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City of Greeley (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
This project supported the City of Greeley's efforts to create a downtown corridor. The placemaking effort involved adding decorative light poles along State Highway 38.
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Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Public plazas are not always grand sometimes they can make a big impact in a tiny space. The Rogers Park Business Alliance and other project organizers purchased a pop-up People Spot from the nearby Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville. The Alliance then deployed the People Spot on Clark Street, with the aim of amping up pedestrian engagement along Rogers Parks' commercial corridor. Also known as a parklet, the mini plaza extends from the sidewalk in what would otherwise be a parking space. Featuring new wood benches and greenery, the parklet offers visitors a pleasant spot to rest or eat lunch. In the future, the Alliance will move the pop-up plaza to different locations throughout the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Wheeling, WV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will create a pocket park in downtown Wheeling that will feature outdoor art, chess tables and chairs in an ADA-compliant public space.
Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Portland's central business district has a number of neglected alleyways and streetcorners. To make walking though downtown easier -- and to attract pedestrians to local businesses -- Portland Downtown activated these spaces. They enlisted residents of an assisted living facility created murals on old doors. They also brightened up two alleys with overhead lighting. Organizers say the project improved safety, created art and engaged local businesses, all while making once-derelict areas more welcoming.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Dyersville, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space improvements to support recovery after extreme weather events
Description: As part of an efforts to recover from a flood, this project created a community plaza and amphitheater in Dyersville. The green space links to a walking and biking trail, which is connected to the city's downtown riverwalk. To make the new plaza accessible, project organizers added diagonal parking, made accessibility upgrades to crosswalks, created new sidewalks and built a stage and canopy onsite. Today the site hosts a market, concerts and movie nights. It is also a venue for Beyond the Game events -- a gathering marking Dyersville's baseball history as the site of the Field of Dreams.
Holy Cross, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will renovate the tennis court and add two pickleball courts with ADA access and portable benches. This will improve health and provide diverse recreational amenities for residents, especially those age 50 and over.
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