Hood River, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: To demonstrate ways to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, the City of Hood River created Streets Alive. They held the pop-up event on two busy streets, adding enhanced crosswalk markings, curb bump-outs and a protected bike lane, which kept cyclists separated from cars during the week of the event. More than 1,000 people gathered to walk, bike and engage with their neighbors. The event featured activities such as yoga and dance classes.Following the tactical urbanism project, the City worked to implement many traffic calming and safety concepts permanently.

Kapolei, HI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: New curb extensions on Kopolei's Papipi Road not only help local children safely navigate their route to school, they also remind passersby of their rich Hawaiian history and culture. Over the past five years, daily traffic on the road increased 50 percent, with many drivers exceeding the posted speed limit. To calm traffic, Hawaii's Blue Zones Project installed bulb outs at an intersection, which safely extend the sidewalk into the street. This shortens the street crossing distance for pedestrians and makes them more visible to drivers. To make the curb extensions even more noticeable, volunteers used paint to depict limu in shades of gold and green on the pavement. Limu are edible, underwater plants -- a vital component of Hawaiian cuisine and ceremonies for generations.

Sioux Falls, SD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: The City of Sioux Falls hoped to encourage residents to consider active transportation -- walking and biking -- as a way to get around. To do this, the City created a quick-build infrastructure kit, which it used to install a temporary protected bike lane at one location and a curb bump-out at another. The bump out -- a safe extension of the sidewalk into the street -- makes pedestrians more visible to drivers and shortens the distance needed to cross the street. City planners gathered feedback from cyclists in the community, who suggested possible future locations for protected bike lanes. Because the infrastructure kit is mobile, the City hopes to deploy it elsewhere in the future.