Thirteen distinguished mid-career professionals from a variety of disciplines have been awarded fellowships for 2003-04 from the Knight Program in Community Building, based at the University of Miami School of Architecture.

The non-residential 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, academia, 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.

Each of this year’s fellows brings special talents, skills, and experience to bear on the issues associated with 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 techniques to places throughout the United States.

The fellows assembled in Seaside, Florida on March 6-9 for their first round of activities. They met the 2002-03 Knight Fellows and attended a variety of events including lectures by prominent community builders theorists. During the year, fellows will take part in the annual Congress for the New Urbanism, organize and conduct a charrette in one of the 26 Knight communities in conjunction with University of Miami's School of Architecture, and help organize an annual symposium to explore a community building topic of interest with an expanded audience of participants.

The 2003-04 fellows are:

Senior Planner, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade Douglas, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
Expertise: transportation, transit, and land use planning

Marie L. York

Associate Director of the Catanese Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
Expertise: urban planning and economics