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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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See More Projects Like This One
Belle Chasse, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will create new pickleball courts and a walking trail. These investments will establish an older adult walking club and pickleball tournament, promoting health, socialization, and year-round outdoor activity.
Cornwall, VT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will create an ADA-compliant walking path in a new recreation area, providing direct access to amenities like benches, exercise stations, pickleball/tennis courts, a picnic pavilion, and a pollinator garden.
Lillian, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will transform an unused porch into a welcoming social space with seating, game tables, and a grill. It will offer classes, games, yoga, and volunteer opportunities, helping older adults connect and reduce isolation.
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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