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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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Berkley, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Downtown Berkley's main corridor lacked safe, walkable routes for older adults, even near age-restricted housing, limiting social connection and daily well-being. To address this, the agency led walk audits along Coolidge during a popular Halloween event, engaging residents and collecting feedback on sidewalks and crossings. Surveys highlighted ideas for streetscape upgrades during planned road reconstruction. The audits advanced dialogue on walkability and influenced city planning. One older adult shared, "When the weather is good and I get to walk through downtown my day instantly gets better. There are a lot of friends I get to see in different shops and on the street."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Denver, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Older adults and people with disabilities in Denver face cracked sidewalks, missing curb ramps and unsafe crossings on the way to bus stops. Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council led a walk audit engaging 50-plus residents, including 28 older adults, to document hazards with a structured toolkit. One participant with limited mobility said they had avoided certain streets and felt hopeful that "real improvements could be made" once planners saw the data. The audit produced actionable findings for agencies to prioritize repairs and strengthened partnerships and advocacy so residents can press for safer walking routes to transit over time.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
High Point, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Southwest High Point struggles with high chronic disease rates and limited car access, making safe walking routes essential. A walk audit brought residents, local leaders and advocates together to examine hazards near schools and recreation centers. The audit flagged broken sidewalks, missing crosswalks and inadequate signage. It also educated participants on pedestrian safety and empowered them to push for improvements. The effort prompted ongoing collaboration through Age-Friendly Guilford and local task forces, ensuring concerns like unsafe crossings on Taylor Avenue remain central to future infrastructure plans.
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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