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Sioux Falls, SD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: Open Streets 2025 responded to gaps in walkability that left many older adults without safe or comfortable ways to move through downtown. The project transformed underused corridors into pedestrian-friendly spaces with accessible seating, slower-paced activities and cultural programming that encouraged people to linger and explore. These events supported older adults by creating calmer routes, offering performances suited to their pace and helping them connect with local businesses. The series also prompted installation of a new crosswalk near a previously inactive area, showing how temporary activations can influence long-term planning. A July 4th event, where volunteers served watermelon slices, showed how simple shared experiences helped strangers connect, break down social barriers and feel welcomed. Many older adults reported walking more and discovering new places, reinforcing how small design changes can create meaningful improvements in daily life.

Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.

Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: This project will host two car-free days in Roger Williams Park to promote walking, hiking, and other slow transportation methods. This will create a safer, more inviting space for visitors, especially those age 50 and over.

Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: Easy‑to‑read transit guides for older adults will be updated and printed in English and Spanish. The guides will explain how to ride buses, use fare cards and access reduced fares, helping people travel with confidence and remain independent.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Athens, GA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places

Description: Athens has a rich African American history that spans many generations, yet has lacked an appropriate venue to share its stories. The Downtown Athens Development Authority created a permanent exhibit at the Ware-Lydon House Museum about people enslaved in the region, which also featured stories about their descendants. The exhibit was developed alongside the museum's new, 40-volume African American heritage library and community conversation area, which includes tables and chairs where visitors can gather. Additionally, the Authority developed the first section of an African American Heritage Pathway walking tour, which travels between the museum and the home of one of the first vaudeville theaters in the U.S. built, owned, and operated by a Black entrepreneur.

Athens, GA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: Raised garden beds and benches will be installed in a new community green space. The area will support light gardening, learning and social time for older and disabled neighbors.

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