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Kennett Square, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: With the goal of supporting small businesses downtown, this project created the first parklet in Kennett Square. Before installing the mini-park, only one side of the borough's main street featured wide sidewalks and could be closed to vehicles on the weekends. Project organizers hoped to expand the space available for outdoor dining and gathering. To do this, the Historic Kennett Square repurposed three on-street parking spaces, installing deck flooring, adding overhead string lights and setting out picnic tables and planters. Four restaurants -- two coffee shops and two restaurants -- used the space. Volunteers designed the parklet be torn down ahead of the winter months and set back up in the spring. Project organizers say the parklet helped demonstrate the value of placemaking projects.
West Chester, PA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed ADA-compliant seating and tables, plus a security camera, to an underused terrace outside the library.
Opelika, AL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: This project installed an outdoor game station in an underutilized public space, so residents and visitors could have fun while spending time downtown.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: As part of its mission to make biking safer, the League of Michigan Bicyclists set out to test a new style of lane separators meant to protect cyclists from vehicle traffic. The League did a demonstration project, setting up hundreds of wave delineators -- arc-shaped metal pieces that create the appearance of waves when placed end to end. They also used narrow traffic cones to separate bike lanes from the roadway. During the pop-up, project organizers collected feedback from people using the protected lanes. They report the demonstration's success has spurred other cities in the region are to undertake similar projects.
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