AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Houston Land Bank (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
Once a vacant lot, the Harry Holmes Healthy Harvest provides free access to garden beds for resident of Houston's Sunnyside neighborhood, a historically Black community. The Houston Land Bank wanted to improve the space to make it more welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. Volunteers built raised beds and installed solar lighting to allow gardeners to work after dark. They also created an accessible pathway, which is designed to be less muddy and slippery after rain. New fig trees at the garden's entrance beautify the space and provide fresh fruit. To celebrate the project's completion, the Land Bank hosted a community event, which promoted grandparents and grandchildren gardening together. At the event, organizers distributed information on financial literacy and affordable paths to homeownership.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
San Francisco, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: When the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden opened in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in 2014, it focused on serving Asian immigrant elders and filled a need for green space and fresh food. This project expanded the garden, adding 3,000 square feet of gardening space and making it the second largest urban farm in San Francisco. The additional space allowed gardeners to try new techniques -- such as row planting -- that increased the garden's yields. Additionally, organizers upgraded the garden's compost system and set up beehives to help with pollinating crops. The larger harvest allowed garden organizers to distribute four tons of produce annually to local families in needs, including culturally relevant foods such as bok choy and Chinese chives.
Rugby, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: To help Rugby's residents access fresh produce, the Geographical Center Historical Society worked to turn an underused outdoor space into a fruit orchard. The space sits on the campus of the Prairie Village Museum, which is located in a food desert. To activate the space, Society reseeded the grass and planted fruit trees and shrubs. They also installed ADA-accessible park benches, tables and bike racks. Project organizers plan to invite students to the orchard for demonstrations on techniques for picking, washing and preserving the fruits.
Columbia, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: In Columbia, many older adults want to grow and preserve food but face tight budgets, limited space and few chances to learn practical skills alongside others. NoMa STEAM addressed this by expanding hands-on and virtual programming at the Bridge of Hope Community Garden. Older adults joined garden talks and food preservation workshops. Volunteer days focused on low-maintenance growing, composting and safe canning. One participant said simple tips, like new ways to prepare harvested vegetables, helped them use what they grew at home. Over time, the project strengthened confidence, encouraged regular physical activity and deepened connections between older adults and younger volunteers. By anchoring consistent programming in the garden, the space was reinforced as a lasting neighborhood resource for food knowledge, skill building and social connection.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood do not own cars, making walking, cycling and public transit use common in the area -- one of the most diverse in the city. But street infrastructure didn't exist to protect cyclists from street traffic. To demonstrate the value of streetscape improvements, the City set up a pop-up bike lane on Westward Street near a local elementary school. First, the City developed a pop-up toolkit, consisting of chalk, paint, stencils and traffic cones. They then used these to create bike lanes on both sides of the street, with plans to conduct more low-cost, temporary pop-ups in the future. During the Westward Street demonstration, the City conducted a survey of residents. Following the success of the temporary bike lanes, the City broke ground on a permanent street redesign project nearby. Planners expect permanent protected bike lanes to be installed along the stretch where the demonstration took place.
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: The City of Houston allows construction of accessory dwelling units, which consist of a small housing unit built on the property of a preexisting single-family home. The Planning Department hoped to encourage more residents to build ADUs, so it launched an awareness campaign. To educate residents, the City hosted a series of virtual workshops on ADU construction. They also held a design competition, which gave the City content for a how-to design guide, a website and a set of plan documents for an ADU. The City published the plans online so residents can access them for free, allowing them to avoid an estimated 250 in permitting fees. The City is now exploring ways to support low- and moderate-income homeowners who are interested in constructing an ADU, allowing them to rent out the space for extra income.
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 Texas State Office
1905 Aldrich St
Suite 210
Austin, TX 78723
United States