AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Downtown Las Cruces Partnership (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Bikeability
└ Bikeability
To make its downtown more bike-friendly, the Downtown Las Cruces installed 40 bike tacks. Based on feedback from the local cycling community, project organizers painted the racks racer green. Engagement with local business owners and volunteers determined the best locations to place the racks. In the future, Downtown Las Cruces expects placemaking efforts to continue with new shade sails. The City of Las Cruces also has plans for a new green path to facilitate biking and walking.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Bismarck, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Officials in Bismarck wanted to gauge support for a proposed path connecting downtown to the riverfront, dubbed the Bismarck Central Pathway. This project created a temporary path for pedestrians and cyclists, allowing the City to get feedback from residents over several weeks. In addition to connecting existing sidewalks and trails, project organizers used hay bales, traffic cones and paint to block off a portion of the street for pedestrians and cyclists. To get input, they set up kiosks along the path where residents could write about their experience. They also created an online survey. Residents generally supported making the route permanent, as long as pedestrians are protected from street traffic. The City plants to use the feedback to determine the best route for the new path. Project organizers say the pop-up trail also inspired other pop-ups. Since 2017, Bismarck planning staff have tested a road diet, an intersection bump-out project and a one-way to two-way road conversion.
Mandan, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: The city will install branded bike racks to improve accessibility for residents and visitors. The racks will enhance the community's downtown and parks, which host community festivals that attracts over 100,000 visitors annually.
Durango, CO
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: This project will install a temporary bike lane on Junction Creek Road to increase safety for all road users. The lane will connect municipal amenities and promote a safer environment for walking and cycling.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Las Cruces, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: This project will help community members beautify a revitalizing downtown through a participatory paint-by-numbers mural on the wall of a nonprofit makerspace.
La Union, NM
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: Although La Union's community center campus offered plenty of outdoor space, the space sat largely unused. So La Union Helping Hands set out to activate the area. Volunteers installed a benches and a gazebo for shade onsite. They also added seating and shelter to the nearby bus stop. This allows visitors -- including older adults -- to wait comfortably for the bus. Organizers hope the enhancements foster a vibrant space where residents can connect with each other, instilling a sense of community. Spurred by the project's success, La Union Helping Hands now plans to revamp landscaping, plant a community garden, install even more seating, and improve sidewalks at the community center.
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 New Mexico State Office
535 Cerrillos Road
Suite A
Santa Fe, NM 87501
United States