Woodburn, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project created a public community gathering space in the heart of one of Oregon's largest older adult communities.

Veneta, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at the Fern Ridge Public Library were determined to offer a safe outdoor space for residents to congregate. When a large, centuries-old Heritage Oak tree fell on library grounds, they took the opportunity to construct a courtyard, enlisting local artists to create benches from the tree's wood. To make the space inviting, volunteers planted native Oregonian plants and laid down gravel to create an accessible pathway. What had been a weed-covered yard became a peaceful seating area for casual meetings, quiet reading and public performances.

Charleston, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The American College of the Building Arts installed benches and a new pergola to create a multigenerational gathering space at the Community's Hope Impact Center, a local community center. The College saw the installation process as an opportunity for education, holding workshops on masonry where volunteers helped lay bricks for the space's walkway. With a goal of preserving, enriching and educating about architectural heritage, the organization trains artisans in traditional building crafts, such as carpentry and forging architectural iron. It was founded in the wake of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which damaged or destroyed much of coastal South Carolina's historic architecture.