Chicago, IL

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: The El Paseo Community Garden in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood added a new gathering space, dubbed El Convivio or The Gathering. The goal of the project was to make the garden more accessible to Latino older adults living in nearby apartment buildings. Improvements to the space include an outdoor kitchen and patio with a fire pit, ADA-compliant seating, walking paths and an accessible planting station. Planters at the site were specifically designed to grow culturally relevant produce, including tomatoes, peppers, garlic and onions. The picnic area's stucco and ceramic tiles mimic designs seen in Mexican haciendas. Garden leaders partnered with nonprofit architectural firm Human Scale to involve garden members in the space's design and volunteers from the neighborhood installed the new amenities. As El Paseo's leadership finalized El Convivio, they also worked with the City of Chicago to secured additional land to expand the garden.

Baltimore, MD

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project upgraded and made accessibility improvements to a community garden in a low-income neighborhood. It created a rain garden and installed a permeable paver path, picnic table, lighting and a canopy.

Philadelphia, PA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Community Gardens

Description: This project created four themed gardens -- with themes including Edible and Sanctuary -- at the LandHealth Institute's nursery.