Roswell, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Roswell often experiences daytime temperatures well over 112 degrees Fahrenheit. The tourist town also welcomes more than 200,000 tourists each year. This project set out to help visitors and residents alike walk in downtown Roswell despite the brutal heat. Over the course of several years, Maitreet Roswell collected plastic bottle caps and container lids -- part of an effort it called Bottlecaps to Benches. Project organizers then sent a tractor trailer full of the caps to a recycling plant in Indiana, which sent back 30 benches made from recycled plastic. Maitreet Roswell then installed the benches throughout the town's commercial district, allowing pedestrians to sit and recover from the heat.

Port Orford, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To revitalize Port Orford's downtown and make it more walkable, the City installed benches with built-in planters along Main Street. Sites chosen for the new benches included the local food co-op, a quilt shop and a Norwegian restaurant. A construction crew from a nearby correctional facility built four bench-planter combos. High school students made plaques to recognize the inmates for their work and AARP for funding the building supplies. After installation, the local arts council set up the community's traditional holiday crab-pot tree next to one of the benches and added festive decorations to its planter. Project organizers report downtown property owners are thrilled with the improvements and the City plans to continue adding seating to Main Street.

Jackson, MS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The City of Jackson set out to demonstrate the value of vibrant public spaces. This project was part of larger open streets efforts, which close streets to vehicle traffic residents to gather, walk and play there. First, the City created a parklet on Congress Street downtown. The temporary mini-park fit in the footprint of an on-street parking space. The City outfitted the space with outdoor furniture, allowing residents to relax and socialize. Organizers say the parklet also drove business to local restaurants, providing outdoor dining space for customers. To gauge residents' reaction to the space, the City conducted a survey during the pop-up. The City has since worked to develop guidelines for parklet creation, allowing local businesses to set up their own outdoor spaces.