AARP Hearing Center
AARP Livable Communities Map
Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region Inc. (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Walk Audits
└ Walk Audits
In Albany's South End, unsafe streets and concerns about violence make walking risky for residents who rely on it as their main transportation. To address this, the organization led 10 walk audits across key blocks, engaging 27 older adults to pinpoint hazards and recommend improvements. Findings will guide advocacy for safer streetscapes and violence prevention. One participant said she was thankful someone was doing an audit in her neighborhood, which she felt was often overlooked.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Photo Gallery
Image:
Click on a photo to learn more
See More Projects Like This One
Berkley, MI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Downtown Berkley's main corridor lacked safe, walkable routes for older adults, even near age-restricted housing, limiting social connection and daily well-being. To address this, the agency led walk audits along Coolidge during a popular Halloween event, engaging residents and collecting feedback on sidewalks and crossings. Surveys highlighted ideas for streetscape upgrades during planned road reconstruction. The audits advanced dialogue on walkability and influenced city planning. One older adult shared, "When the weather is good and I get to walk through downtown my day instantly gets better. There are a lot of friends I get to see in different shops and on the street."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Memphis, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: The Works Inc. set out to improve walking conditions in South Memphis, where unclear construction messaging and unsafe crossings made it difficult for residents, including older adults, to navigate routes to Renaissance Pocket Park. The group led a walk audit and produced a findings report, partnering with Innovate Memphis to shape future audits and strengthen communication with city engineers. During the audit, participants learned how new bump outs, upgraded lights and multisensory pedestrian signals would support safer walking, easing concerns about construction. The project strengthened ties with Innovate Memphis and opened direct communication with City of Memphis Engineering, prompting plans for additional audits in South and North Memphis. A participant story about a confusing intersection highlighted how better information helped residents understand the long-term safety benefits of the upgrades.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Boston, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: WalkUP Roslindale focused on pedestrian safety issues in Roslindale Square that made everyday walking difficult for older adults and people using wheelchairs. Cracked sidewalks, missing or damaged curb ramps and short crossing times at busy intersections forced some residents into traffic to keep moving. The group led three walk audits that engaged more than 35 residents age 50 and over, documenting hazards along key routes. The audits prompted action by city departments, including temporary repairs to heaved sidewalks, fixes to curb cuts and added crossing time at a nearby intersection. One wheelchair user participated in all three audits and shared video of barriers that made a short trip unsafe, helping push repairs within weeks. The project elevated lived experience into ongoing transportation planning, ensuring pedestrian safety remains visible as longer term changes in the square move forward.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Albany, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Community Gardens
Description: The Underground Railroad Education Center constructed an accessible, indoor garden in the Arbor Hill neighborhood, whose residents lack access to fresh produce and gardening space. Designed for year-round use, the new hoop house represents an intergenerational collaboration between younger and older adults. Local teenagers created and installed planters and now help grow food there. Albany businesses and volunteers also contributed to the project by building benches for the site. Today, the Center grows produce, such as lettuce, in the greenhouse, which it donates to people in the community.
Albany, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Central Avenue had a long record of severe crashes, making daily walking hazardous for older adults relying on the corridor for basic needs. Capital Streets led walk audits that documented long crossing distances, limited signals and infrastructure that made navigating the road stressful. They brought partners to see conditions firsthand and shared results through a report and public event to build pressure for stronger improvements in the coming redesign. The project energized community advocacy and set the stage for sustained work on safer crossings and signals for older adults.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
LEARN MORE AND STAY INFORMED
Find articles and resources about making communities more livable for people of all ages
Download or order free publications from AARP Livable Communities
Sign up for the free, weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities eNewsletter
Don't see your community listed?
LEARN HOW IT CAN JOIN THE NETWORKConnect with your AARP State Office
AARP has offices in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
AARP New York State Office
750 Third Avenue
Floor 31
New York, NY 10017
United States