We’re excited to announce that Niantic is forming a multi-year partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to advance civic engagement in local communities around the United States through augmented reality experiences. This partnership will foster discovery, bring communities together and promote engagement within public spaces by leveraging Niantic experiences and technologies including Ingress and Pokémon GO at select community events supported by The Knight Foundation.

The collaboration will play out at community events in several cities, including Knight-sponsored Open Streets events. These temporarily close off car traffic so people can use streets for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing and socializing. The initiative will also tap unique facets of a city’s public spaces such as parks and libraries to bring together people of diverse backgrounds and build a sense of shared community. Over the next year, Niantic will collaborate with civic leaders in several cities where Knight Foundation supports community engagement. The initiative will work to enhance these events featuring special content within their augmented reality mobile games, Ingress and Pokémon GO.

The first event in the collaboration between Niantic and the Knight Foundation will be hosted on May 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the Open Streets 704 event in a 2.5 mile area. Though this first event will be experimental, fans of Pokémon GO can look forward to interacting with 16 PokéStops and two Gyms selected by the City of Charlotte at significant sites along the route. These locations will be highlighted on the official Open Streets 704 route map displayed at the event. To further immerse fans in the real-world experience, the physical location of each PokéStop will be physically marked along the route.

Stay tuned for details about upcoming events supported by Niantic in collaboration with The Knight Foundation.

—The Niantic team