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Eden Gardens Block Club (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To give older adults a space where they can interact with local children, Eden Gardens Block Club converted two vacant lots into an intergenerational playground. Ahead of the project, the Edens Garden surveyed residents about their preferences, with 80 percent of respondents asking for exercise equipment for older adults. Volunteers then worked to clear the site and install playground apparatuses, including swings, a see-saw bouncer and a cardio walker. Organizers say the space is now a source of community pride for the community.
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See More Projects Like This One
Nashville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To help older adults age in place in their community, Rebuilding Together Nashville made improvements to three community spaces in the Bordeaux neighborhood. The nonprofit gathered feedback from residents to choose which spaces to update. At FiftyForward Bordeaux -- a senior center -- volunteers installed a shade structure, allowing visitors to comfortably gather outdoors. They also added a shed onsite and updated the center's interior, including painting and installing shelving. The Infinity Center is an after-school center that hosts children's theater and community classes. There, volunteers replaced windows, sealed water leaks and repaired a dilapidated deck. Finally, they helped Brooklyn Heights Community Garden transition from a group of raised beds to a full-scale urban farm. Volunteers demolished and moved old garden beds and prepared the site for a new pack and wash station, greenhouse and production garden.
Greenfield, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The City of Greenfield removed 250-square-feet of asphalt from a downtown parking lot, converting it to a pocket park -- a space for people instead of cars. The Fiske Avenue Pocket Park features benches, a chess table, a bike repair station, a pollinator garden and a quirky bee sculpture. Project organizers say the new, centrally located green space supportz a central goal of the city's Sustainable Master Plan: to create a vibrant, walkable downtown. Additionally, removing the asphalt supported efforts to mitigate stormwater runoff. The project's success also helped the City secure a 200,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation.
Toledo, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The library will replace its building's roof, preserving an important community space in Toledo's downtown, which is recovering following a series of devastating fires.
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Detroit, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: To welcome older adults and people with mobility challenges, this project installed an ADA-compliant boardwalk and deck near Mission Point, a nursing and rehabilitation facility. In addition to creating a flat walking surface, volunteers installed seating to give visitors a place to rest. The improvements are part of the larger Circle Forest project, an effort to clean up and restore native wildlife to twelve vacant lots in Detroit.
Detroit, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Trails
Description: This project will create a trail connecting local parks, schools, community centers and commercial areas. The multiuse trail will serve pedestrians and bikers of all ages and abilities, with features including accessible pathways, rest areas and signage.
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