AARP Eye Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
North Lawndale Employment Network (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Digital Connections
└ Access to high-speed internet
└ Access to high-speed internet
To bridge the digital divide for those living nearby, the North Lawndale Employment Network installed a Wi-Fi tower on the roof of its new building. Providing free internet is an important step toward increased livability in North Lawndale -- the neighborhood ranks among the bottom three in Chicago for broadband access. In addition, 45 percent of households live below the federal poverty limit and many lack internet access at home. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NLEN had to transition many of its services to an online format. NLEN has since been selected as a participant in the Chicago Connected initiative, which connects local public school students with internet access and digital education. To bolster its efforts, the organization hired a digital literacy specialist and hopes to operate a lending library with laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots in the future.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Hyattsville, MD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Capturing data and feedback from residents
Description: This project created an online tool -- called My Block Counts -- which allows community members to collect and report information related to local environmental health. Before rolling out the tool, researchers held online workshops to teach the community about environmental justice, public infrastructure and community health. Then they invited community members to use My Block Counts to do an inventory of their neighborhoods. The virtual tool guides users through a series of questions about the built environment. Once users complete the questions, their responses are available for other users to access. Project organizers hope the data collected will help community members advocate for improved infrastructure in their neighborhoods. In the future, they plan to roll out the tool on a national level.
Mansfield, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Mansfield's Carrousel District was cut off from the city's newly created Imagination District. To demonstrate the value of connecting the two downtown areas, the Richland Community Development Corporation created a temporary linear park along West Third Street. Organizers hoped the long, narrow park would double as a community gathering pace and pedestrian pathway. The CDC installed benches, pergolas and hammocks and outfitted. Volunteers laid down artificial turf and painted murals onto the pavement. To attract people to the space, the pop-up included activities including self defense classes, interactive art exhibits, children's storytimes, food trucks and live music performances. The two-week activation was part of the CDC's efforts to advocate for a permanent linear park, which organizers say will bring vibrancy to the Carrousel District and reintegrate it into the fabric of Mansfield's downtown.
Bronx, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The project will convert an underutilized lot into a farmers market with cooking demonstrations and essential services for older adults.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To promote walkability, economic development and better quality of life for residents, the Chicago Department of Transportation created a replicable prototype for a People Spot. Consisting of a wooden platform, the People Spots transform on-street parking spaces into outdoor patios. To help neighborhood groups set up their own People Spots, the City published construction plans and an assembly manual for the parklets online. Part of the City's Livable Streets Program, organizers say the temporary infrastructure helps neighborhoods overcome economic hardship by encouraging residents to walk and frequent local businesses. The City installed its first People Spot in the South Side Chatham neighborhood in 2018. That iteration measured about six feet wide by 20 feet long, but the platforms can be as long as 80 feet.
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood added a new gathering space, dubbed El Convivio or The Gathering. The goal of the project was to make the garden more accessible to Latino older adults living in nearby apartment buildings. Improvements to the space include an outdoor kitchen and patio with a fire pit, ADA-compliant seating, walking paths and an accessible planting station. Planters at the site were specifically designed to grow culturally relevant produce, including tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions. The picnic area's stucco and ceramic tiles mimic designs seen in Mexican haciendas. Garden leaders partnered with nonprofit architectural firm Human Scale to involve garden members in the space's design and volunteers from the neighborhood installed the new amenities. As El Paseo's leadership finalized El Convivio, they also worked with the City of Chicago to secured additional land to expand the garden.
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 Illinois State Office
222 N. LaSalle Street
Suite 710
Chicago, IL 60601
United States