Knight Public Spaces Forum

12:45 – 1 p.m. Welcome and Forum Framing

• Speaker: Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO, Knight Foundation

1 – 2:05 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Changing Public Spaces
A dynamic group of leading professionals will each share their idea for the future of public spaces in response to the current moment and elevate the questions critical to navigating uncertain times.

• Speakers: Nico Larco, Director, Urbanism Next Center, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, University of Oregon; Liz Ogbu, Designer, Urbanist, and Spatial Justice Activist, Studio O; Mitchell Silver, Parks Commissioner, New York City Parks; Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, Physician, Founder and Medical Director, Park Rx America
• Moderator: Kyle Kutuchief, Program Director/Akron, Knight Foundation

2:05 – 2:15 p.m. Film Break
New World Symphony (Miami Beach, FL) features the WALLCAST® concert series and selections from “Capriccio espagnol” composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

2:15 – 2:55 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Mayors and Public Spaces
Mayors are currently confronting the challenges of budgetary shortfalls at a time when public spaces are increasingly critical for public health and civic engagement. This discussion will explore how and why city leaders are supporting the power of the public commons.

• Speakers: Mayor Melvin Carter, City of St. Paul; Mayor Daniel Horrigan, City of Akron
• Moderator: Jai Winston, Program Director/St. Paul, Knight Foundation

2:55 – 3:05 p.m. Stretch Break
Join us on the main stage for a yoga-inspired stretch break to keep you energized and engaged from home.

• Led by: Anna Richards, Assistant/Macon, Knight Foundation, RYT 200

3:05 – 3:45 p.m. Breakout Discussions I
This group of breakout discussions will explore the pivots that public space practitioners are currently making in order to: manage park space; engage youth through art, play, nature; innovate in funding for civic change; explore attachment to community; and use mobility and public space for restaurants and retail opportunities.

• Breakout 1: Pivoting Park Management: Carol Coletta, President and CEO, Memphis River Parks Partnership, and Robert Hammond, Co-Founder and Executive Director, High Line. Facilitator: Charles Thomas, Program Director/Charlotte, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 2: Prioritizing Children and Playspace Equity: Chelina Odbert, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Kounkuey Design Initiative, and Lysa Ratliff, Vice President, Partnership Development, KABOOM! Facilitator: Priya Sircar, Director/Arts, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 3: Innovations in Funding Civic Change: Jennifer Allen, Interim Director of Leader Experience, ioby, and Rebecca Fishman Lipsey, President and CEO, The Miami Foundation. Facilitator: Raul Moas, Program Director/Miami, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 4: Why Community Matters: Molly M. Scott, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute and Ryan Streeter, Director of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute. Facilitator: Nathaniel L. Wallace, Program Director/Detroit, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 5: Public Space Innovations for Restaurants and Retail: Raphael Clemente, Executive Director, West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, Amanda Howell, Project Manager, Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon, and Jordan Sun, Chief Innovation Officer, City of San Jose. Facilitator: Chris Thompson, Program Director/San Jose, Knight Foundation

3:45 – 3:55 p.m. Networking Break

3:55 – 4:55 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Technology and Public Spaces
The urban environment is digitizing rapidly and technology is increasingly part of the public realm. This plenary panel will explore the impact of technology on how people engage with and equitably use and access public space.

• Speakers: Eli Lehrer, President, R Street Institute, Vikram Grover, Senior Director, Partnerships, Niantic Inc.,  Ming-Chun Lee, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Architecture, UNC Charlotte, and Lauren Ruffin, Co-Founder, Crux.
• Moderator: Sam Gill, SVP/Chief Program Officer, Knight Foundation

4:55 – 5 p.m. Reflections

• Speaker: Lilly Weinberg, Senior Director/Community & National Initiatives, Knight Foundation

5 – 6 p.m. Networking

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22

12:30 – 12:45 p.m. Arrivals and Registration

12:45 – 1 p.m. Welcome and Forum Framing

• Speaker: Dana Bourland, Vice President, Environment, The JPB Foundation

1 – 1:35 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Virtual Public Space
The digital sphere is increasingly becoming a public space that can foster civic engagement. Given the additional challenges of recent social distancing mandates, community leaders will reflect on how to build, maintain, and encourage authentic dialogue in the virtual realm.

