Earlier this year, seven projects from Detroit were among the winners of the $5 million Knight Cities Challenge, rising to the top of more than 4,500 applicants from across the country. The Challenge is a contest that asks entrants a simple question: what’s your best idea to make cities succeed?
Detroit’s winners last round included Urban Consulate, a network of parlors for cross-city exchange. The Consulate functions as an “embassy for cities,” with additional locations in New Orleans and Philadelphia. Knight provided $150,000 to help the consulate in Detroit connect urban-curious people across cities, and foster the exchange of the best ideas shaping urban life in the 21st century. Another big winner was Sensors in a Shoebox, a project by the University of Michigan which Knight backed with $138,339 in funding. The program trains youth to use sensors and data analytics that track environmental conditions like traffic, noise or temperature in city neighborhoods, helping them answer questions about their community and build ideas to make it better.
Starting October 10th, applicants in Detroit can join(http://www.knightcities.org/) individuals and organizations in 25 other American communities for another chance to win a portion of the $5 million prize by providing the best, most innovative ideas on how to make cities more vibrant places to work and live.
