Our mission is to ignite action and challenge the status quo to create healthier, more equitable, and sustainable cities for all people.
We work with community partners to put neighbourhoods back at the center of city development.
We co-create inclusive engagement strategies with community partners that activate public space.
We provide unique training and capacity building workshops on creating equitable and age-friendly cities and public spaces.
We work with partners and clients to create attractive and accessible public space resources and toolkits.
We develop custom-made programs in collaboration with funders and partners that break the mold.
Knight Emerging City Champions is a fellowship program that supports individuals with bold ideas to build stronger, more connected communities. Powered by 8 80 Cities with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, KECC brings together 20 civic leaders from the 8 Knight Cities: Akron, Charlotte, Detroit, Philadelphia, Macon, Miami, San José, and St. Paul.
2025 marked the program’s 10th anniversary and the launch of the 8 80 Cities Knight Emerging City Champions 8th cohort.
The Champions projects range from community gardens and food-driven gatherings to archival storytelling, wellness spaces, youth programs, and creative uses of technology. Learn more about each Champion and their projects.
The 8 80 concept is universal. From communities of 5,000 to 5 million, our projects always start at the same place: how do we meaningfully engage people in urban transformation?
Transforming Underused Spaces to Support Health Equity in Tower Neighbourhoods is a 3-year multi-disciplinary project led by 8 ...
Canada, Mississauga, ON (Canada), Toronto, ON (Canada)The City of Brampton, the Downtown Brampton Business Improvement Area and 8 80 Cities partnered again to transform the Nelson S...
Canada, Brampton, ON– Gil Penalosa, Founder
Like cities, we’re constantly evolving! Keep up to date with the latest stories and thoughts from 8 80.
By Raisa Hossain, 8 80 Cities Project Coordinator. This blog post is part of the Knight Emerging City Champions blog. You can also read it here. Knight Emerging City Champions is a fellowship program that supports people with bold ideas for building stronger, more connected communities. Powered by......
February 11, 2026
By Katie Konstantopoulos, 8 80 Cities Project Manager The recent October Studio marked 5 years of the Ontario Community Changemakers, a multi-generational microgrant and fellowship opportunity designed by 8 80 Cities and funded by Balsam Foundation. At 8 80 Cities, we believe in the power......
January 12, 2026
We have a growing library of videos featuring the work we do. Get familiar with scenes of our 8 80 adventures.
8 80 Streets Mountview
Toronto’s Risky Roads
Cities for Everyone. The Webinar: 8 80 Cities
8 80 Cities acknowledges that the land on which we are situated is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat, and Petun First Nations. These lands are the site of Treaty 13 and the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant — an agreement forged between the Anishinaabe Nation and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to peaceably share resources around the Great Lakes.
We are mindful of broken covenants, violations of human and treaty rights, and affirm the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is our responsibility to actively interrogate and challenge settler-colonial systems of oppression through our work. We are committed to strengthening our relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Lands.
We pick the most inspiring and relevant research, tools, and projects on creating cities for all and deliver it right to your inbox.
Hear about how we are creating cities for all.
