Bristol, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: The town will prepare for the opening of a new senior and community center by conducting sidewalk audits downtown. They will also hold workshops to recruit volunteers and connect residents with town leaders.

New Orleans, LA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Structured walk audits will review sidewalk and crossing conditions along Bayou St. John and Lafitte Greenway corridors. Findings will guide targeted repairs that reduce fall risks.

Houston, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Fit Houston addressed safety and access gaps that made walking difficult for older adults in several neighborhoods connected to a bayou trail corridor. Residents had limited opportunities to share firsthand concerns about sidewalks, crossings and routes they rely on to reach parks and everyday destinations. Through four walk audits, Fit Houston walked alongside residents, documented hazards and accessibility barriers and identified priority corridors frequently used by older adults. The effort also built local partnerships and equipped the team with the skills to conduct future audits. Findings from the audits elevated resident voices in county planning discussions and are shaping follow-up conversations with planners about funding and next steps. In some areas, the work prompted advocacy where residents described long-standing frustrations with local utility responsiveness, grounding future infrastructure plans in lived experience rather than assumptions.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.