Civic innovators from across the country submitted more than 4,500 ideas to this year’s Knight Cities Challenge. That’s a lot of ideas. More importantly, that’s a lot of people who care enough about their city to sit down and write about what they want to do to make it more successful. Picking a set of finalists from that field is a daunting and difficult task.

After two months of reading and deliberating and receiving invaluable advice and support from more than 40 grantees and experts who we called reviewers, today we’re announcing 158 finalists in this year’s challenge.

The finalists have until the end of January to submit full applications. We’ll review those applications and the recommendations, budgets, renderings and other supporting documents that come with them, alongside another set of reviewers and Knight’s board of trustees. I’m sure we’ll have an even tougher time deciding who actually ends up winning this year’s challenge awards.

Columbus, Ga.

Active Transportation Made Easy and Affordable (submitted byBrinkley B. Pound): Improving community life and building connections between neighborhoods, businesses and other favorite places by providing affordable and sustainable options for resident and visitor access to bicycles.

Evolving MidTown: Lot by Lot, Block by Block by Incremental Development Alliance (submitted by Jim Kumon): Recruiting and training a diverse group of individuals on skills to become small-scale developers; participants will use distressed or underused lots as beta projects and receive access to investors and other resources.

Light the Way by Columbus Consolidated Government Community Reinvestment Division (submitted by Phillip Trocquet): Stringing lights between buildings in distressed areas of Columbus where mixed commercial building density is high, but development is low; the project aims to promote safety, more street activity and development in these areas.

Chattahoochee River Swim by Housing Authority of Columbus (submitted by Len Williams): Building an enclosed pool in the Chattahoochee River neighborhood adjacent to the Chase Homes public housing development that will encourage diverse residents from across the city to meet and connect.

Urban Glen by city of Columbus (submitted by Phillip Trocquet): Creating “urban glens” -- inviting spaces with trees, lights and hammocks -- on vacant and overgrown lots to encourage people to meet and connect, while cleaning up city-owned properties.

Macon, Ga.

Macon General Store (submitted by David Moore): Transforming a vacant storefront into a marketplace that gives rising entrepreneurs the opportunity to sell local products.

The Tindall Project: Voices From the Hood (submitted by Deborah-Patrice Hamlin)

Engaging the the historic Tindall Heights Housing Project community in event-driven discussions about Macon’s rich musical heritage and showcasing the city’s new musical talent.

Intergenerational Pop-Up Park Goes Permanent by Macon Bibb County Parks and Beautification (submitted by Stephen Lawson): Creating a pop-up park to encourage connections among seniors, children and families from different backgrounds and income levels.

Neighborhood Incubator by Historic Macon Foundation (submitted byEthiel Garlington): Teaching citizens how to organize neighborhood associations that would help address community challenges such as crime, litter, blight and other issues.

Pop-Up Minimum Grid in Macon by NewTown Macon (submitted by Josh Rogers): Creating a pop-up minimum grid that would allow citizens to explore their city safely on foot or on bicycles; the project would expand a trail system from the river to downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.