AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Camden Community Partnership (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
A vacant lot on North Camden's waterfront was unappealing and attracted illegal dumping. The Camden Community Partnership decided to give the lot new life by turning it into a gathering space for residents of all ages. As part of larger efforts to activate the space, the Partnership commissioned a local artist to create a mural onsite. The artist asked older adults questions about their community and used their responses to inform the mural's design, which volunteers helped paint onto a nearby building. Since its completion, project organizers say the mural has served as a model for other local public art projects, with three additional murals in the works. The new greenspace has also tied into other community building work, including development of trail along the Delaware and Cooper Rivers.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Dunedin, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project added universal-access picnic tables to the playground at the library. It also created a story walk with signage explaining the city's history and other distinctions.
West Chester, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed ADA-compliant seating and tables, plus a security camera, to an underused terrace outside the library.
Ludington, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed picnic tables on the grounds of Big Sable Lighthouse to provide a place for visitors to rest.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Camden, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To help people reach Cramer Waterfront Park on foot or by bicycle, this demonstration project tested several street safety improvements. Organizers added crosswalks and temporary curb ramps to a nearby intersection. They also swapped bike and parking lanes in an effort to separate cyclists from vehicle traffic. The Camden Community Partnership collected data to evaluate the traffic calming interventions, which they will use to inform permanent infrastructure upgrades.
Camden, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project will support the Golden Brush Collective's creation of a mural in Camden's Centerville neighborhood in order to celebrate the area's cultural history and engage residents in the design process.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP New Jersey State Office
303 George Street
Suite 505
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
United States