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AARP Livable Communities Map
Town of Wilton (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Trails
└ Trails
The Town of Wilton built ADA-compliant walkways along the bank of Souhegan River. The walkways connect restaurants and a veterans park to Wilton's downtown core. Part of planned improvements to the Wilton Riverwalk, the new walkways transformed a preexisting walking path into downtown's first accessible pedestrian route. After the Town secured funding for the improvements, a local telecom company donated an easement for the project. Organizers say Wilton is working to boost its local economy and position itself as a place where people can come to enjoy shopping, ecotourism and cultural events. Part of that effort is remaking the downtown into a walkable environment that caters to pedestrians instead of cars. Since then, the Town has continued revitalization efforts, and recently added a downtown marketplace for local artists and musicians.
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See More Projects Like This One
East Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Trails
Description: To improve its South Meadows Greenway trail network, Goodwin University created a wheelchair accessible picnic area. The University installed four picnic tables with seating in a location overlooking the Connecticut River. In collaboration with the East Hartford Senior Center, university officials then hosted trail walks with the goal of increasing healthy outdoor recreation for residents of the largely industrial City of East Hartford. Goodwin's campus is located on a former EPA-designated brownfield site, which the school cleaned up. Through its improvements to trails, the university hopes to improve livability in East Hartford.
Grand Rapids, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Trails
Description: To encourage residents to walk and socialize, the North End Wellness Coalition installed seven benches along the North Quarter Pathways, an urban walking trail in Grand Rapids' Creston neighborhood. The ADA-compliant seating is designed to accommodate residents with limited mobility. To promote walking on the Pathways' five trail loops, the Coalition also founded an Active Living Team, which is working to plan community events and programming. Project organizers say working with City staff to install the benches laid the ground for other improvements throughout Grand Rapids, including upgrades to local parks and new scooter and bike racks.
Stratford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Trails
Description: To increase walkability, this project updated and digitized maps of 12 walking routes and installed four benches along the routes. The town hosted a kickoff event to encourage people of all ages to walk more often.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Wilton, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The project will create a shaded, accessible gazebo situated at a location where older residents can observe wildlife and catalog what they see for a natural resources inventory.
Goffstown, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Improved wayfinding
Description: The five-and-a-half mile Goffstown Rail Trail connects the town's three commercial areas. To help trail users navigate, Friends of the Goffstown Rail Trail erected new signs with information about nearby businesses and facilities, as well as tidbits of Goffstown history. Since installation, business owners along the trail have reported more visitors in their shops. And as Goffstown plans for a future trail expansion, the signs have helped build community buy-in and attract donations to fund that project.
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