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City of Tucson Housing and Community Development Department (2019) Print
2019 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Park enhancements
└ Park enhancements
City officials set out to revitalize the underused Francisco Elias Esquer Park, located around the corner from a large public housing community for older adults in Tucson's Barrio Blue Moon neighborhood. To address the needs of locals with disabilities, volunteers installed a wheelchair accessible walking path, benches and a dog comfort station for service animals. They also added passive water harvesting basins to draw birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. At a planting party for community members -- one of several events to publicize the new amenities -- neighbors spent a day digging in the dirt and enjoying a renewed sense of community.
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Chautauqua, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project added two tennis courts to the Chautauqua Institution's campus. One of the courts can be converted into two pickleball courts as needed. Pickleball -- a mashup of tennis and ping-pong, is a popular sport among older adults, since the game is both low-impact and fast-faced.
Omaha, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: As part of efforts to revitalize a vacant building in Upland Park, this project made accessibility upgrades nearby. Project organizers installed a new walking path and accessible seating onsite. To beautify the space, volunteers worked to create public art. Additionally, this project replaced temporary garden beds with permanent raised-bed planters, which allow people to garden without having to squat down -- making the activity possible for people of all ages and abilities.
St. Thomas, VI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will add shaded seating to a new recreational space -- part of efforts to revitalize an area decimated by hurricanes. Other new amenities will include a playground, skate and bike park, basketball court and open field space.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: This project will develop a design competition to promote accessory dwelling units and create a model plan catalog featuring ADUs that support a variety of needs, including for older adults and multigenerational families.
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Blue Moon Community Garden in Tucson is located next a 17-story apartment building with hundreds of residents, many of whom are older adults. However, the garden lacked shade and amenities, including public bathrooms and benches, which discouraged potential volunteers. Community Gardens of Tucson, which manages twenty gardens across the city, installed tables, benches and pop-up shade structures. They also built raised garden beds, improved pathways and added a compostable toilet onsite. The improvements allow garden to offer more diverse programming for community members, which has led to more volunteer engagement.
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