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Barelas Community Coalition (2019) Print
2019 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
The Barelas Community Coalition hoped to create a welcoming, multigenerational gathering space to allow community members to eat, play, and learn together. The organization constructed a shade structure, added a bench, installed solar lighting and displayed signage at a public courtyard. The outdoor area is part of the Las Esquinita complex, an indoor commercial space that includes a small food hall and artisan market. It is also located next to a new food truck park, which the Coalition helps manage. Today, the space serves as a public art venue where resident can communicate their ideas, wants and feelings alongside an existing mural. Project organizers say the project helped secure long-term support for their activation efforts and allowed the community to rally around local revitalization activities.
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Litchfield, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
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Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Springfield, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of wider corridor improvement efforts, the 1159 Southwest Community Development Corporation activated three vacant lots, transforming them into a public gathering space dubbed Grand Harmony. Volunteers installed porch swings, picnic tables, benches and a new grill at the site. They also added LED lighting and a storage shed. Project organizers say Grand Harmony's success has opened doors for other revitalization efforts. In December 2020, a local foundation provided 1159 South Community Development Corporation with funding to activate a nearby vacant lot into an inspiration garden.
Grand Rapids, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Faded sidewalk art along Plainfield Avenue made the corridor less inviting and harder to navigate, especially for older adults. To restore visibility and improve walkability, the group revitalized nearly one mile of sidewalks with new designs featuring wayfinding elements. Three volunteer painting days engaged residents of all ages, using adaptive tools so everyone could participate. The refreshed sidewalks now guide pedestrians to shops and public spaces, while the collaborative process strengthened intergenerational ties and sparked a sense of ownership that supports future placemaking efforts.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To help Albuquerque residents stay physically active and access nutritious food, the Mid-Region Council of Governments repurposed an underused parking lot into a pop-up community wellness and walking hup. Volunteers repurposed wooden pallets to construct benches, tables and planters. They also planted fruit trees and added bird feeders to the site. To give residents a space to meditate, organizers also created a wellness labyrinth onsite. Using paint, they delineated a walking path across the parking lot and created an artistic crosswalk nearby. Additionally, the Council created and displayed interactive walking maps -- available in both English and Spanish -- along with pavement decals displaying QR codes. The QR codes allow smartphone users to access information online about walking and nutrition programs. Organizers say the project is a first step in larger efforts to address health disparities experienced by the community's Latino, Hispanic and Native populations.
Albuquerque, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Activities that address social isolation and facilitate community connections
Description: The National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation set out to expand its popular book club for older adults. The club features Hispanic and Latinx authors, often inviting the writers to participate in club meetings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation shifted the book club to a virtual format, which helped expand attendance to members living outside of New Mexico. During club sessions, participants held lively conversations and developed book reviews and discussion questions. Featured books include Argentinian writer Selva Almada's novel, The Wind that Lays Waste and Maria Hinojosa's Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America. Project organizers say the club's success has inspired them to expand programming related to literature and history. Feedback gathered from book club participants will help inform these plans.
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