Kaneohe, HI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The Rotary Club engaged contractors and volunteers to clean up a 35,000-square-foot gravel lot on Aloha Drive that had become an eyesore. Volunteers worked with landscape architects to plant hundreds of shrubs and thousands of smaller plants throughout the lot, creating a pocket park. Leveraging a range of funding resources, organizers transformed the space into a community oasis they have dubbed Centennial Park.

Metuchen, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: A car-focused downtown left few places for pedestrians to rest or connect. The alliance transformed a corner near the local adult center into a conversational landscape with benches, a custom mosaic table and refreshed planters. A ribbon cutting drew nearby residents who praised the new seating and art. The space now encourages conversation and walkability. One resident said she was "thrilled" to finally have a place to sit during her daily walks, and the art element has sparked community engagement and future programming.

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

Oconomowoc, WI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This alley activation project turned a stark passageway between the lakefront and downtown retail into a livelier pedestrian link. Project organizers added a painted design on the pavement and constructed trellises to provide shade. The City chose not to close the alleyway during the transformation work. Instead, passersby were invited to lend a hand to the rejuvenation process by painting a faux floor tile (or several). This also allowed visitors to ask questions about the transformation happening before their eyes. The project sparked conversations about how to activate the other downtown alleys, each with its own unique look and distinctive experience. And when the City reconstructed its boardwalk, it borrowed the trellis design used in the alleyway. "People now change their routes to experience the walkway," city planner Kristi Weber said. "It gets folks to lift their heads up, look around and enjoy some untraditional and unexpected art."