LaBelle, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Downtown LaBelle was once a thriving destination, but in recent years many businesses have moved to different parts of town. Particularly challenging was an unusable tennis court, which sat vacant right in the heart of the downtown. To make the area more attractive to residents and visitors, the LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation created a new, multigenerational space in the footprint of the tennis court. Project organizers removed the court's worn concrete and equipped the space with a roofed gazebo, placing seating and game tables underneath.

Chicago, IL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To promote walkability, economic development and better quality of life for residents, the Chicago Department of Transportation created a replicable prototype for a People Spot. Consisting of a wooden platform, the People Spots transform on-street parking spaces into outdoor patios. To help neighborhood groups set up their own People Spots, the City published construction plans and an assembly manual for the parklets online. Part of the City's Livable Streets Program, organizers say the temporary infrastructure helps neighborhoods overcome economic hardship by encouraging residents to walk and frequent local businesses. The City installed its first People Spot in the South Side Chatham neighborhood in 2018. That iteration measured about six feet wide by 20 feet long, but the platforms can be as long as 80 feet.

San Antonio, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The City of San Antonio's World Heritage Office made improvements to the World Heritage Trail, which connects five Spanish colonial missions. The trail is one of only 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the U.S. To make the trail a more inviting place for people of all ages to walk, run and bike, the City added an interactive art installation beneath a highway overpass, which depicts each mission's location along the San Antonio River. They also installed limestone benches along the trail. Project organizers say the upgrades are meant to help visitors view a series of murals painted as part of a public art initiative.