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Milwaukee, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project contributed to efforts to revitalize a park, creating a safe, outdoor gathering for residents of Milwaukee's Historic King Drive neighborhood. Improvements included bollards with solar-powered lights, accessible picnic tables, trash receptacles and orange benches branded with the name of the neighborhood. Additionally, the BID convened an art task force and used tax increment financing to fund a new mural in the neighborhood. The success of the project also build momentum for branding efforts in nearby neighborhoods.
Eufaula, OK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The City of Eufaula hoped to draw people to local businesses by increasing foot traffic on Main Street. To do this, the City created a music trail downtown. They installed 11 pairs of outdoor percussion instruments -- including xylophones and drums -- along a half-mile pathway, which winds past community landmarks. Additionally, project organizers displayed a map to inform passersby of the location of each instrument. The project is part of larger efforts to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased social isolation among residents and left local businesses -- including many owned by Native community members -- struggling to stay afloat.
Gary, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Residents of Genesis Towers -- an affordable housing complex for older adults -- often congregated in a vacant lot in Gary's downtown. This project set out to activate the lot into an accessible gathering space. Local students worked to gather input from residents about their hopes for the new park, and the City held design workshops. Plans for the space featured ADA-accessible walkways, seating, picnic tables and raised garden beds. Organizers also worked to provide free Wi-Fi access in the space, as well as a bike repair station. Organizers say the park is designed to host free or low-cost events -- part of the overarching goal of combatting social isolation through innovative public spaces.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Jenkins, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalk/crosswalk improvement
Description: This project will repair sidewalks, install benches and add community art along two downtown corridors frequented by older residents.
Whitesburg, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Expanding HighSpeed Internet
Description: This project will empower adults age 50 or over in Eastern Kentucky with training in artificial intelligence, digital tools, and internet safety.
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