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Arboretum Detroit (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Accessibility of amenities
└ Accessibility of amenities
Lots in Detroit's Poletown neighborhood left older adults and neighbors without safe access to nature. The project installed an ADA-compliant boardwalk and gathering deck with seating. It was connected to accessible paths and created a focal point for the Circle Forest restoration. These improvements allow residents and care facility visitors to enjoy the outdoors and socialize. "Workers tell me how happy they are to get away and recharge during their shift," said a project lead, noting the space now draws neighbors daily.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Tempe, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: Over the years, Tempe has worked to become a dementia-friendly city. More than 1,500 of the city's residents have memory loss. To support these residents, the City hosts a weekly memory cafe. Caregivers can network with each other, and people exeperiencing Alzheimers and other forms of dementia can interact with each other and build friendships. Organizers hoped to make the building hosting the cafe more welcoming to participants. To do this, they improvided wayfinding onsite. The City installed signage with easily-understood icons, large print and high color contrast. The signs point people to classrooms, the onsite fitness center, the intformation desk and restrooms.
Littleton, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: In rural Littleton, winter weather and lack of transit often isolate older adults from civic life. The community center tackled this by installing high-speed internet, streaming equipment and a public laptop, along with safety upgrades and lightweight tables for easier setup. Residents can now join meetings and events online, reducing barriers for those unable to travel. The improvements also enhance security and convenience for groups using the historic building. A town official praised the new streaming service, saying it will "encourage more community engagement."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Cokeville, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: To help visitors with disabilities access its programming, the Cokeville Senior Citizens Center made repairs to its buildings and grounds. To make the Center ADA-complaint, project organizers replaced dangerous, crumbling concrete, repaired a stairway, constructed a new sidewalk to the parking lot and replaced a deteriorated wooden deck. The Center also beautified its courtyard to accommodate outdoor gatherings, adding a barbeque area, new lighting, seating and planters to grow vegetables.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Hamtramck, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: The City of Hamtramck wanted to create more equitable access to local public transit and pedestrian and bicycling routes. To allow older adults to access more transportation options, the City added benches along key transit, pedestrian and bicycling routes. To reach non-English speaking residents, they published informational brochures in Arabic, Bengali and English. Additionally, project organizers worked with the Detroit Institute of the Arts to install artwork near several benches. The project is part of larger plans for the Joe Louis Greenway, a 27-mile walking and biking trail that will extend from the Detroit riverfront to Hamtramck and other nearby communities.
Detroit, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To give older adults a space where they can interact with local children, Eden Gardens Block Club converted two vacant lots into an intergenerational playground. Ahead of the project, the Edens Garden surveyed residents about their preferences, with 80 percent of respondents asking for exercise equipment for older adults. Volunteers then worked to clear the site and install playground apparatuses, including swings, a see-saw bouncer and a cardio walker. Organizers say the space is now a source of community pride for the community.
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