fierabend (8/19/2015)

49. Authentic experience attracts shoppers to Philly’s Reading Terminal Market, with Anuj Gupta (8/26/2015)

50. Campus Philly connects students—and inspires deep connections to Philadelphia, with Deborah Diamond (9/2/2015)

51. Renaissance of Detroit riverfront invites public participation with Mark Wallace, (9/9/2015)

52. Sowing Detroit’s future in the fertile ground of vacant lots with Erin Kelly (9/23/2015)

53. Bringing renewal to Newcastle (Australia), with Marcus Westbury (10/7/2015)

54.  Using the design of public spaces to increase civic engagement, with Joanna Frank (10/14/2015)

55. David Maraniss tells the story of how Detroit exported innovation (10/21/2015)