Houston, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood live in apartment buildings, which lack outdoor space. Organizers with My Connect Community set out to give these residents a place to gather. They created a placemaking tool kit tailored to multifamily property owners. The kit includes portable carts adorned with laser-cut designs meant to represent Gulfton's diversity. Each cart also features a shade umbrella and a chalkboard. Additionally, the kits include outdoor rugs, bistro lighting and seating. Then My Connect Community hosted a series of pop-up events on side streets and in on-street parking spaces. The temporary activations gave Gulfton residents a chance to socialize with one another and allowed organizers to share information about community resources, such as public transit service and library programming. In the future, My Connect Community hopes to ensure community events are culturally informed and engage volunteers who speak residents' languages.

Youngstown, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Residents of Youngstown's Boulevard Park neighborhood lacked access to public outdoor spaces. So the Boulevard Park Block Watch decided to create a pocket park. Volunteers worked to activate two overgrown empty lots, laying concrete for a walking path, planting shrubs and fruit trees, installing accessible picnic tables and adding seating -- including porch swings -- to the space. Since the improvements, project organizers say residents have begun strolling along the walking path. They say the new pocket park gives community members a safe place to gather and relax in nature, even in Boulevard Park's urban setting. In the future, Youngstown hopes to add more pocket parks across the city.

Toledo, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The library will replace its building's roof, preserving an important community space in Toledo's downtown, which is recovering following a series of devastating fires.