Appleton, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To give residents more spaces to gather and socialize, Creative Downtown Appleton created a parklet. Volunteers repurposed two on-street parking spaces to create the mini-park, which they outfitted with seating, tables and LED lighting. To make the space accessible to wheelchair users and parents with strollers, organizers installed a ramp. Additionally, they installed bike racks nearby. Visitors to the parklet are welcome to pick herbs for free, which Creative Downtown Appleton planted onsite. Project organizers say the space supports nearby businesses -- the parklet offers people an outdoor seating option so they can enjoy coffee or meals purchased locally.

Monroeville, AL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Organizers with Monroeville's Main Street initiative hoped to draw residents to the city's historic downtown district. To give people a reason to gather outdoors, they added wheelchair-accessible game tables and seating in several locations, including the grounds of the Monroe County Museum, two parks, the local YMCA and a senior center. The organization also purchased checkers and chess game pieces, which are available to visitors to check out. Part of a larger campaign to decrease littering and encourage community pride, organizers also installed trash cans downtown. And to increase facetime with constituents, the newly elected mayor also called on residents to challenge him to a game of chess or checkers. Organizers say the placemaking project is meant to unite the community by giving people a place to connect with each other.

Nashville, TN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To help older adults age in place in their community, Rebuilding Together Nashville made improvements to three community spaces in the Bordeaux neighborhood. The nonprofit gathered feedback from residents to choose which spaces to update. At FiftyForward Bordeaux -- a senior center -- volunteers installed a shade structure, allowing visitors to comfortably gather outdoors. They also added a shed onsite and updated the center's interior, including painting and installing shelving. The Infinity Center is an after-school center that hosts children's theater and community classes. There, volunteers replaced windows, sealed water leaks and repaired a dilapidated deck. Finally, they helped Brooklyn Heights Community Garden transition from a group of raised beds to a full-scale urban farm. Volunteers demolished and moved old garden beds and prepared the site for a new pack and wash station, greenhouse and production garden.