• Speakers: Bryan C. Lee, Jr., Founder and Director, Colloqate Design, and Claire Nelson, Co-Founder, Urban Consulate
• Moderator: Bridget Marquis, Director Civic Commons Learning Network, Reimagining the Civic Commons | U3 Advisors

1:35 – 1:40 p.m. Film Break
NCCAkron and Dance Film SF present “But First…” created by choreographer Mike Esperanza and filmmaker Erin Brown Thomas with Red Point Digital on production.

1:40 – 2:35 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Innovating for Public Space
Hear from a range of professionals about their ideas and the opportunities for public space to rise to challenges and pivot toward equity, community services, and technology in the public realm.

• Speakers: Shamichael Hallman, Senior Library Manager, Memphis Public Libraries, Jacqueline Lu, Co-Founder, Helpful Places, and Deanna Van Buren, Design Director and Co-Founder, Designing Justice+Designing Spaces
• Moderators: Lilly Weinberg, Senior Director/Community & National Initiatives, Kyle Kutuchief, Program Director/Akron, Knight Foundation, Jai Winston, Program Director/St. Paul, Knight Foundation

2:35 – 2:45 p.m. Networking Break

2:45 – 3:25 p.m. Breakout Discussions II
This group of breakout discussions will explore the pivots that public space practitioners are currently making in order to: design for justice; create virtual experiences; use data for equity; share public space through ‘slow streets’; and impact investment in public space.

• Breakout 1: Designing for Justice: Paul Farber, Director, Monument Lab, and Justin Garrett Moore, Executive Director, NYC Public Design Commission. Facilitator: Priya Sircar, Director/Arts, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 2: Virtual Experiences for Public Space: Maura McCarthy, PhD, Executive Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy, and Rachel Stark, Senior Urban Designer, City of Charlotte. Facilitator: Charles Thomas, Program Director/Charlotte, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 3: Data Equity for Public Space: Joshua Edmonds, Director of Digital Inclusion, City of Detroit, Meli Harvey, Senior Computational Designer, Sidewalk Labs, and Sarah Williams, Associate Professor Technology and Urban Planning and Director of the Civic Data Design Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Facilitator: Nathaniel L. Wallace, Program Director/Detroit, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 4: Slow Streets, Play Streets: Naomi M. Doerner, Principal | Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Nelson/Nygaard, and Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Facilitator: Chris Thompson, Program Director/San Jose, Knight Foundation
• Breakout 5: Philanthropic Investments in Public Space: Judilee Reed, Director Creative Communities, William Penn Foundation, and Chantel Rush, Managing Director, Kresge Foundation. Facilitator: Raul Moas, Program Director/Miami, Knight Foundation

3:25 – 3:30 p.m. Networking Break

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Mobility and Public Spaces
The movement of people, goods, and services has seen unprecedented disruption during the pandemic. Public space mobility is even more crucial for thriving communities, and this discussion will focus on the new possibilities for mobility and equity.

• Speakers: Gia Biagi, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Transportation,Tamika L. Butler, Founder and Principal, Tamika L. Butler Consulting, LLC, Shin-pei Tsay, Director of Global Policy for Cities and Transportation, Uber Technologies, Inc., and Mark de la Vergne, Michigan Director, Cavnue.
• Introduction:  Roshell R. Rinkins, Senior Director/Grants Administration, Knight Foundation

4:15 – 4:55 p.m. Ideas Plenary: Equity in the Public Realm
Public spaces are forums for civic expression, and public space leaders are charged with  creating environments where all can exercise their freedom. In this closing plenary, speakers will specifically examine the Black experience in public space and efforts to cultivate safe and equitable spaces.

• Speakers: Jay Pitter, Placemaker and Author, Jay Pitter Placemaking, Lynn M. Ross, Founder and Principal, Spirit for Change Consulting, LLC, and Sara Zewde, Principal, Studio Zewde, Assistant Professor in Practice of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University
• Introduction: Lilly Weinberg, Senior Director/Community & National Initiatives, Knight Foundation

4:55 – 5 p.m. Closing Remarks

• Sam Gill, SVP/Chief Program Officer, Knight Foundation