20 Who Offered Ideas For Making Philly A Better Place Are Finalists For Knight Foundation Funding
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Twenty projects designed to engage Philadelphians in imaginative new ways are under consideration for funding by the Knight Foundation.
The Knight Cities Challenge solicited proposals from 26 cities for ideas that would improve those places in innovative ways. It received 7,000 responses-- 834 from Philadelphia. It chose 126 finalists, 20 are from Philadelphia.
"Philadelphia is way over represented because there were such good ideas from Philadelphia."
Knight Vice President Carol Coletta says the Philadelphia ideas excelled in what she called "reimagining civic commons."
"Philadelphians had a lot of ideas for taking public facilities like school yards, parks etc. and reimagining those for new uses and new ways people could put their mark on those things."
For example, turning a closed school into a community living room, or an underused parking lot into a creative hub.
Winners, to be announced in March, will share in a $5 million fund.
For a complete list of finalists, click here.