The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced that six Detroit projects are among 37 nationwide that will share $5 million as winners of the second annual Knight Cities Challenge.
The grants are aimed at helping 26 communities where Knight invests to attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunities and create a culture of civic engagement.
The Detroit winners’ ideas included exploring Detroit’s untold history through monthly bike tours, creating spaces for entrepreneurs to set up shop along Dequindre Cut and training young people to track environmental conditions that will help build ideas to make it better.
Another will create sustainable microparks in Detroit neighborhoods that are designed to respond to community needs, require few resources and are easy to maintain.
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation winners in Detroit
?$30,000 for Pedal to Porch: Explore Detroit’s untold history through monthly bike tours through different neighborhoods of the city where residents get a chance to tell their stories.
?$135,665 for Dequindre Cut Market: Create spaces for entrepreneurs to set up shop along Dequindre Cut with shipping container pop-up shops.
?$75,000 for Detroit’s Exciting Adventure into the Pink Zone: Develop a tool to streamline city development regulations and engaging design talent and developers to help reshape commercial districts.
?$75,000 for Give a Park, Get a Park: Create sustainable microparks in Detroit neighborhoods that are designed in response to community needs, require few resources and are easy to maintain.
?$138,339 for Sensors in a Shoebox: Train young people to track environmental conditions such as traffic, noise or temperature in neighborhoods in an effort to improve the community.
? $184,080 for The People First Project: Create tactical urbanists who collectively select a single urban challenge each year on which to focus quick, low-cost, creative improvements.
