AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Epicenter (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
As Epicenter worked to complete its Canal Commons affordable housing development, organizers set out to create an accessible greenspace for future residents. Located in the desert city of Green River, the pocket neighborhood lacks access to walking trails, sidewalks and parks. To address this, Epicenter installed concrete walkways. To allow residents to gather outdoors at night -- and avoid the hot, desert sun -- organizers installed LED lighting along the path. Wayfinding signage helps residents navigate the path, as well as the larger neighborhood. The space also features a picnic table, ADA-compliant benches and raised garden beds. Epicenter prioritized universal design elements for the greenspace to ensure people can age in place at Canal Commons.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Fort Lawn, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: In a rural area with few recreational options and high rates of chronic disease, the Center created an ADA-compliant mini park with picnic tables, benches, bike racks and a gazebo with swings. Concrete paths improved wheelchair access, and signage guided visitors. The space now hosts multigenerational activities, from picnics for older adults to pop-up markets. One resident said, "It's good for my soul to be able to just come sit out here with friends. We're safe and it's beautiful."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Newark, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: In the Milford Community Garden, Food Bank of Delaware faced a basic barrier: the audio system was difficult to hear. Volunteers and visitors, including many older adults and those with hearing challenges, struggled to follow announcements, conversation and performances. The garden also wanted calming music to support well-being but lacked reliable equipment. The project team installed a permanent outdoor sound system that now carries clear audio across events and daily shifts. It debuted at a poetry night where attendees heard every reader. One organizer said, "You truly created a magical night... please extend our gratitude for providing such a wonderful sound system." Since then, clearer sound has improved access for older adults, strengthened communication and made the garden a dependable venue partners can use for inclusive programs.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Warren, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: For decades, a 135-acre abandoned hospital was neglected in a Warren neighborhood, leaving older residents without nearby green space. The organization engaged the community through meetings and canvassing. This led to the project that transformed the site into Riverside Park with a walking path, benches, picnic tables and a pollinator garden. Volunteers, nearly half age 50 or over, planted 100 trees, creating a space for exercise and social connection. Residents say the area feels "alive" again, and a neighborhood association now meets weekly to maintain the park, ensuring it remains a vibrant community asset.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Green River, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: Epicenter conducted outreach to older residents about their housing needs, with the goal informing the design of its Frontier House prototype. Costing 36,000, Epicanter envisions the small home as an affordable alternative to mobile homes, where many rural residents live. The 708-square-foot home -- scaled to the minimum house size allowed by City code -- prioritizes accessibility. Designed to be low maintenance, the house is meant to enable residents to age in place in their community. Epicenter plans to monitor the structure for three years to track its utility usage and durability. The nonprofit also uses the prototype as a teaching tool within the community. The nonprofit works to close the housing affordability gap for low-to-moderate income households in rural Utah through home repair and new housing construction.
Green River, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: Green River lacked a quiet, accessible park for older adults, as existing spaces focused on sports. Pearl Baker Park was designed to fill that gap, offering shaded seating, soft-surface paths and educational signage. Epicenter hosted a kickoff event and bilingual arts workshop to activate the space, engaging volunteers to build features like birdhouses. Work began on a pavilion that frames scenic views and supports safe mobility for older adults. The project sparked community involvement and laid the groundwork for expansion into adjacent affordable housing, creating more opportunities to age in place. "I love visiting this park with my grandkids... there are plenty of places for me to sit and watch them," said one participant.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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 Utah State Office
6975 Union Park Center
Suite 320
Midvale (Salt Lake City), UT 84047
United States