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Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
The Gaston County Department of Health and Human Services beautified a public space near Gastonia's Schiele Museum and the town's library. To encourage residents to get out and walk, the Department added a sidewalk mural at the library, which depicts astronauts on a spacewalk. Museum staff installed an outdoor exhibit about the Solar System. In addition, project organizers commissioned a local metalworks shop to create benches with a celestial theme. Other placemaking enhancements included adding planters and new graphic designs to adorn the nearby transit shelter, as well an amenity map display to help visitors locate nearby trails and greenspace.
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See More Projects Like This One
Viroqua, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The McIntosh Memorial Library serves as an accessible, welcoming community gathering space for the community. Library staff hoped to further draw visitors to the library by creating a new aviary in the center of the building. To do this, the library constructed a seating area, as well as a habitat for several songbirds. Organizers say the space serves as a venue for intergenerational story time, as well as a place to read and have conversations. To introduce patrons to the new space, the library hosted a Festival of Birds. In the future, they plan to host educational programming on birding, both at the library and along nearby hiking trails. Community members are already enjoying the aviary -- one older woman was in tears as she watched the songbirds with her son. She told staff the "aviary was one of the most beautiful features of the library."
Neillsville, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will transform a brushy area next to the community walking trail into a creekside greenspace with an accessible picnic table, bench, and pathway. Volunteers will clear brush and install ADA-compliant amenities.
Atlanta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Woodruff Park's game cart allows visitors to borrow games, sports equipment and other recreation items at no charge. To improve the kiosk's appearance and attract visitors, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District partnered with local graphic design students to create highly visible decals. They also used checkerboard decals to convert round park tables into game tables. Finally, the organization purchased new supplies for the game cart, including coloring books, watercolor paint kits and markers and crayons. Following the improvements, the BID used the tabled to host chess tournaments, which attracted new visitors to the park.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Gastonia, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project will transform a garden into a welcoming space with walking paths, community gathering areas, and open garden space. It aims to celebrate local history and provide an outdoor area for environmental education.
Charlotte, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Before the advent of air conditioning, a Southern home was not complete without a front porch with a swing. To replicate the experience of gathering on a porch, the City of Charlotte installed swings at two bus stops in place of the more traditional bench. Located along Belmont Avenue -- a corridor where many older adults rely on public transportation -- the two-person swings provide a space for riders to socialize as they wait for their bus. Inspired by the popularity of the swings, the City is exploring other opportunities for placemaking around local bus stops.
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