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Portland Downtown (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
Portland's central business district has a number of neglected alleyways and streetcorners. To make walking though downtown easier -- and to attract pedestrians to local businesses -- Portland Downtown activated these spaces. They enlisted residents of an assisted living facility created murals on old doors. They also brightened up two alleys with overhead lighting. Organizers say the project improved safety, created art and engaged local businesses, all while making once-derelict areas more welcoming.
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Bismarck, ND
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: As part of Bismarck's Health in All Policies initiative, the City made improvements to its 16th Street Park, intending to create a sense of place and encourage residents to be active outdoors. To revitalize the park, project organizers installed a new bench, ADA-accessible picnic table and game table. Local artists also designed a mural for a building onsite and decorated walkways with sidewalk chalk art. To complete the activation, volunteers created designs by pushing colorful plastic cups through the park's chain link fences. Additionally, the City conducted a temporary traffic calming demonstration at a nearby roundabout in an effort to make the area safer for pedestrians.
Wheeling, WV
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Wheeling Heritage turned a vacant downtown lot into a pocket park, giving residents and older adults a safe, inviting place to gather. Volunteers helped install benches, garden beds, game tables and art features, along with pet-friendly amenities and lighting. The park now offers a quiet spot for relaxation and recreation and is expected to complement nearby plaza events. A local business owner said, "It's great to see others taking pride in the positive momentum happening at Market Plaza."
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Older adults in Walton County had few options for outdoor recreation and social connection. To address this, the county transformed a library courtyard into a gaming garden with a ping-pong table, chess table and corn hole set. These additions created a welcoming space for residents to gather and stay active. The project introduced a new venue for multigenerational interaction and prompted plans for future upgrades, including walkways to improve accessibility.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions
Description: AIA Maine will host a design competition to explore innovative housing solutions for underserved communities. The event will include educational sessions on accessibility, aging in place, and lessons learned from the competition.
Augusta, Bangor and Westbrook, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine held a series of short-term traffic calming demonstrations in Bangor, North Yarmouth and Bangor. The pop-up installations increased the visibility of crosswalks and shortened crossing distances with simple, cost-effective tools. The Coalition deployed flexible lane delineators and pedestrian-crossing signs. They also painted pedestrian landings at crosswalks and added shared-lane markings -- called sharrows -- to street pavement. To gage the effectiveness of these activities, the organization collected survey responses and traffic data, which showed that traffic speeds decreased and pedestrians appreciated it. Project organizers say the demonstrations helped prove to municipal leaders that streets are for people -- not just people in cars -- and improving safety is possible without complex, expensive road construction.
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