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."

Nashville, TN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: With the goal of reducing social isolation for older residents, Urban Housing Solutions designed and constructed a temporary parklet at Mercury Court, a small affordable housing community close to downtown Nashville. The organization outfitted the outdoor space with patio chairs, picnic tables, planter boxes, solar string lights and shade umbrellas. They also repainted a community room and decorated a wall with graphics celebrating the property's history. To ensure the space enables social interaction, a group of residents worked to coordinate social events, such as movie and game nights and community meals. In addition, Mercury Courts residents have shown interest in using the new planter boxes as garden beds. Urban Housing Solutions is a nonprofit housing developer serving Nashville's unhoused and low-income residents.

Buffalo, WY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Hundreds of veterans' graves in Johnson County lacked markers, leaving families without visible recognition of service. Volunteers from the American Legion and VFW installed more than 375 durable metal markers across three cemeteries, assembling and placing them over summer and fall. The markers provide lasting tribute, ensuring families can honor veterans for decades. Volunteers described the work as extremely meaningful, recalling names and memories while walking the grounds. The group plans to continue adding markers as needed.

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