Northfield, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Northfield Common Connections wanted to start a community dialogue about local walkability and pedestrian infrastructure. The organization set out to evaluate the pedestrian environment in Northfield. First, Northfield Common Connections conduced a walk audit. Volunteers traveled by foot through town and evaluated streetscape features that made walking easy or difficult. Additionally, the organization also conducted a survey of pedestrian activity, observing how passersby navigated the street. As a result of their evaluation, organizers decided to paint a walk-bike lane through town. To shield path users from vehicle traffic, volunteers installed delineators along the route. Playful wayfinding signage helps residents navigate the path and organizers added benches to give people a resting place. Organizers say the effort was especially important since the path serves a neighborhood that suffered economic impacts after a hurricane, connecting residents with needed amenities downtown.

Truth or Consequences, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Main Street Truth or Consequences set out to improve the walkability of downtown Truth or Consequences. The small New Mexico city got its name from a 1950s TV show and is known for its colorful annual fiesta that features a parade, calf roping and a rubber duck race on the Rio Grande. This project replaced deteriorated sidewalks and reduced tripping hazards. The organization also created its Walk Downtown outreach program to encourage residents to take up walking. Walking remains a popular activity in Truth and Consequences thanks in part to the three-mile-long Healing Waters Trail, which starts and ends downtown.

Tallahassee, FL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: Speeding along Dempsey Mayo Road endangered pedestrians near a school and a local community where older adults lived. Existing crosswalks in the area lacked visibility. To improve safety, the project installed three raised, art-enhanced crosswalks using durable thermoplastic designs. It engaged more than 150 residents age 50-plus in the planning process. The upgrades slowed traffic and encouraged walking while accelerating county safety plans. Officials called the effort "a major win for the community," and a toolkit now enables similar projects elsewhere.