Albuquerque, NM

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: Students in Albuquerque's International District faced unsafe routes to school, with traffic hazards and crime, while older adults nearby experienced isolation. The Walking School Bus launched biweekly walks, providing 453 safe passages supported by 261 volunteers, including older adults. The project also transformed the Wilson Trailway with murals and hosted visioning sessions to guide improvements. These efforts strengthened community ties, promoted pedestrian safety and created an intergenerational model where older adults and children walk together, fostering connection and shared responsibility.

Providence, RI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: To introduce older adult residents to ridehailing options, the Rhode Island College Foundation launched a workshop titled It's Uber Easy to Get a Lyft. More than 70 older adults from seven towns attended the workshops, which taught them how to download a smartphone app to hail rides. A majority of participants reported they gained confidence using the services following the training. Organizers hope this helps older adults retain mobility, even when they no longer feel comfortable driving themselves.

Seattle, WA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: Many parts of North Seattle lack sidewalk and bicycle infrastructure. To address this, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways launched its Home Zone initiative in the Licton Springs neighborhood. To collect community feedback on walkability, the organization connected with local leaders and conducted door-to-door surveys and walk audits. They also invited homeowners, renters, business owners, older adults and residents with disabilities to participate in a community design workshop. The engagement efforts resulted in a plan for wayfinding signs, traffic calming planter boxes and street murals. Since launching the effort, the City has allocated funding to conduct similar pilots in two other Seattle neighborhoods.