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Placemaking US (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Community Gardens
└ Community Gardens
In Long Beach, older adults lacked spaces for cultural connection in a neighborhood marked by poverty and pollution. Placemaking US built a traditional communal comal using techniques developed long ago, and hosted tortilla-making workshops where elders taught masa preparation. More than 100 participants, including local chefs and volunteers, joined intergenerational sessions that celebrated heritage and sustainability. The project created lasting programming at Rancho Los Cerritos, turning it into a hub for cultural exchange and reducing isolation. One participant shared, "I didn't realize how much I missed this until I felt the heat from the comal and smelled the fresh masa."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Kenai, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Hey gek'a, also known as the lingonberry or lowbush cranberry, is used by Alaska Native people to treat headaches, swelling, sore throats and tuberculosis and to dye mats, baskets and skin. After the installation of six raised gardening beds on the campus of the Dena'ina Wellness Center, Kenaitze Indian Tribe elders and other community members have improved access to the berries. They also grow 11 other indigenous, medicinal plants at the site, including chamomile, yarrow and stinging nettle. Each plant is tagged with its Dena'ina name, as well as its uses, enabling visitors to learn about the tribe's language and traditional knowledge.
Wasilla, AK
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Organizers with Wasilla Area Seniors hoped their new community garden would be a therapeutic space for older adults. But the garden lacked places to sit and rest. Responding to older adults' requests for seating, project organizers added nine accessible benches to the site's trail and gardens. Additionally, they installed additional raised planters, which allow people of all abilities to garden. The improvements also precipitated the creation of the Mat-Su Seed Library group. Organizers say garden gives older adults a reason to leave their homes and socialize with others.
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Blue Moon Community Garden in Tucson is located next a 17-story apartment building with hundreds of residents, many of whom are older adults. However, the garden lacked shade and amenities, including public bathrooms and benches, which discouraged potential volunteers. Community Gardens of Tucson, which manages twenty gardens across the city, installed tables, benches and pop-up shade structures. They also built raised garden beds, improved pathways and added a compostable toilet onsite. The improvements allow garden to offer more diverse programming for community members, which has led to more volunteer engagement.
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Long Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Transportation Systems Change
Description: Older adults in Long Beach faced severe transportation barriers that kept many from medical care and social programs, deepening isolation after the pandemic. The Healthy Aging Center provided more than 1,000 free taxi rides for appointments, pharmacies and grocery trips, helping residents regain independence and reconnect with community resources. "This program brought me back to life... getting out of the house again after staying at home these past few years has been a blessing," said one participant. The service also improved compliance with health plans and sparked advocacy for sustainable transportation options.
Long Beach, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: During Walk Long Beach's inaugural Ranchos Walk -- a 9.4-mile hike -- more than 400 walkers laced up their shoes and strode along the city's high ridge. Event organizers set up temporary wayfinding signs and made improvements to a crosswalk to make it more visible. Meant to raise awareness about the benefits of walking for fitness and recreation, the event introduced participants to streets and neighborhoods that many had never seen before. Stretching from Rancho Los Alamitos in the southeast to Rancho Los Cerritos in the north, the walk's route showcased Long Beach's agricultural history: The area's two original ranchos date to the 1800s. Organizers initially anticipated half as many walkers to participate, but residents of all ages flocked to the challenge. In 2021, Walk Long Beach repeated the event with the theme of women in Long Beach history.
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