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Martin Luther King Multi-Service Center Indianapolis Inc. (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Indianapolis has several dangerous intersections where 120 pedestrians have died or been injured over the past ten years. The Martin Luther King Multi-Service Center worked with local teenagers to paint the words 120 Is Enough on the pavement at these locations. Organizers say the message is meant to calm traffic and encourage drivers to be more mindful of pedestrians, cyclists and runners. Installation involved working with the city's Department of Public Works to negotiate local rules governing crosswalk designs. Since completing the crosswalks, project organizers say other local advocates have reach out for guidance to successfully create their own artistic crosswalks.
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Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Missoula County officials hoped to demonstrate options for improved pedestrian access to East Missoula's downtown. Staff and volunteers put out straw bales, planters and trees to calm traffic, as well as create a temporary bike and walking path near a popular store and service station. They also set up a pop-up park. They also set up an area with picnic tables, canopies and umbrellas. Food trucks and a banner helped attract visitors to the event, along with sidewalk games, face painting and mural making. Attendees could see how possible future safety improvements would work and were invited to provide feedback. Project organizers report the demonstration helped secure buy-in from nearby business owners, who had previously expressed skepticism about changes to the streetscape. Since the event, the County has working to permanently implement the interventions envisioned during the event, including forming long-term plans to reconstruct a major highway corridor.
Pittsburgh, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Pittsburgh's Bloomfield District has two busy intersections which lack stoplights. To make crossing the street safer, the Bloomfield Development Corporation worked with neighbors to design artistic crosswalks. Volunteers then painted the bright designs onto the pavement to make the crossings more noticeable to drivers. During painting days, project organizers talked to residents about the importance of pedestrian infrastructure. Since adding the artwork, the organization has hosted walks to observe local birds and trees. In addition to making the area more walkable, organizers say the project helped build intergenerational connections in a neighborhood that's home to older adults and young adult newcomers.
Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: This project transformed a parking lane into a temporary urban trail to assess safety, build community support and affect the permanent redesign of Hope Street.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Indianapolis, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: Staff at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana noticed that many food-insecure older adults had mobility challenges that prevented them from easily transporting their groceries. This forced many food pantry patrons to collect the amount of food they could carry rather than the amount they actually needed. To address this, the food bank purchased 54 shopping carts for agencies participating in its Senior Shopping Day program. To ensure the carts remained in the agencies' possession, Gleaners outfitted each one with a security tag. Project organizers say chronic hunger is particularly damaging for older adults, leaving them susceptible to chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. The new carts represent one way to customize hunger relief services for this population.
Indianapolis, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: It rains more than one out of three days, on average, in Indianapolis. To give riders of the city's public transit system a more comfortable wait for the bus -- even in wet weather -- IndyGo made outfitted three bus stops with shelters. Additionally, they added sidewalk ramps and seating to make them ADA compliant, allowing people of all ages and abilities to use them.
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