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City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Housing Design Competitions
└ Housing Design Competitions
High housing costs in Tucson strain older adults, and while ADUs were legalized to expand options, homeowners lacked guidance and resources. The city launched a design competition that drew 63 submissions, selected 10 winning plans and created a model plan library with a website to simplify permitting and reduce costs. Public engagement events and educational materials boosted awareness. The effort accelerated ADU adoption and sparked community interest, with one participant noting, "I am very excited to bring more housing options to Tucson and AZ!"
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Fresno, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Design Competitions
Description: High housing costs and limited multigenerational options in Fresno leave older adults with few affordable choices. To address this, the organization launched an ADU design competition, engaging professionals and students to create sustainable, accessible concepts. Designs were showcased at a public expo with educational materials on permitting and a permanent resource webpage. The effort sparked regional dialogue and plans for a spring roundtable on affordability.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Tampa, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Design Competitions
Description: Tampa's housing crisis has left many residents, including older adults, struggling to afford shelter. To spotlight a flexible solution, Habitat Hillsborough hosted an ADU Design Competition, drawing six teams from schools and architecture firms. At a public event, participants pitched designs to a panel of experts and eight winners were selected. Plans will be posted online for public use, and the contest sparked interest among policymakers and residents. "The kids got to have hands-on experience using CAD" and gained valuable lifelong experience said one of the teachers, underscoring the project's impact on future housing innovation.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
San Antonio, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Housing Design Competitions
Description: San Antonio needed affordable housing options for older adults, but residents lacked awareness of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Citymakery launched an outreach campaign with an informational video and a design competition, drawing 275 submissions and engaging families and students. The effort expanded through social media and libraries, sparking citywide interest and informing plans for permit-ready ADU designs. "The design process let me reflect on caring for my grandfather," said one winner, showing how the initiative connected housing solutions to real family needs.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: With brightly painted asphalt, street furniture and large urns hosting potted cacti and other native plants, Tucson's Living Streets Alliance transformed the intersection of 6th Avenue and 7th Street, an area known locally as Corbett Porch. For years, the intersection had been dangerous ground for pedestrians and cyclists. By using inexpensive materials -- such as paint, planters and pliable posts -- to narrow the roadway and create a new, street-adjacent public space, the porch became a street for people. Where only 1 in 4 drivers previously stopped at the intersection's stop signs, a survey found that more than 1 in 3 were obeying the law. Meanwhile, Tucsonans flocked to the public space. Until it was removed to make way for a permanent reconfiguration, the project proved to be such a popular place to see and be seen, it even got its own hashtag: CorbettPorch.
Pima County, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Public space improvements to increase high-speed internet availability
Description: Supported telehealth services will be offered at community sites, with trained navigators available. The program will improve health care access in rural areas.
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