AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Monroeville Main Street (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
Organizers with Monroeville's Main Street initiative hoped to draw residents to the city's historic downtown district. To give people a reason to gather outdoors, they added wheelchair-accessible game tables and seating in several locations, including the grounds of the Monroe County Museum, two parks, the local YMCA and a senior center. The organization also purchased checkers and chess game pieces, which are available to visitors to check out. Part of a larger campaign to decrease littering and encourage community pride, organizers also installed trash cans downtown. And to increase facetime with constituents, the newly elected mayor also called on residents to challenge him to a game of chess or checkers. Organizers say the placemaking project is meant to unite the community by giving people a place to connect with each other.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Detroit, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To give older adults a space where they can interact with local children, Eden Gardens Block Club converted two vacant lots into an intergenerational playground. Ahead of the project, the Edens Garden surveyed residents about their preferences, with 80 percent of respondents asking for exercise equipment for older adults. Volunteers then worked to clear the site and install playground apparatuses, including swings, a see-saw bouncer and a cardio walker. Organizers say the space is now a source of community pride for the community.
Appleton, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To give residents more spaces to gather and socialize, Creative Downtown Appleton created a parklet. Volunteers repurposed two on-street parking spaces to create the mini-park, which they outfitted with seating, tables and LED lighting. To make the space accessible to wheelchair users and parents with strollers, organizers installed a ramp. Additionally, they installed bike racks nearby. Visitors to the parklet are welcome to pick herbs for free, which Creative Downtown Appleton planted onsite. Project organizers say the space supports nearby businesses -- the parklet offers people an outdoor seating option so they can enjoy coffee or meals purchased locally.
Shreveport, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As they worked toward neighborhood revitalization, organizers with Shreveport Common saw potential for two vacant lots covered in crumbling concrete. They cleaned up the site to create Caddo Common Park. By installing seating and umbrellas for shade, this project completed the activation by adding the Art Bosque Food Truck Court to the new park. Organizers specifically chose ADA-compliant seating options, hoping to make the area near the park's pavilion accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Prior to the park's completion, the neighborhood's residents lived in a green space desert, with no nearby outdoor gathering spaces. Project organizers say Shreveport Common filled this gap just as hundreds of new affordable apartments were set to open nearby.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Monroeville, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project created Story Trail panels to share books along a path leading from the downtown square to Monroe County Public Library.
Camden, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public art installations
Description: To replace dilapidated seating options in Camden's historic downtown, Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center organized the Sharing Our Stories One Bench at a Time project. The effort involved purchasing, decorating and installing 11 mosaic benches around the Wilcox County Courthouse. Led by local mosaic artist Linda Munoz, residents aged 4 to 80 shared their stories, came up with themes and designs and cut and laid colorful glass onto concrete seats. The benches -- which feature imagery related to life in Camden -- represent more than just a beautiful place to sit. Project organizers say the new benches brought the community together and strengthened Camden's sense of civic pride.
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 Alabama State Office
400 South Union St.
Suite 100
Montgomery, AL 36104
United States