KNIGHT PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY BUILDING
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
ANNOUNCES 2005-06 FELLOWS

OCTOBER 31, 2005 -- Twelve distinguished mid-career professionals from a variety of disciplines have been awarded fellowships for 2005-06 from the Knight Program in Community Building, based at the University of Miami School of Architecture.

The fellowships are awarded annually to individuals with an active interest in the interdisciplinary process of community building. Throughout the year, fellows pursue independent research projects and take part in intensive community-building workshops, seminars, and a charrette. Fields from which fellows are selected include economic and community development, housing, transportation, architecture, planning, real estate, journalism, public policy, and human services.

Established in 2001, the Knight Program addresses today’s urgent issues associated with community building including the complex, interrelated problems of suburban sprawl and inner-city disinvestment. The program’s goal is to advance the knowledge and practice of New Urbanism and Smart Growth across disciplines through an innovative series of initiatives, including fellowships, scholarships, conferences, and publications. The Knight Program builds on the strengths of the School of Architecture as an international educational leader in the planning and design of livable communities. It is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities. The Knight Program extends the foundation’s commitment to community service with its fellowship program. For more information about the Knight Program, please visit www.arc.miami.edu/knight.

Each of this year’s fellows brings special talents, skills, and experience to bear on the issues associated with place making, development and growth. Through their proposed case studies, research topics, and participation in the Knight Program events, the fellows will broaden their knowledge of community building approaches and practices and deepen their understanding of how to apply community building and place making techniques to places throughout the United States.

The fellows will assemble at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida on November 3-5 for their first round of activities. They will attend a series of events including lectures by prominent community building practitioners and theorists. During the year, fellows will take part in intensive colloquiums, national events including the annual Congress for the New Urbanism, receive training and certification from the National Charrette Institute, and organize and conduct a charrette in one of the 26 Knight communities in conjunction with University of Miami's School of Architecture.

The 2005-06 Knight Fellows in Community Building are:

Russell Bloodworth
Executive Vice President, Boyle Investment Company, Memphis, Tennessee
Expertise: Large-scale mixed-use development

Geoffrey Dyer
Principal, Civic Design Group, Inc.; Urban Design Sessional Instructor, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Expertise: New urbanist design, urban infrastructure

Jonathan Ford
Project Engineer, Judith Nitsch Engineering, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
Expertise: Site/civil engineering, sustainable stormwater management systems

Glenn Kellogg
Principal, UrbanAdvisors Ltd., Washington, D.C.
Expertise: Urban economics

Joseph R. Molinaro
Director, Smart Growth Programs, National Association of Realtors, Washington, D.C.
Expertise: Planning, zoning, public policy, real estate industry, publications
 

Karin Morris
Senior Regional Planner, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Expertise: Transit-oriented development, regional planning, density + design, environmental justice

Mary Newsom
Associate Editor, Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina
Expertise: Opinion writer and editorial board member of daily metro newspaper, focusing on growth, development, planning, and urban design

Stephen B. Rhoades
Landscape architect, Patti Banks Associates, LLC, Kansas City, Missouri
Expertise: Landscape architecture, urban and public space design

Anthony Mark Sease
Principal, Civitech LLC., Chapel Hill, NC; visiting lecturer, UNC-CH
Expertise: Civil engineering, planning, and architecture

Janet Behrens Seibert
Arts Administrator and Civic Arts Coordinator, Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office, City of Austin, Texas
Expertise: Community building, quality of life and environmental issues, the arts

Kristopher A. Smith
Administrator, City of Miami Overtown Neighborhood Enhancement Team, Miami, Florida
Expertise: Community revitalization projects, cultural heritage research, strategic planning, urban marketing, and Main Street four-point approach

Monica R. Smith
Interim Director, Hope VI, Detroit Housing Commission (DHC), Detroit, Michigan
Expertise: Urban Planning, Mixed Finance Development, Community Development

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