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Rebuilding Together Nashville (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Public places
└ Public space activation
└ Public space activation
To help older adults age in place in their community, Rebuilding Together Nashville made improvements to three community spaces in the Bordeaux neighborhood. The nonprofit gathered feedback from residents to choose which spaces to update. At FiftyForward Bordeaux -- a senior center -- volunteers installed a shade structure, allowing visitors to comfortably gather outdoors. They also added a shed onsite and updated the center's interior, including painting and installing shelving. The Infinity Center is an after-school center that hosts children's theater and community classes. There, volunteers replaced windows, sealed water leaks and repaired a dilapidated deck. Finally, they helped Brooklyn Heights Community Garden transition from a group of raised beds to a full-scale urban farm. Volunteers demolished and moved old garden beds and prepared the site for a new pack and wash station, greenhouse and production garden.
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Youngstown, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Boulevard Park Block Watch Residents lacked a nearby public space to rest and connect, leaving older adults isolated in a dense neighborhood. The group transformed two vacant lots into a pocket park with benches, porch swings, picnic tables and plantings, plus a solar-lit flagpole and ADA-compliant features. The park now offers a secure, walkable space for socializing and exercise. "Neighbors with mobility issues were seen daily walking the 260-foot cement pathway," organizers noted, highlighting its role in fostering connection close to home.
Ponce, PR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Ponce -- Puerto Rico's second largest city -- is recovering after two hurricanes and several earthquakes damaged its downtown, leaving many families homeless. As part of reconstruction efforts, City leaders are focusing on bolstering community arts and activating public spaces. To make the downtown core more inviting, the City improved a walkway that connects the Plaza del Mercado Isabel II with the local marketplace. To prepare the site, City staff made infrastructure upgrades and revamped landscaping. They then added tables and benches to the site, allowing visitors to gather to enjoy live music, play board games and exercise. The City also installed a platform where artisans can display their work.
Houston, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Many residents of Houston's Gulfton neighborhood live in apartment buildings, which lack outdoor space. Organizers with My Connect Community set out to give these residents a place to gather. They created a placemaking tool kit tailored to multifamily property owners. The kit includes portable carts adorned with laser-cut designs meant to represent Gulfton's diversity. Each cart also features a shade umbrella and a chalkboard. Additionally, the kits include outdoor rugs, bistro lighting and seating. Then My Connect Community hosted a series of pop-up events on side streets and in on-street parking spaces. The temporary activations gave Gulfton residents a chance to socialize with one another and allowed organizers to share information about community resources, such as public transit service and library programming. In the future, My Connect Community hopes to ensure community events are culturally informed and engage volunteers who speak residents' languages.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Clarksville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Supporting family caregivers
Description: Mental Health America of the Midsouth expanded its Dementia-Friendly Churches Project, which supports older adults and their caregivers by training church staff, volunteers and others about the effects of dementia and how to help those affected. Employing a multi-denominational, multi-belief system approach, MHA trained 200 individuals at 30 places of worship in Clarksville and Franklin. The organization held trainings online and recorded the sessions to make them available after the fact. They also offered congregations technical support from a certified dementia specialist.
Nashville, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Older adults in North Nashville faced digital barriers that limited access to health care, financial tools and social connection. The YMCA launched a Digital Connectivity Pilot with 23 computer lab sessions staffed by local HBCU students. It also hosted three Lunch and Learn workshops on telehealth, estate planning and financial literacy. These efforts helped participants gain confidence using technology. One member said the program's telehealth training made them less scared to seek care remotely. Others learned to prevent scams and manage retirement accounts. The YMCA plans to expand this model across its six-county service area.
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