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Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Walk Audits
└ Walk Audits
Missoula's farmers markets are vital for older adults using SNAP. Yet uneven brick streets, steep ramps and missing sidewalks make access difficult. To address this, the Coalition led walk audits at three markets, covering 2.1 miles and 23 intersections with more than 40 volunteers, including older adults. Audits revealed hazards like debris and poor crossings and tested a mock Neighborway with painted paths and planters to show safer routes. Findings prompted city leaders to integrate accessibility audits into future planning and advanced momentum for permanent improvements. Participants spoke highly of the Neighborway and felt safer having a dedicated space for non-motorized traffic.
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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Boston, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: WalkUP Roslindale focused on pedestrian safety issues in Roslindale Square that made everyday walking difficult for older adults and people using wheelchairs. Cracked sidewalks, missing or damaged curb ramps and short crossing times at busy intersections forced some residents into traffic to keep moving. The group led three walk audits that engaged more than 35 residents age 50 and over, documenting hazards along key routes. The audits prompted action by city departments, including temporary repairs to heaved sidewalks, fixes to curb cuts and added crossing time at a nearby intersection. One wheelchair user participated in all three audits and shared video of barriers that made a short trip unsafe, helping push repairs within weeks. The project elevated lived experience into ongoing transportation planning, ensuring pedestrian safety remains visible as longer term changes in the square move forward.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Centennial, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Older adults and people with mobility challenges faced barriers accessing a 71-mile urban trail, making safety and usability urgent concerns. The project engaged residents in walk audits and partnered with local university students for a trail-wide accessibility review. Feedback led to a pilot "slow zone" to curb speeding cyclists and informed plans for resurfacing that will widen paths and add ADA ramps. These audits created a model for future engagement, ensuring older adults voices shape trail improvements.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
New York, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Older adults navigating dense city neighborhoods often face hidden accessibility barriers, from uneven sidewalks to businesses that are difficult to enter. Without clear, shared information, these obstacles can limit independence and everyday movement. AXS Lab addressed this gap by hosting three community mapping events that invited residents to document real-world accessibility conditions using walk audits and digital mapping tools. Participants reviewed streets, parks and businesses and contributed hundreds of observations based on lived experience. The effort supported conversations with local officials and community partners and helped businesses better understand accessibility needs. By turning on-the-ground knowledge into shared data, the project strengthened community awareness and created a foundation for ongoing advocacy focused on improving access for older adults.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Missoula's Transportation Planning hoped to improve safety at a busy intersection in the Riverfront neighborhood, while also giving people a space to gather. First, project organizers asked residents and local business owners for their ideas to improve the streetscape. Ahead of activating the intersection, the city's public works department made upgrades to pavement and water mains. Based on community feedback, Missoula Transportation Planning then created bulb-outs, which extend the curb into the intersection, giving pedestrians extra space, making them more visible to drivers and shortening the distance needed to cross the road. Curb ramps make the crosswalks accessible. To create a seating area, they also created two parklets -- mini-parks that fit in the footprint of on-street parking spaces. The parklets featured art, a space to park bikes and decorative foliage.
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: To improve public health and increase residents' physical activity, the City of Missoula launched the Rx Trails program. Through the initiative, the local Parks and Recreation Department partners with local health care providers encourage patients to walk. The City worked to designate a path through McCormick Park as an Rx trail -- pathways featuring amenities including, drinking fountains, benches and accessible parking. They installed two benches and posted a map to help visitors navigate the trail. Additionally, they distributed promotional materials to residents to inform them about Rx Trails.
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