Do you know? Whatever Happened to Richard V. Knight?

By Fred Kraus

Richard Knight was a member of Antioch’s faculty in 1987-88. He taught management and urban economics, with an emphasis on city planning. After he left Antioch, Richard, a native of Great Britain, headed for Europe for two decades of involvement in city planning.

We caught up with Dr. Knight in Huntsburg, Ohio. While he remains passionate on the subject of city planning, he confessed to a new diversion: Wine making.

“Yes, I returned from Europe a few years ago to serve as Visiting Professor in the University of Akron’s Institute of Future Studies program. I was working there with Gary Gappert, with whom I had earlier collaborated on a book, Cities in a Global Society. The book is a collection of essays focused on an important global redefinition. The book is essentially an overview of cities that are “going global.”

“My thought was to work briefly in the States before returning to Europe. But while I was here, I became involved in planting a vineyard, something that really caught my interest in Europe. Anyway, I thought I could take a year or so to plant it and then come back after five or six years when the vines were maturing. Well, it takes quite a lot of effort, certainly more than I initially thought, so I may keep my base here for a while,” said Knight, who mentioned he also taught at Hiram College this spring. Knight said he is tentatively naming his vineyard Albion Acres.

“I am also working on another book, which I am calling Dwelling Poetically. That is really what my interest is in now – a comfortable place to be living.” In the meantime, Knight said he will continue to be involved with conferences abroad concerning city rebuilding.

Knight’s memories of Antioch in the late 1980s were good ones. “The student base was great. I remember one student I had from Tibet who changed career plans and ended up attending Harvard to study urban design,” Knight said. “I often wonder what happens to so many of my old students.” He said the Antioch concept of community building espoused by Arthur Morgan presaged a lot of the work he eventually became involved with. “There was a lot of innovation and entrepreneurship going on while I was at Antioch,” he said. “I remem- ber that several students started new businesses while they were in my class. I recall them as being artists who opened their own studios.”

Knight, who holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, arrived at Antioch after spending 20 years in Cleveland working for Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University.

“My experience in Cleveland really gave me an edge when I went to Europe,” said Knight, who was involved with bringing together corporations from different sectors in order to begin to effect positive change in Cleveland. “It takes a couple of generations to rebuild a city,” he said. “But they can come apart quite quickly.” “

When I arrived in Genoa, they were going through the same thing that Cleveland was. I spent four years in Genoa. What I really enjoy is the synergy of the various elements working together to develop the city.”

Other cities Knight has been involved with include Amsterdam, Holland; Vienna, Austria; Barcelona, Spain; Delft, Holland; Milan, Italy; and Leon, France.

Knight commented on the proli- feration of retirement homes in Ohio. “One of the sad things I see here is putting old people in retirement homes. With their being so isolated in retirement homes, the towns are coming apart again instead of being integrated. It’s possible to come up with a better solution – if you value it, you can do it.”

Dr. Knight welcomes mail from old friends and former students. Write him at 12620 Princeton Road, Huntsburg, OH 44046.

If you would like to hear about a favorite college professor, please contact Fred Kraus at fkraus@antioch-college.edu.