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Shawnee Mission, KS

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management

Description: To expand access to cycling, this project expanded the BikeWalkKC bikeshare program. Parks and Recreation Foundation of Johnson County set out to install bikeshare stations in four parks, including a new park located near a residential area with a senior living community. The stations serve four municipalities -- Olathe, Prairie Village, Lenexa, Shawnee and Overland Park. To measure the bikeshare program's popularity, each station uses smart technology to track each bike's location, how frequently it is checked out, the length of each checkout and who used it. Organizers plan to specifically market the service to older adults, who represent a growing share of Johnson County's population.

Allen, TX

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management

Description: To encourage older residents to become more active and use the local trail system, the City of Allen purchased six adult electric tricycles for the Allen Senior Recreation Center. Center members can check out the trikes to use when weather permits. The tricycles provide supplementary electric power to assist with peddling when needed, enabling users with varying mobility levels to ride them. To get the lending program started, City built a storage facility for the tricycles and offered a skills class for riders. Additionally, they provided helmets, orange safety flags and bike locks. Although motorized vehicles typically aren't typically allowed on Allen's nearby Cottonwood Creek Hike/Bike trail, the City has made an exception for the trikes.

McDonough, GA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Micromobility enhancements/management

Description: Heritage Senior Activity Center purchased ten adult tricycles (along with helmets, locks and pumps) and made them available for borrowing.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

Powhatan County, VA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility

Description: The site of Powhatan's historic Pocahontas School sat unused for many years. Organizers with Habitat for Humanity saw the campus as an opportunity to provide needed affordable housing for local older adults. To envision possibilities for the space, Habitat hosted four community design. At the workshops community members worked with a local architectural firm to draw up plans to transform two school structures into apartment buildings offering one- and two-bedroom units. Once completed, the development will offer 21 new affordable housing units in total. Organizers say the charrette also helped attract 2.2 million in financing for the project. Going forward, Habitat plans to continue to explore ways to fill the area's growing need for affordable housing.

Richmond, VA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Public or private transit access

Description: To make waiting for the bus more comfortable and accessible for residents of the Northside neighborhood, Storefront for Community Design installed six benches. The organization partnered with Northside Strong, a coalition of community groups and local nonprofits, as well as environmental group Groundwork RVA. To determine the best locations for the benches, Northside Strong conducted a study and held public engagement sessions, which more than 200 residents attended. Project organizers then hosted multigenerational events where residents designed, painted and installed the benches. They offered stipends to 44 low-income community members for their time, labor and expertise throughout the project. Organizers with Storefront for Community Design say the community-wide collaboration shows the necessity of providing amenities, such as benches, for Richmond residents.

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