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City of Tucson Planning and Development Services Department (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Housing Choice Design Competitions
└ Housing Choice 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 Choice 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.
Rock Falls, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Blackhawk Hills Regional Council sought to address the need for practical housing designs that support multigenerational living and accessibility in rural communities. Their regional design competition drew 11 submissions judged on universal design, affordability and flexible layouts that help older adults and families live together comfortably. Most entries incorporated strong accessibility features, giving residents and leaders clear examples of how modern housing concepts can be built. Public voting helped introduce these ideas across the region. The project produced a library of designs that BHRC will exhibit in 2026 and explore for construction, offering a roadmap for future builds and local adoption.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Cleveland Heights, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: Zoning barriers and high costs limited Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), reducing housing options for older adults. To build awareness and momentum, the city hosted an ADU design competition that drew 28 submissions and over 5,300 online views. Three winning designs will become pre-approved plans, and a showcase event engaged residents and media. These steps laid the groundwork for zoning changes and future ADU construction, offering affordable, accessible housing. One resident said, "After decades of dreaming of a garage conversion for me in my golden years, I was thrilled to learn my city would reconsider zoning."
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.
South Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Primavera Foundation improved the La Capilla neighborhood's community garden by building raised bed planters, adding ADA-compliant benches and making garden walking paths more accessible. In addition, the Foundation purchased ergonomic and adaptive tools, since the majority of residents who use the garden are older adults, often accompanied by their grandchildren. The garden improvements coincided with the City of South Tucson's Greenway Redevelopment Project, which brought public art to the neighborhood. To celebrate local residents' heritage, project organizers also installed a walking path to a mural located next to the garden. That mural -- created by student artists -- pays homage to the Yaqui and Mexican American cultures. Since this project's completion, the Foundation has made similar upgrades to another community garden.
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