How do you choose 126 good ideas for cities from the more than 7,000 proposals submitted to the first Knight Cities Challenge?

It wasn’t easy.  But, as of today, we’ve asked 126 happy finalists to submit final applications in three weeks with more details about their ideas.

It’s an exciting time for them but also for us at Knight Foundation. It is a privilege to meet so many people who are passionate about their communities and who are working to make them better. Soon, we’ll have plans and budgets and bios that we and our reviewers will pore over to make the even tougher decision about which applicants become Knight Cities Challenge winners.

Each of the 26 Knight communities had at least one applicant named as a finalist, and Detroit had the largest number of applicants: 1,365! Detroit also had the largest number of finalists: 25.

As we said when we launched the challenge, we know that accelerating talent, opportunity and engagement are critical factors to the success of cities. We just don’t know all the ways to make that happen, but we were pleased to see several common themes emerge about how people would pursue this work.

We identified the biggest category of finalists as projects that sought to bring public life back to public spaces with almost 24 percent of the total. That was followed by supporting a changing urban economy, 20 percent; promoting a robust civic life, 17 percent; building connections between diverse communities, 11 percent; changing the stories communities tell about themselves, 11 percent; reimagining civic assets, such as libraries, parks, trails and school grounds, 10 percent; and retaining talent, 7 percent. Seeing these themes emerge, we are so excited to learn more about what the challenge finalists are planning.

When our reviewers were trying to choose their top applications, they kept returning to four questions:

• Will this idea advance talent attraction and retention, economic opportunity or robust civic engagement in this city?
• Can we learn something from this idea?
• Can we imagine a possible path to financial sustainability?
• Is this an idea we want to hear more about?

Frankly, some applications made our reviewers ask, Can they really do that? But at this early stage, reviewers generally gave applicants the benefit of the doubt if they saw promise in the idea.

What happens with the applications that didn’t make it?  Some are likely to receive separate funding because they align with the strategies for specific Knight communities. Others may find new collaborators among other applicants. (Convenings of challenge applicants have already been held in San Jose, Calif., and in Akron, Oho.) Still others will find funding for their work elsewhere (including, as some applicants have told us, their own pockets). 

One of the challenges we face as funders is that we have to choose among good ideas, many times very good ideas. That was the case in the Knight Cities Challenge. We hope to stay in touch with everyone who participated and make them part of the Knight network. Anyone working to make his or her city better is someone we want to know.

In three weeks the final applications will be in, and we will announce the winners, who will receive a share of $5 million, before April 1.   

We are deeply grateful to those who submitted applications and to our reviewers who spent hours reading them.

We can’t wait to see the full applications. I am confident this group of civic innovators has a lot to teach us at Knight.

Columbus, Ga.

• Death of the Bench (Submitted by Brian Phelps): Replacing fixed benches in public spaces with mobile tables and chairs that can be arranged in multiple configurations and monitored by sensors in real time to improve community engagement.
• Minimum Grid: Maximum Impact by MidTown Inc. (Submitted by Anne King): Establishing a grid of bicycle and pedestrian lanes to connect the entertainment and business district of Uptown with the 24 diverse neighborhoods of MidTown.
• Property Development Using Community Gardens by River Valley Regional Commission (Submitted by Jim Livingston): Adapting vacant lots into community gardens and using the gardens as a springboard to develop the real estate management skills of local residents.  

Macon, Ga.

• Make It Happen in Macon Community Venture Capital Fund (Submitted by Lakey Boyd): Providing seed funding for businesses, causes and projects every month by having residents vote online to select five top ideas that will be presented in a forum where community judges will make final selections. 
• Operation Export Macon by College Hill Alliance (Submitted by Joshua Lovett): Fostering city pride by creating a roving camper van showcasing the best  food, goods and experiences Macon has to offer.
• Park Advocate Macon (submitted by Geoffrey Boyd): Creating an organization to bring together community volunteer groups interested in improving and maintaining local parks as vibrant community engagement venues.
• SparkMacon Is Sparking Innovative Thinking for Macon-Bibb by SparkMacon (Submitted by Robert Betzel): Building on the success of a new makerspace in downtown Macon by hiring a full-time director and offering structured programming for members and the community.