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Black Cornerstones (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Walk Audits
└ Walk Audits
Unsafe sidewalks and crossings near 87th and Stony Island left older adults hesitant to walk and feeling isolated. Black Cornerstones audited 253 intersections, gathered resident stories and launched the Reimagine Stony Campaign. The effort produced a detailed walk plan, formed a walking club and hosted a block party to share findings. These steps sparked ongoing safety improvements and inspired similar efforts in other neighborhoods. One participant, age 84, said, "I used to be afraid to walk around my block, but now I feel safe and connected to my neighbors."
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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Phoenix, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: A key Phoenix corridor lacked safe, walkable conditions, creating hazards for older adults who rely on it as a primary route. To address this, TigerMountain Foundation led a walk audit that identified broken sidewalks and poor crossings, engaged volunteers and added several hazards to the city's official repair list. The project educated residents on how to report issues and spurred interest among officials to prioritize fixes. TMF used the city's 311 system to escalate forgotten repairs, ensuring improvements move forward.
Easton, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: A walk audit during the group's Healthfest revealed cracked sidewalks, blocked ramps and unsafe crossings in downtown Easton, limiting mobility for older adults. The audit led to recommendations for repairs, wheelchair-accessible paths and pedestrian-controlled signals at key intersections. Findings were shared with city officials to prompt safety improvements. "Incorporating the Walk Audit was very enlightening to help the...population of downtown Easton," organizers said, noting the effort gave residents a voice in shaping safer streets.
Montclair, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: This project will conduct walk audits near Judy Weston Garden and Edgemont Park Senior Center. Volunteers will survey sidewalks, intersections, and paths to identify ways to increase safe usage.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Busy intersections along 79th Street posed serious safety risks for pedestrians, including older adults, in one of Chicago's high-crash corridors. To slow traffic and improve visibility, the initiative installed colorful pavement art at key crossings and trained local youth to assist with the work, giving them new trade skills. Residents say the redesigned intersections feel safer and easier to navigate. The project is expected to reduce pedestrian accidents and has sparked plans for similar improvements along the corridor, reinforcing efforts to make the area safer and more vibrant.
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: A six-block stretch along a busy bus route lacked benches, leaving older adults without a place to rest while waiting for transit. The council installed a hexagonal tree bench near a major stop, offering shaded seating where none existed before. Volunteers assembled and maintain the bench as part of park cleanups. "They were amazed that anyone had thought to provide this welcome addition," said a volunteer, reflecting community gratitude. The bench now offers a permanent, comfortable spot for community members to wait for buses or enjoy the park.
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