AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Curry Ford West Inc. (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To promote safe, physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Curry Ford West created a pop-up park on a vacant lot. During a community event, two-hundred volunteers constructed a labyrinth onsite made of brightly painted recycled pallets. The park remained in place for a month. Project organizers say the park and labyrinth helped connect the community during a time when people were separated. They also report the pop-up project helped demonstrate to local government leaders the importance of community green space. In the future, Curry Ford West hopes to install more pop-up parks as part of its advocacy for more public spaces in Orlando.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Max, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To beautify its downtown, the City of Max added hanging flower baskets, benches and picnic tables, as well as raised garden beds. The undertaking was a community effort for the small town (Max only has 131 residents). A local community club picked out the flowers, with another group of older residents volunteering to plant them and keep them watered. Project organizers say they hope the brightened streetscape encourages residents to get out and stroll through downtown.
Forman, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The City of Forman transformed an empty lot into a pleasant gathering space, designed especially for older adults. The space is located on the city's Main Street, across from a senior center and next to the county health office. To activate the lot, the City installed paving stones and set up a two-person table with chairs. They also added planters, solar lights, a trash can, a metal bench and an arbor at the entrance. Flowers, shrubs and a community garden with six raised beds followed. As the only outdoor area on Forman's Main Street with seating, the site gave people a safe place to gather during the COVID-19 pandemic. With new businesses opening across the street, the City expects to see more pedestrian traffic in the neighborhood.
Seattle, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To help the Southwest Seattle Senior Center become a safer and more inviting gathering space, organizers with Rebuilding Together Seattle made physical improvements to the facility. This included refurbishing handrails, demolishing a shed and replacing it with expanded ADA-compliant parking for members, repainting the building's faade and sprucing up landscaping. RTS used the project to promote its Open Volunteer Days, attracting people from the community to assist with the work. The Center serves an area of Seattle with the city's highest poverty rates and largest share of low-income residents. Project organizers said they hoped the improvements would help position the Center as a safe haven and community hub.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Orlando, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: To make accessory dwelling units easier to understand and use, Orlando launched an education campaign focused on aging in place. The city created bilingual brochures, enhanced its website and hosted six community sessions plus a major event on home safety. Nearly 400 people attended, and materials remain available online and at community centers. The effort clarified permitting and financing options, helping families explore ADUs as a housing solution. As one participant noted, "Families need clear guidance on what makes an ADU and why it matters."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Orlando, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public spaces improvements to increase high-speed internet availability
Description: In the neighborhoods surrounding Prince Hall Park and Willows Park, a large percentage of residents lack reliable access to broadband internet. To help meet this need, the City of Orlando installed wheelchair accessible, solar powered tables and shade structures -- each outfitted with charging stations and Wi-Fi hotspots -- at both neighborhood parks. Rated for 175 mile-per-hour winds, the tables can sustain hurricane-strength gusts, allowing residents to use them to charge phones, call loved ones or access emergency information during disaster scenarios. Local artists painted the concrete pads that anchor the two tables to depict positive images representing the community.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP Florida State Office
360 N. Central Avenue
Suite 1750
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
United States
Phone: 866-595-7678
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]