Honors & Awards
Human Scale Studio has been recognized by a variety of international organizations and publications.
YBCA 100 2017
Each year, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts releases the YBCA 100 list, celebrating the innovators, provocateurs, and thought leaders who are using their platform to create cultural movement. On this list, honorees can come from the farthest reaches of the earth, and the famous can sit alongside the unsung hero. The 2017 list included: Human Scale Studio Founder Chad Rochkind, Alejandro Aravena, Bjork, Chance the Rapper, Barry Jenkins, Rachel Maddow, Trevor Noah, Jordan Peele, Issa Rae, Jorge Ramos, Claudia Rankine, Jill Soloway, Colson Whitehead, Saul Williams, and Christina Wong (among others).
Metropolis Magazine "10 New Talents"
In 2014, citing his work to strengthen community ties and galvanize social innovation in Detroit, Human Scale Studio founder Chad Rochkind was named to Metropolis Magazine's 10 New Talents list: “In the swirling future of Detroit’s renewal, Chad Rochkind embodies the earnest Millennial energy that will help revive the city as a hotbed for entrepreneurialism. Chad understands that civic infrastructure, like what he and his colleagues have created in Assemble Detroit, provides the platform for the city to design its own future. Activists like Chad give me hope for the future of a newly urban America.” —Vishaan Chakrabarti, Marc Holliday Professor of Real Estate Development at Columbia University GSAPP, and partner at SHoP Architects
Knight Cities Challenge Winner
Human Scale Studio won the Knight Cities Challenge in 2016. Our winning idea "The People First Project" empowered 12 people to make tactical urbanism projects that attacked a single sticky infrastructure issue: the width of Michigan Avenue in Corktown.
Leaders Quest Scholar
Open Quest scholarships support talented leaders from around the world. They provide training, mentoring and access to the vibrant Leaders Quest network of change-makers to strengthen individuals and deepen the impact of their organizations. Included in the scholarship is an all expense paid trip to Kenya.
Emerging City Champion
A partnership between 880 Cities and the Knight Foundation, Emerging City Champions is a fellowship program for young civic innovators with transformative ideas. They look for future city leaders with creative solutions to enhance civic engagement, improve mobility, and activate public life in public spaces. Chad was named to the inaugural class.