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Metropolitan Area Planning Council (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
This community engagement initiative sought to identify solutions to allow older adults and people with mobility issues to use off-road trails in Natick. Project organizers met with town staff ahead of two focus groups with older adults, who shared their experiences with local trails. Additionally, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council created an online survey to collect more feedback. Older adults said their main concerns were access to bathrooms, personal safety, clear signage, availability of parking near trailheads, even walking surfaces and benches to sit on. MAPC then held a placemaking event at the Natick Community-Senior Center. Attendees could walk along a prototype trail with photos of planned upgrades and hear from MAPC staff. Participants also had a chance to share their personal stories about the things they've discovered while hiking. The result was a list of practical, low-cost action items the town can use to improve Natick's pathways.
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Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Trails
Description: An abandoned rail corridor in the Poplar Grove neighborhood prevented residents from safely walking or bicycling to Salt Lake City's downtown. A natural creek flowed through the site, but it was encased in an underground pipe. After the train tracks were removed in 2008, City leaders hoped to uncover the creek and add a 1.5-mile walk-bike trail. To build support for the project, they installed markers along the proposed trail and creek routes, adding signs with information about the site's history and benefits of restoring the creek. Local officials and residents were encouraged to walk the corridor and get involved in its restoration. The City also hosted an Oktoberfest celebration, which attracted more than 1,000 attendees who shared their priorities for the site. Topping the list: more green space. The completed trail opened in 2022. Following a city-funded study confirming the feasibility of daylighting the creek, the City and Seven Canyons Trust are now working on design options.
Valdez, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Trails
Description: Most trails in Valdez aren't accessible to people using walkers or wheelchairs, as well as parents or grandparents pushing strollers. Organizers with Valdez Adventure Alliance hoped to make the Shoup Bay Trail more welcoming to people of all ages and abilities through improvements to its trailhead. Volunteers leveled the trailhead and added landscaping. They also installed benches to give visitors a place to rest. Since completing the improvements, organizers have continued to make accessibility upgrades along the trail itself and have rebuilt another 620 feet of pathway.
Philadelphia, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Trails
Description: Cobbs Creek Park's lack of signage and programming left older adults disconnected from nature. The council installed two large kiosks with maps, safety tips and QR codes for resources, and hosted senior-focused events like Jazz on the Creek and a driving safety course. These efforts boosted confidence to explore the park and fostered social connections. The project set the stage for expanded signage and dedicated senior programming to make the park more welcoming and accessible.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Boston, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To encourage walking, Boston installed benches in Main Street neighborhood districts across the city. Older adults tested and approved the benches and worked with the City to identify the best locations for them. The initiative's guiding principle was that making walking safe and comfortable for older adults creates a better environment for people of all ages. Project organizers report residents were eager to use the new benches. In fact, as Department of Public Works staff were finishing up an installation, a few people were often waiting to take a seat. The benches contribute to vibrant public spaces near businesses and merchants say they appreciate the increased foot traffic. Project organizers say the installations helped develop a city-wide framework for a sustainable bench program, addressing installation and long-term maintenance.
Mattapan, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Older adults and residents with mobility challenges faced hazards and limited access at two Boston community gardens. A collapsed walkway created unsafe conditions, and deteriorated raised beds prevented those with physical limitations from gardening. The Trustees repaired the walkway by filling a sinkhole and installing a wide, level brick path at Southwest Corridor Community Farm. At Savin & Maywood Community Garden, they demolished broken beds and built four new handicapped-accessible raised beds with help from volunteers. Residents expressed gratitude, noting the upgrades made the gardens welcoming for "gardeners of all ages and abilities."
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