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Louisville, KY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: At a width of 150 feet, Louisville's Ninth Street had the feel of a thoroughfare. To improve the street's safety and aesthetics, Louisville Metro Government upgraded sidewalks, painted bars to make crosswalks more visible to drivers and changed signals to give pedestrians more crossing time. To give people a space to rest, they added benches to an underused green space in the median, the site of an existing sculpture. Doing so created a public space for residents declared that a place to sit and rest in the area was one of their preferred amenities. Organizes say the project has sparked conversations about how to continue improving the pedestrian experience on Ninth Street. Louisville is now exploring adding bike lanes, as well as bump-outs to make crossing distances smaller. We want to redesign this corridor with people in mind and not just cars, Gretchen Millikin, director of advanced planning, said.

Honolulu, HI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Organizers at the Waikiki Community Center at originally planned to beautify Waikiki neighborhoods by painting utility boxes with cultural images. When that project got derailed due to permit challenges, they pivoted to do much needed sidewalk safety and repair -- something local older adults identified as a community need. The Center led a campaign to educate residents of Waikiki on pedestrian safety and worked with volunteers to patch and repair more than 100 damaged areas of sidewalk. Volunteers also beautified the area along sidewalks by refreshing or replacing planter boxes.

Milton, DE

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: To increase community walkability, this project published a walking tour map and painted 12 crosswalks with colorful designs to slow traffic.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Evansville, IN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Trails

Description: This ADA-accessible trail project aims to make the country's largest urban old-growth forest fully accessible for people with limited mobility.

Owensboro, KY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Accessibility of amenities

Description: The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a destination for music lovers but accessibility features for people of all ages and abilities. The facility added an audio guide to their tours which help visitors with visual or hearing impairments experience exhibits with an accompanying audio narration. To access the guide, patrons can either use a smartphone app or borrow an audio player and disposable ear buds provided by the museum. The system also offers sign language tours, and the museum has induction loop technology for visitors with hearing aids. Visitors simply select an exhibit number -- identified with new signage -- to access in-depth stories and historical details.

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