Kuna, ID

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Kuna has a large parking lot in the center of its downtown that goes largely underused for most of the year. To spark the community's imagination, the City and Idaho Smart Growth hosted the Park for a Day event, which turned the lot into a pop-up plaza. The event featured live music, a food vendor and sketches illustrating ways the space could be permanently transformed. Attendees also contributed their own designs for the parking lot. Suggestions included using the space for a series of short-term, recurring events, such as an Oktoberfest, a Christmas village, a renaissance fair or themed dance nights. The City went on to explore several ideas from the pop-up event, including paving the parking lot with solar panels and installing green stormwater infrastructure to sustain landscaping at the site.

Akron, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will create a vibrant plaza connecting Peoples Park with a mixed-use development. The space will promote active aging, mental stimulation, and social ties through dedicated programming for people age 50-plus.

Hartsville, SC

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will transform a vacant event space into an indoor farmers market with renovated restrooms, vendor booths, and ample lighting. It will provide a safe, accessible, and comfortable environment for community events.