The Knight Foundation has committed another round of funding to Akron projects that aim to "Reimagine the Civic Commons."
Akron will receive $1.6 million to extend efforts to revitalize public spaces in the Summit Lake neighborhood, develop the new Ohio and Erie Canal Park and continue work downtown with Locks 2, 3, and 4.
Knight Foundation’s Akron Program Director Kyle Kutuchief says the racial and economic diversity of these areas represent Akron.
“We see public spaces as an opportunity to bring everybody together. People who may not interact in their work life, or their church life or their current social life. In public parks we all come into that space as equals.”
Kutuchief says this is a particularly appropriate time to commit funds to outdoor spaces, which have become highly valued and utilized during the coronavirus pandemic.
He says the efforts begun in Akron four years ago have been highly successful. He points to the large park in Park East, that previously went unused because people thought it was private property.
“Over the past 3 years they’ve added public art, a new playground, fit stations for people to be able to exercise and walk around the canal. And we’ve seen children, retirees and everybody in between coming out to use that great space.”
The funding in Akron is part of $10 million Knight and three other foundations have committed to civic commons efforts in ten cities around the country.
Besides Knight, the other foundations are The JPB Foundation, The Kresge Foundation and William Penn Foundation.
The original five cities that were part of Reimagining the Civic Commons include Akron, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and Memphis. The five new cities added this year include Lexington, Macon, Miami, Minneapolis and San Jose.
