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City of Osceola (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
Osceola's Rosenwald Park has a popular playground and is located near the county's older adult residential and recreational facility but has always lacked a paved path and sufficient shade for visitors in the hotter months. To improve the park, the City of Osceola built an ADA-accessible walking track that encircles the playground and links it to the sidewalk at the Mississippi County Senior Center. Meanwhile, city planners also worked with a community donor to plant more than a dozen red oaks, which provide a lush, sustainable shade canopy. Organizers say the upgrades have made the park more user friendly for visitors of all ages and abilities.
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See More Projects Like This One
Honolulu, HI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging residents alongside thought leaders in problem solving
Description: An interactive exhibit at Children and Youth Day events educated young people about the importance of age-friendly cities. The event, held annually at the state capitol building, attracts 40,000 attendees each year. Students from a local high school created the virtual reality experience using the popular Minecraft video game. The virtual video presents a simulated tour of an age-friendly neighborhood. The student designers based the experience on a World Youth Congress workshop, where delegates conducted a walk audit of Honolulu's Chinatown. After donning their virtual reality goggles, Youth Day participants took a survey on age-friendly communities. In the years since, Age-Friendly Honolulu has continued to conduct walk audits and engage schools and youth groups in its advocacy work.
Sedgwick, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: The project will create an easily-traversed walking path and viewing platform, as well as a ramp that allowing for easy access to the shore.
Natick, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Trails
Description: This community engagement initiative sought to identify solutions to allow older adults and people with mobility issues to use off-road trails in Natick. Project organizers met with town staff ahead of two focus groups with older adults, who shared their experiences with local trails. Additionally, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council created an online survey to collect more feedback. Older adults said their main concerns were access to bathrooms, personal safety, clear signage, availability of parking near trailheads, even walking surfaces and benches to sit on. MAPC then held a placemaking event at the Natick Community-Senior Center. Attendees could walk along a prototype trail with photos of planned upgrades and hear from MAPC staff. Participants also had a chance to share their personal stories about the things they've discovered while hiking. The result was a list of practical, low-cost action items the town can use to improve Natick's pathways.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Blytheville, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: This project added new curb ramps suitable for wheelchair users in the downtown area.
Memphis, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The City of Memphis hoped to encourage residents of the Crosstown neighborhood to walk. They replaced and repaired sidewalks at the Lewis Center, the local senior center. To encourage people to use a new urban walking trail, the City also installed signage directing people to the path. A designated rest stop along the trail includes benches and planters, giving walkers a place to stretch, rest and socialize. Future plans include upgrades to crosswalks at the neighborhood senior center, as well as accessibility improvements at other public facilities and outdoor spaces. The Lewis Center also hopes to convene walking groups, giving older adults the opportunity to exercise in a social setting.
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