January 17th, 2018 2 Minute Read Press Release

Manhattan Institute Will Help Civic Leaders Rethink Future of Cities with Knight Foundation Support

NEW YORK, NY – To help civic leaders explore emerging opportunities and address challenges affecting the future of cities – from urbanization and entrepreneurship, to housing costs and populations in flux – the Manhattan Institute, a nonprofit think tank, is embarking on a nationwide city tour. Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the tour will connect thinkers and doers working in areas ranging from housing and transit, to technology and city planning.

The goal of the tour is to develop ideas in response to challenges facing urban areas, and consider how emerging trends might affect the future of informed and engaged communities – those that are driven by citizens who are invested in their growth and have the information they need to contribute. The Manhattan Institute will produce a series of reports highlighting urban issues and trends and invite local influencers to discuss and refine them. To this end, the Institute will send urban policy scholars to five cities where Knight invests: Akron, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Macon, Georgia; San Jose, California; and Miami, Florida.

Each city will host working groups of policymakers, journalists, and business and nonprofit leaders to discuss specific issues such as civic branding and economic competitiveness; news deserts; technology and the citizen’s user experience with city government; repairing the “housing ladder”; and rethinking city planning.

The five-city tour will launch in early 2018. Following the tour, the Manhattan Institute’s final reports will offer principles that civic leaders can apply in response to current and emergent urban challenges.

“Through this effort we hope to find workable solutions to the challenges facing our urban communities,” said Lawrence Mone, president of The Manhattan Institute.

“Cities are rapidly changing, as are the ways that residents stay informed and engaged. Through this initiative, we hope to spark new conversations and jumpstart new ideas,” said Sam Gill, Knight Foundation vice president for communities and impact.

Support for the Manhattan Institute is part of Knight Foundation’s efforts to help cities attract and nurture talent, promote economic opportunity and foster civic engagement. Knight has made many investments in this area, including the $40 million Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, a partnership with four national foundations to counter economic and social fragmentation by revitalizing and connecting public spaces — parks, plazas, trails, libraries.

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The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more information, visit knightfoundation.org. 

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