Des Moines, IA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Des Moines' first Complete Streets design boosted walking and biking along Ingersoll Avenue, but busy driveways posed safety risks, especially for older adults more vulnerable in collisions. To address this, the district installed 40 "Watch for Pedestrians & Cyclists" signs at many local properties, creating a consistent safety message across the corridor. With pedestrian visits topping 2 million annually and bike traffic doubling, the permanent signage strengthens long-term safety and complements the city's vision. "We want to encourage this as much as we can and keep our residents safe," said one property owner, underscoring community support.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Sutton, WV

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: The Town of Sutton is home to a popular community garden and vibrant farmers market, but the two were cut off from each other by a busy street. To help residents take advantage of both amenities, Sutton Community Development Corporation connected the spaces by adding a crosswalk. Volunteers painted the crossing's pavement with bright colors, making it more visible to passing drivers. They also planted flags along the path between the garden and market to guide people from one to the other. Additionally, the CDC improved gathering spaces at the garden and market. They added tables and seating to the garden space to allow people to gather there. To improve the market space, volunteers installed string lights and shade sails and cleaned up a state area at the market, which had been damaged in high winds.

Tucson, AZ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: With brightly painted asphalt, street furniture and large urns hosting potted cacti and other native plants, Tucson's Living Streets Alliance transformed the intersection of 6th Avenue and 7th Street, an area known locally as Corbett Porch. For years, the intersection had been dangerous ground for pedestrians and cyclists. By using inexpensive materials -- such as paint, planters and pliable posts -- to narrow the roadway and create a new, street-adjacent public space, the porch became a street for people. Where only 1 in 4 drivers previously stopped at the intersection's stop signs, a survey found that more than 1 in 3 were obeying the law. Meanwhile, Tucsonans flocked to the public space. Until it was removed to make way for a permanent reconfiguration, the project proved to be such a popular place to see and be seen, it even got its own hashtag: CorbettPorch.