Logan, IA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Older adults in Logan lacked safe outdoor spaces and reliable internet, often sitting on library steps to access Wi-Fi. The library addressed this by adding a covered gazebo, ADA-compliant picnic table and extended Wi-Fi outdoors. Volunteers, most age 50-plus, built seating and decorated the space, creating a welcoming area for gatherings. The project boosted visits and social engagement, with one resident mentioning that a project like this has long been overdue. Plans include adding solar charging stations and a community notice board to keep the momentum going.

Ashland, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: A survey showed residents in Ashland wanted more outdoor seating in the city's downtown. As part of larger efforts to revitalize the commercial district the City worked with Ashland Main Street to install decorative benches. The City engaged teams of artists -- including college students and staff from the local food co-op -- to design artwork for the seating. Then, with the help of volunteers, project organizers then installed one bench on every block of Ashland's nine-block commercial area. Each depicts imagery related to the community's identity, including scenes from local history or ecology. Paying homage to nearby Lake Superior, several benches have a water theme. Project organizers say Ashland is known as the mural capital of Wisconsin, and the benches work with other public art installations to draw people to visit downtown.

Harrisburg, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Vacant lots in Harrisburg's Allison Hill neighborhood -- which make up about a third of the neighborhood's land area -- were overgrown with weeds and debris, attracted crime and often served as illegal dumping sites. To address this, the Tri County Community Organization set out to clean up eight lots. Volunteers cleared the sites of debris, installed fencing and planted low-maintenance grass that only grows to six inches in height. "This project opens up the space so that there's no place to hide for crime, so this project really helps to bring beauty to the neighborhood," Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Donnell Brown said. Now that the lots are cleaned up, project organizers hope the spaces will help raise property values, as well as provide residents with a gathering space.