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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
Chiloquin, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: The project will transform a gravel lot into a park with accessible features, including non-slip concrete surfaces and ADA-compliant seating areas, to allow older adults to relax and socialize.
Wilton Manors, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To improve the aesthetic appeal of Coral Gardens Park, this project installed new lighting, plants and a Little Free Library. It also engaged community members through a renaming contest and block party.
Royal Oak, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: The city will add accessible seating and picnic tables to the local senior center and nearby park. The benches and tables will replace dilapidated amenities that are not ADA-compliant.
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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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