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Louisville Metro Government (2018) Print
2018 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
At a width of 150 feet, Louisville's Ninth Street had the feel of a thoroughfare. To improve the street's safety and aesthetics, Louisville Metro Government upgraded sidewalks, painted bars to make crosswalks more visible to drivers and changed signals to give pedestrians more crossing time. To give people a space to rest, they added benches to an underused green space in the median, the site of an existing sculpture. Doing so created a public space for residents declared that a place to sit and rest in the area was one of their preferred amenities. Organizes say the project has sparked conversations about how to continue improving the pedestrian experience on Ninth Street. Louisville is now exploring adding bike lanes, as well as bump-outs to make crossing distances smaller. "We want to redesign this corridor with people in mind and not just cars, Gretchen Millikin," director of advanced planning, said.
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Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Hope Street's design favored cars, limiting safe mobility for people without vehicles. PSC and their partners built a temporary urban trail, converting a parking lane into a two-way path for bikes and scooters and added a bus island. Over 2,000 residents tried the trail and 1,000 shared feedback, with most supporting permanent changes. Comments praised the safer, more vibrant street: "Hope Street feels like a recreation destination... I would come here just to stroll and hang out with friends."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To draw more visitors to Colt Park, organizers with the Green and Blue Foundation hoped to make the area around the green space safer for pedestrians. Hartford's professional soccer team, the Hartford Athletic, hosts games at the park's stadium, the green space is otherwise underused. The Foundation joined with local partners and community leaders to host a walk audit to identify safety and aesthetic improvements that would make Colt Park more attractive to visitors. This project improved crosswalks near the park and installed traffic calming device, including speed bumps. Additionally, the Foundation beautified parking barriers, planted flower beds and added ADA-compliant benches.
Evansville, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: This project painted the intersection of North Main and West Michigan streets to improve visibility. It also repaired sidewalks and curbs on nearby streets, where there is a high percentage of older adults.
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Louisville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project made a series of placemaking improvements to the Woodlawn Avenue business district, located in the Beechmont neighborhood. First, the Center for Neighborhoods added pedestrian-level lighting along the street to improve safety. They also converted three parking spaces into an outdoor cafe space. Originally meant to be temporary, the picnic area's popularity spurred project organizers to create Louisville's first permanent parklet in the spot, which includes a deck, seating, a green wall and planter boxes. Beautification efforts also included activating a nearby alleyway. That included painting a mural for the space, which community members named Beechmont Alley. New, accessible parking spaces helped make the corridor more welcoming to people of all ability levels.
Louisville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: A neighborhood plan for Louisville's California neighborhood recommended traffic calming interventions to make walking safer for residents. City officials hoped to improve pedestrian access between the local senior center and amenities including a park, gym, church and community center. The City converted three intersections from two-way to four-way, increased the size of stop signs for better visibility, installed speed bumps and painted crosswalks. They also rebuilt a sidewalk to incorporate accessible ramps for those with mobility issues.
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