AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
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.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Woodburn, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project created a public community gathering space in the heart of one of Oregon's largest older adult communities.
Richmond, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will install benches along Main Street where residents conduct errands, such as grocery shopping and banking. Several housing complexes for older adults and people with disabilities are nearby, yet currently there are no benches in the area.
Cleveland, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The May Dugan Center, which serves low-income older adults in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood, hoped to create a welcoming gathering space for its Seniors on the Move program. To make the Center's outdoor area accessible, organizers outfitted the space with four ADA-compliant picnic tables. Additionally, the Center provided program participants with herb garden kits, allowing them to create windowsill gardens in their homes. Ultimately, organizers hope experience tending the kits will help SOTM participants hone their gardening skills, which they will use to plant flower beds and raised vegetable plots at the Center. This project is part of the nonprofit's larger mission to help older adults manage their financial, physical and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to safely age in place.
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: 2025
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: This project will develop an artificial intelligence safety dashboard to identify dangerous streets and guide infrastructure upgrades.
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 North Carolina State Office
5511 Capital Center Drive
Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27606
United States