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Mansfield, OH

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: Mansfield's Carrousel District was cut off from the city's newly created Imagination District. To demonstrate the value of connecting the two downtown areas, the Richland Community Development Corporation created a temporary linear park along West Third Street. Organizers hoped the long, narrow park would double as a community gathering pace and pedestrian pathway. The CDC installed benches, pergolas and hammocks and outfitted. Volunteers laid down artificial turf and painted murals onto the pavement. To attract people to the space, the pop-up included activities including self defense classes, interactive art exhibits, children's storytimes, food trucks and live music performances. The two-week activation was part of the CDC's efforts to advocate for a permanent linear park, which organizers say will bring vibrancy to the Carrousel District and reintegrate it into the fabric of Mansfield's downtown.

Detroit, MI

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: To give older adults a space where they can interact with local children, Eden Gardens Block Club converted two vacant lots into an intergenerational playground. Ahead of the project, the Edens Garden surveyed residents about their preferences, with 80 percent of respondents asking for exercise equipment for older adults. Volunteers then worked to clear the site and install playground apparatuses, including swings, a see-saw bouncer and a cardio walker. Organizers say the space is now a source of community pride for the community.

Burlington, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: This project will create an accessible outdoor seating area for older residents by repurposing several paved parking spaces near the local senior center and equipping them with bench seating, tables, chairs and planters for gardening.

Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects

San Francisco, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: When the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden opened in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in 2014, it focused on serving Asian immigrant elders and filled a need for green space and fresh food. This project expanded the garden, adding 3,000 square feet of gardening space and making it the second largest urban farm in San Francisco. The additional space allowed gardeners to try new techniques -- such as row planting -- that increased the garden's yields. Additionally, organizers upgraded the garden's compost system and set up beehives to help with pollinating crops. The larger harvest allowed garden organizers to distribute four tons of produce annually to local families in needs, including culturally relevant foods such as bok choy and Chinese chives.

San Francisco, CA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024

Project Category: Walk Audits

Description: Three walk audits will evaluate the safety and walkability of sidewalks and crosswalks in San Francisco's Little Chinatown neighborhood. Chinese-speaking volunteers will participate in the audits and attend meetings with city officials to discuss the results.

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