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Des Moines Historical Society (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
In the early to mid-1900s, the Waveland Trolley was an integral part of Des Moines' transportation system yet has long since been replaced by more modern options. The Des Moines Historical Society's Waveland Trolley Project set out to commemorate the city's rich history by transforming a long-neglected space into a walkable outdoor transit museum. The park-like setting is located on the former site of the trolley loop, where streetcars would turn around at the end of their route. The outdoor museum features benches, bike racks, panels displaying historical information and a life-sized sculpture of the Waveland Trolley.
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Sacramento, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Florin Road faced neglect and isolation, leaving older adults without safe, welcoming spaces. The museum led a multigenerational placemaking effort, installing ADA-accessible benches and painting murals inspired by Ndebele patterns. Older adults and youth collaborated on art projects, including tree wraps and a vibrant ground mural. Volunteers transformed the light rail station area as well. The project sparked a five-year plan for continued installations and was adopted into Sacramento Regional Transit's Art in Transit program, ensuring cultural expression and community engagement endure.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Fairfield, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: A split-level design left the church basement and kitchen off-limits to older adults and people with mobility challenges, limiting access to meals and classes. The church upgraded electrical systems, lighting and appliances, then hosted a Fiesta Gratitude Dinner for 89 residents, most age 50-plus. Volunteers led planning and preparation, sparking renewed engagement among older members. These improvements set the stage for more inclusive meals and cooking classes, reducing isolation and sharing skills like food preservation to strengthen community ties.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The May Dugan Center, which serves low-income older adults in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, hoped to create a welcoming gathering space for its Seniors on the Move program. To make the Center's outdoor area accessible, organizers outfitted the space with four ADA-compliant picnic tables. Additionally, the Center provided program participants with herb garden kits, allowing them to create windowsill gardens in their homes. Ultimately, organizers hope experience tending the kits will help SOTM participants hone their gardening skills, which they will use to plant flower beds and raised vegetable plots at the Center. This project is part of the nonprofit's larger mission to help older adults manage their financial, physical and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to safely age in place.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Des Moines, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: After the City of Des Moines updated its zoning to allow accessory dwelling units, HOME constructed the city's first ADU as a how-to demonstration for residents interested in building their own. After working with the City's planning and zoning department, the organization built the ADU on a vacant lot in the Oak Park neighborhood. The small, detached unit demonstrates an affordable housing option with benefits for a range of residents, from those who want to downsize but remain in their neighborhood, to families who need space for an aging parent, nanny or caregiver, to those looking to earn rental income. To garner community interest, HOME offered community walk-throughs and public viewings of the ADU. More Des Moines residents now have the option to add an ADU to their property. In 2022, the city council passed a measure expanding the areas where ADUs are permitted.
Des Moines, IA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Expanding High-Speed Internet
Description: The project will create a computer lab, provide small group digital training onsite, and access to Wi-Fi enabled devices. Older residents will learn online skills, avoid scams and connect with family and services.
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