Burlington, VT

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: The city will purchase electric bikes and host guided training sessions so older adults and English learners can safely try assisted cycling. The effort will help participants learn about biking options and reduce reliance on driving for short trips.

Portland, OR

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: This pilot program taught Chinese-speaking elders to use smartphones to access information about bus schedules, routes and fares. APANO held three hands-on workshops in the Jade District, one of the most diverse areas of Portland. The neighborhood is home to the city's busiest bus route, which serves a housing complex for older adults. APANO navigators worked with youth leaders fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese to teach participants to use the local transit agency's TriMet app, as well as Google Maps. Workshop organizers hoped to reach 50 participants but the first training alone welcomed more than 70 people. Organizers also led practice trips to locations important to workshop participants. APANO reports that building confidence in public transit helped stave off food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as older adults were able to travel by bus to obtain culturally specific grocery staples.

Bloomfield, NJ

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Engaging people in transportation options/safety

Description: To identify challenges facing pedestrians, the Bloomfield Department of Health and Human Services conducted a walk audit. They invited community members to travel through town on foot, logging street features that made walking feel unsafe. Additionally, the Department held public meetings to gather community input. These community engagement efforts resulted in several recommendations to improve walkability. In response, the Department launched its WALK Bloomfield program, which established walking routes meant to be safe and enjoyable. As part of that initiative, the Township installed JobClocks -- special electronic devices -- in seven locations about Bloomfield. This allows walkers carrying a fob to automatically log the time it takes to walk from one JobClock to the next. Overall, organizers hope the efforts grow a pedestrian culture in Bloomfield.