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City of Lincoln (2025) Print
2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
└ Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Many older adults struggled to use buses and bike share because of language barriers, unfamiliar technology and uncertainty about routes and fares. The City of Lincoln offered in-person trainings that showed participants how to ride transit and use bike share, supported by multilingual written and video materials. Older adults received hands-on guidance, free passes and help practicing trips, including when fixed-route transit or paratransit made sense. Participants reported greater confidence using transit for medical visits, shopping and social activities. Training materials and partnerships remain in use beyond the sessions.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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St. Louis, MO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To showcase possible long-term upgrades to the North Hanley light rail station in Cansonville, Mo., Citizens for Modern Transit held a pop-up festival. The event prioritized community engagement, giving participants several ways to share their ideas. The St. Louis County Department of Planning invited attendees to use Lego bricks to build a model of amenities they hoped to see at the station. People recorded themselves sharing their vision for the site at a self-expression stop. Visitors could also write their ideas on a large banner. To help inspire people, the event showcased murals created by a local artist. The feedback gathered during the event informed permanent changes. Today, visitors to the site will find new seating and shade structures, as well as murals painted on the pavement. The theme for that transformation is Transit: We All Ride Together. And since 2017, Citizens for Modern Transit has gone on to improve several other transit stops in the St. Louis region.
Salem, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: To help residents of Salem get around town, this project activated a vacant downtown storefront to create a pop-up summer program. Free and available to people of all ages and abilities, the program provided hands-on educational opportunities to help assist residents -- and especially older adults -- navigate the local public transit system. It also assisted participants find their way around downtown Salem.
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: While Wilmington has a thriving bike culture, it lacks bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to connect all parts of the community. To raise awareness of this issue, Urban Bike Project held four open streets events, which closed busy streets to vehicle traffic in different neighborhoods of the city. The reclaimed street space allowed residents to enjoy musical performances, play tennis in the road, pedal free rental bikes, register to vote, get caught up on vaccinations and receive fresh produce and recipes. Additionally, attendees shared their ideas for making streets safer with University of Delaware Living Labs volunteers. The Urban Bike Project plans to use their feedback to inform transportation projects that serve Wilmington residents, many of whom aren't always included in decision-making processes.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Lincoln, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Older adults in Lincoln faced barriers to bike share, from safety concerns to cost and lack of education. BikeLNK addressed these challenges through its Bike Share for All program, hosting four citywide events to teach bike share basics, demonstrate pedal-assist bikes and offer discounted memberships. The project also launched a Bike Share Ambassador program, training seven volunteers-most age 50-plus-to promote biking in their communities. These efforts expanded awareness and built a foundation for ongoing engagement. As one ambassador shared, "I encourage everyone to take advantage of the program... It's a wonderful opportunity for exercise and for the reduction of air pollution."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Lincoln, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: Home safety upgrades will be provided to low-income older adults through an existing weatherization program. Improvements like grab bars, better lighting and non-slip surfaces will help reduce fall risks and support safe aging at home.
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