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Alaska Trails (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Alaska Trails worked with Bike Anchorage to shape sustainable transportation in Anchorage. The two organizations educated residents about the city's Non-Motorized Transportation Plan, an effort to integrate bike, pedestrian and train networks into a multi-modal system. They also informed residents about Anchorage's Complete Streets policy, which aims to remake city streets to safely accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and bus riders of all ages and abilities. In addition, Alaska Trails supported Safe Routes to School, an initiative that promotes walking and bicycling to school. This outreach effort included social media posts, print and television news coverage and a newsletter. Alaska Trails continues to work to encourage locals to use the state's trails and each year Bike Anchorage holds a Winter Bike Fest to promote cycling in the city.
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Bridgeport, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To create community cohesion and connection, Groundwork Bridgeport's walking club hosted three intergenerational walking events in Bridgeport's downtown and along its waterfront. Using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit as a guide, participants helped identify important community destinations, as well as ways to improve the pedestrian experience. They also collected litter as they walked. Before each walk, volunteers placed temporary wayfinding stickers on the sidewalks to help the group navigate. Project organizers say the initiative's popularity demonstrated an appetite for walking activities and pedestrian paths in Bridgeport. Today, the organization continues to host its walking club, which meets every Saturday.
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Students in Albuquerque's International District faced unsafe routes to school, with traffic hazards and crime, while older adults nearby experienced isolation. The Walking School Bus launched biweekly walks, providing 453 safe passages supported by 261 volunteers, including older adults. The project also transformed the Wilson Trailway with murals and hosted visioning sessions to guide improvements. These efforts strengthened community ties, promoted pedestrian safety and created an intergenerational model where older adults and children walk together, fostering connection and shared responsibility.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Unsafe streets and limited transportation options in Glendale put older adults and children at risk near schools and local housing. The council developed an active transportation plan and installed traffic-calming murals to slow cars and engage residents. The plan sets long-term goals for safer, walkable streets and improved transit access, while murals sparked interest in 16 more locations. "The street murals were a fun and engaging way to connect with residents."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Anchorage lacked safe bike routes downtown, discouraging older adults from riding beyond trails and limiting access to social destinations. Bike Anchorage introduced a two-way protected bike lane and hosted nine group rides, including a Senior Center block party, to help residents experience the new design. Riders received safety gear and repair kits, building confidence and community support. The pilot cleared the way for future bike infrastructure. One participant said the rides showed bike lanes "aren't just infrastructure, they're a catalyst for community connection."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Anchorage, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Bike Audits
Description: Bike audits will review access near civic facilities located along roads under reconstruction. Project teams will use the data to include safer bike and pedestrian features in future roadway designs.
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