AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
See More Projects Like This One
Ellsworth, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: Ellsworth's once-bustling East End corridor had declined over several decades, with a 60 percent vacancy rate along Broadway Street. The Local Chamber of Commerce hoped to see the neighborhood rise again as a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use area. To promote its vision, the Chamber commissioned six murals celebrating local agricultural history. They also put up light pole banners and window clings with branding for the neighborhood and added benches, bistro tables and hanging planter baskets along Broadway Street. The Chamber then staged a historical walking tour, which garnered local news coverage and spurred the County historical association to consider designating the East End as an official historic district. In conjunction with these placemaking efforts, the Chamber launched a pop-up program for small businesses opening in the East End. Following that initiative, two of the participating decided to operate permanently in the neighborhood.
Clearmont, WY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project will involve building a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk connecting the museum to Branding Iron Park. This project will improve access for all visitors, including older adults.
Portland, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: 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.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: This project will conduct walk audits to identify potential visibility, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements. The organization will recruit older volunteers to participate and meet with residents, business owners and local officials to discuss their findings.
Chicago, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: To promote walkability, economic development and better quality of life for residents, the Chicago Department of Transportation created a replicable prototype for a People Spot. Consisting of a wooden platform, the People Spots transform on-street parking spaces into outdoor patios. To help neighborhood groups set up their own People Spots, the City published construction plans and an assembly manual for the parklets online. Part of the City's Livable Streets Program, organizers say the temporary infrastructure helps neighborhoods overcome economic hardship by encouraging residents to walk and frequent local businesses. The City installed its first People Spot in the South Side Chatham neighborhood in 2018. That iteration measured about six feet wide by 20 feet long, but the platforms can be as long as 80 feet.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP Illinois State Office
222 N. LaSalle Street
Suite 710
Chicago, IL 60601
United States