City of Charlotte (2018) Print

star-24px 2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee

Project Category

Public places
└ Public space activation
Before the advent of air conditioning, a Southern home was not complete without a front porch with a swing. To replicate the experience of gathering on a porch, the City of Charlotte installed swings at two bus stops in place of the more traditional bench. Located along Belmont Avenue -- a corridor where many older adults rely on public transportation -- the two-person swings provide a space for riders to socialize as they wait for their bus. Inspired by the popularity of the swings, the City is exploring other opportunities for placemaking around local bus stops.

See More Projects Like This One

Fort Lawn Community Center (2022)

Fort Lawn, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project installed ADA-compliant picnic tables and a gazebo with porch-type swings in the town's mini park, as well as benches for its walking track. Franklin County Master Gardener Volunteers also created concrete walking paths at both locations.

City of Hot Springs (2020)

Hot Springs, AR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project activated a space along Malvern Avenue, allowing visitors to enjoy a new mural paying tribute to cultural history. To showcase the mural, the City added a new sidewalk, greenery, iron sculptures and a music-themed bench nearby. The work was among the first reinvestments in an area that was known from the 1930s to 1960s as Black Broadway -- home to entertainment venues which hosted performances by legendary musicians, including Count Basie, Duke Ellington and B.B. King. Since its completion, the space -- which the City named Henry Glover Place -- has helped spark further revitalization. The City undertook four other neighborhood improvement projects nearby, including upgrades to a parking lot, new landscaping and building restorations. The City plans to make additional streetscape improvements in the future.

Village of Middleburgh (2017)

Middleburgh, NY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To make its parks and business district more accessible to a wide range of people, the Village of Middleburgh installed six benches and two multi-use tables. Village staff report those benches and tables proved useful during the COVID-19 pandemic when they provided older adults with a place for safe, outdoor activities. The project also attracted additional private and nonprofit donations for future improvements in Middleburgh and inspired plans for other accessibility projects, such as adding a wheelchair lift to the village hall.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Brand the Moth (2021)

Charlotte, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public art installations

Description: Charlotte's Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a popular place for pedestrians, but the path through the Parkwood underpass tunnel was dark and uninviting. Working with local partners, Brand the Moth gave the tunnel new life. The organization commissioned two local artists to design a mural, which volunteers helped install during a community paint day. The new artwork represents Charlotte's people, communities and nature. Residents and visitors can now take a walking tour through the mural. Project organizers say they hope the public art project attracts more people to use the greenway.

North End Community Coalition (2020)

Charlotte, NC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Access to high-speed internet

Description: Work-from-home protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the digital divide between those with high-speed internet access at home and those without a fast connection. To bridge that rift, the North End Community Coalition began a Wi-Fi lending program. The initiative allows residents to borrow tablets and hotspot devices for up to three weeks at no cost. In addition, the coalition partnered with local schools to provide hotspots and tablets to students. To bring connectivity to Charlotte's older residents, the coalition also wired two local senior apartment complexes for free Wi-Fi access. NECC has continued to work toward greater digital access by offering technology training. In 2022, the organization hosted an event with the Center for Digital Equity where North End residents received free laptops, met with digital navigators and had the option to sign up for reduced-cost internet service.

ABOUT THE AARP COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

Launched in 2017, the annual AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to local governments and nonprofits in order to fund quick-action, ready-to-implement projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages.

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