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Gary, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: To address the first mile/last mile problem -- describing challenges riders face bridging the distance between transit stops and community amenities -- this project launched the Cycle219 Bikeshare Program. The Legacy Foundation purchased electric bikes, added bike racks and installed signage to help cyclists navigate. To make the program affordable, organizers provided annual passes to older adults and low-income residents. Additionally, project organizers used tactical urbanism to test ideas for improving crosswalk safety in Gary's Miller neighborhood. They used stencils to paint sharrows and an artistic crosswalk onto the pavement, hoping to make cyclists and pedestrians more visible to drivers. In the future, organizers plan to expand the bikeshare into more communities.
Birmingham, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: For years, Birmingham's busy Titusville neighborhood did not have a strong north/south connector for pedestrians and bicyclists. To address this, the Freshwater Land Trust installed a buffered bike lane -- the Titusville Connector -- along First Street South for five blocks to create a safe and equitable alternative transportation and recreation route for residents living in and around the community. The bike lane, which is located next to an elementary school and links to the multi-modal Neighborway path, allows residents to reach local amenities and the local bus rapid transit route. The Connector's brightly painted lane runs between the sidewalk and parallel parking spaces, making it the first, separated in-street trail in Birmingham.
Wilmington, DE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: West Center City is a predominantly Black neighborhood in Wilmington which has historically lacked bicycle infrastructure. To give people a place to park their bikes, Wilmington Alliance installed three new art racks in central areas -- an upgrade from the single bicycle rack that once served the whole neighborhood. Local artists designed Art Racks, with each rack's look highlighting the community's rich history. Project organizers say the racks not only add a secure place to lock up bike but add a sculptural element all can enjoy. They are installed in community gathering spaces, including at greenspaces and community centers.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Amos House, which serves unhoused and unemployed people and those living in poverty, developed a volunteer-managed garden to provide fresh ingredients for the organization's soup kitchen. Amos House installed four raised garden beds and two containers for growing herbs. The organization relied on labor from participants in its carpentry program and planted seeds donated by a local farm. Following construction of the 900-square-foot garden, Amos House recruited 20 volunteers age 50 and older to tend the garden. In the summer of 2019, the garden yielded produce valued at 6,500, which they used to prepare 15,000 meals. Residents of Amos House's shelter programs participate in gardening and harvesting, which project organizers say represented an important social activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providence, RI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Addressing community health
Description: This project will provide grocery carts and reusable bags at two food pantries, allowing customers who visit on foot to transport their groceries. In addition, the organization will add an outdoor shelter and seating to the Olneyville Food Pantry.
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