Six Good, Duplicable Ideas for Cities

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Here's hoping these winning ideas for cities are exported around the country.

2 minute read

April 15, 2016, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Pop Up Protected Bike Lanes

nickfalbo / Flickr

"The Knight Cities Challenge just gave out $5 million to winning ideas from civic innovators to help 26 particular American cities, from Detroit to Macon, Georgia," reports Adele Peters.

Peters details six of the winners as innovative projects begging to be borrowed and stolen by other cities. The ideas include:

  1. Turning a highway into a bicycle park, such as the city of Akron is preparing to do with the last mile if the Innerbelt highway.
  2. A "pop-up minimum grid" will allow residents of Macon, Georgia to test a complete bike and pedestrian infrastructure system for a few days
  3. A "placemaking platform" for front lawns, based on the ideas of the Musicant Group, a placemaking firm based in Minneapolis.
  4. Using vacant homes to create new jobs. According to Peters, "the nonprofit Delta Institute plans to create a new reuse facility, Steel City Salvage, and then train workers in demolition, deconstruction, warehousing, and furniture-making," in the city of Gary, Indiana.
  5. Turning a park into an outdoor office, "with free quality Internet, electricity, a comfortable place to sit, water, quiet, music, and shading so it's possible to look at a laptop," like a project in Long Beach, California.
  6. Training neighs to develop vacant lots. A project in Columbus, Ohio works similarly to the idea for Gary above. In the case of Columbus, the Incremental Development Alliance will look to hand off renovation projects to local investors and developers.

The article includes more details and images for each of the winning projects.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016 in Fast Co.Exist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

5 hours ago - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

6 hours ago - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

7 hours ago - Cities Today