TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee could soon receive millions of dollars to help make the community a more vibrant place to work and live.
The James L. Knight Foundation announced the finalists in the third annual Knight Cities Challenge.
Open to innovators of all types, the Knight Cities Challenge asked applicants to answer the question: "What's your best idea to make cities more successful?"
The finalists from Tallahassee include:
- Mike Field submitting "Capital City Night Market", which would provide an incubator for small businesses.
- Megan E. Doherty submitting "The Secret Life of Benches by Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency", which would help create engagement for public spaces.
- and the "Tactical Urbanism Toolkit", submitted by Devan Leavins, which would bring together resources and tools to help residents launch fast, fun projects to improve their neighborhoods.
We caught up with some of the finalists today as the news was announced.
"What we are looking for is to understand why certain people like places that they like in Tallahassee and Leon County, where do people stop and linger, what are those places that people simply move through," said Megan Doherty. "By understanding which spaces really resignate with people in those spaces that are most beloved in our community, we can hopefully replicate that in future Blueprint Projects."
More than 4,500 applicants submitted ideas for the competition, and only 144 were selected as finalists.
Winners will receive a share of up to $5 million, and they will be announced this spring.
