AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
See More Projects Like This One
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To promote walkability, economic development and better quality of life for residents, the Chicago Department of Transportation created a replicable prototype for a People Spot. Consisting of a wooden platform, the People Spots transform on-street parking spaces into outdoor patios. To help neighborhood groups set up their own People Spots, the City published construction plans and an assembly manual for the parklets online. Part of the City's Livable Streets Program, organizers say the temporary infrastructure helps neighborhoods overcome economic hardship by encouraging residents to walk and frequent local businesses. The City installed its first People Spot in the South Side Chatham neighborhood in 2018. That iteration measured about six feet wide by 20 feet long, but the platforms can be as long as 80 feet.
Pikeville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The plaza welcoming visitors to Pikeville's Appalachian Center for the Arts was looking a little run down. To increase its curb appeal and encourage tourism, the City initiated a multi-phase effort to redesign the area to be an outdoor gathering space. They resurfaced the plaza with custom, decorative pavers, installed benches, improved landscaping and added a shade canopy. The plaza redesign made downtown Pikeville more walkable and added a safe, outdoor space for visitors to enjoy music and art -- something much needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since these improvements, the City has used the plaza for public events and improved nearby sidewalks and crosswalks.
Helena, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: One of Helena's main cultural attractions is the Myrna Loy theater, a performing arts center and movie house in the Rodney Street neighborhood. To make the outdoor area next to the theater more welcoming, the Myrna Loy installed ADA-accessible benches, added artistic bike racks, hung LED party lights and constructed planters. Additionally, they decorated dumpsters and a nearby vacant historic building with artwork. Since these improvements, the community has continued to redevelop the space, adding murals and other public art.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Fort Myers, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Streets Alive partnered with four other organizations to hold a bike rodeo event for children in Fort Myers' Dunbar neighborhood. A dozen volunteers completed a training course on how to teach safe cycling skills. Another volunteer worked with Franklin Park Elementary School to obtain a supply of loaner bikes for the young participants. At the event, children went through a series of stations to be fitted with helmets, have their bikes inspected for safety and receive coaching on how to start, balance and stop their bikes. They learned cycling rules of the road, including hand signals and where to ride on the street. They also received training on how to stay safe as pedestrians when crossing intersections and facing traffic. The organization staged another bike rodeo in 2020.
Cape Coral, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space improvements to support recovery after extreme weather events
Description: Hurricane Ian stripped Cape Coral's parks of shade and greenery, leaving recreation areas exposed and vulnerable. Keep Lee County Beautiful responded by planting 80 native trees at the BMX Sports Complex. Volunteers learned proper planting techniques while restoring the canopy, which will cool the area, filter pollutants and reduce stormwater runoff for years to come. The effort sparked community spirit. "Youth had so much fun planting the trees that they stayed around and did a park cleanup afterwards," one organizer said, underscoring how recovery work united residents.
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 Florida State Office
360 N. Central Avenue
Suite 1750
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
United States
Phone: 866-595-7678
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]