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Sweet Streets Salt Lake (2021) Print
2021 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Improved wayfinding
└ Improved wayfinding
As part of larger Complete Streets efforts to make local roadways friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists, Sweet Streets installed wayfinding signage throughout Salt Lake City. The signs display the distances to nearby amenities such as shops and parks, as well as the time needed to reach them on foot or by bike. Project organizers hope the initiative encourages residents to explore their community without getting in a car. Additionally, Sweet Streets held a series of outreach events to engage residents on street safety and design, especially as the nonprofit advocates for lowered speed limits on many roads.
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Kokomo, IN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: To encourage residents to be more physically active, the YMCA in Kokomo raised their awareness of county trails, parks and other recreational amenities. The YMCA created signs for the city's trolley stops and for its Walk of Excellence Trail. The signs communicate the distance, direction and walking time to local attractions, including parks, the Kokomo Municipal Stadium and the Kokomo Beach Family Aquatic Center. They also provide information about accessibility for people with disabilities. The project gave the YMCA an opportunity to partner with local stakeholders, such as the city's parks and recreation department and the Indiana University Design Center. Since this effort, the city of Kokomo has continued to promote biking. In 2018, the city launched a free bikesharing program that provides adults and children with bikes, as well as helmets and locks.
Red Bank, NJ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: Officials with the Borough of Red Bank hoped to encourage residents and visitors to walk. To do this, the Borough launched Destination Red Bank, an initiative to add wayfinding signage to local streets. The Borough installed decals to the sidewalk, each displaying a QR code. When passersby scan the code with their smartphones, they can access information about local attractions, including directions to reach them by foot. Additionally, the Borough created a parklet -- a mini-part that sits in the footprint of a parking space. They outfitted the downtown gathering space with a picnic table and native plants to give pedestrians and cyclists a place to rest. Project organizers say they will continue to look for innovative ways to make Red Bank more walkable in the future.
Grand Island, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: Grow Grand Island installed four sculptural, eight-foot-tall wayfinding totems in Railside, an area in the City's downtown. Designed to help visitors learn about Railside and Grand Island's history and art, the totems feature maps and short descriptions in English and Spanish. Each totem is customized based on its location. In addition, the totems include a QR code linking to historical information about the buildings downtown. This online content can be updated when needed. Project organizers say the totems spurred needed repairs for downtown sidewalks and helped garner funding for more wayfinding signs. As downtown grows, organizers say the totems will play an important role in helping pedestrians navigate and appreciate Grand Island.
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Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety
Description: Older adults in Salt Lake City often feel overlooked in transit planning, leaving them isolated in neighborhoods divided by highways and poor air quality. HEAL addressed this by hosting walk audits and listening sessions, creating a toolkit for residents, and partnering with the transit authority to teach residents how to use buses and apply for reduced fares. These efforts amplified older voices in city studies and boosted independence by showing practical routes and services. One participant said learning about a nearby bus line made them feel less dependent on rides from family and friends.
Salt Lake City, UT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: Salt Lake City's Taylorsville neighborhood is home to refugee families from Syria, Myanmar and Afghanistan. Many new residents, however, struggle with social isolation. To help people feel connected, Salt Lake County created a community garden at the local senior center. Volunteers built four raised beds and the County provided ergonomic gardening equipment, seeds and starter plants. Project organizers say the opportunity to garden gives older adults -- who were often farmers and ranchers in their native countries -- a renewed sense of purpose. Gardening also allows them to form relationships with their neighbors.
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