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Cairo, IL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: In rural southern Illinois, older adults faced unsafe walking conditions with missing sidewalks and overgrown paths, forcing them into streets to reach parks and stores. CHESI organized walk audits across three towns, engaging 37 residents, including many age 50-plus, to review 100 blocks and document hazards. Participants met with local leaders to push for improvements and raised awareness of pedestrian safety. The effort sparked advocacy campaigns and scheduled meetings with mayors. This laid the groundwork for safer sidewalks and crosswalks and inspired future livable community projects.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
New York, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Older adults navigating dense city neighborhoods often face hidden accessibility barriers, from uneven sidewalks to businesses that are difficult to enter. Without clear, shared information, these obstacles can limit independence and everyday movement. AXS Lab addressed this gap by hosting three community mapping events that invited residents to document real-world accessibility conditions using walk audits and digital mapping tools. Participants reviewed streets, parks and businesses and contributed hundreds of observations based on lived experience. The effort supported conversations with local officials and community partners and helped businesses better understand accessibility needs. By turning on-the-ground knowledge into shared data, the project strengthened community awareness and created a foundation for ongoing advocacy focused on improving access for older adults.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Mulvane, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Walk Audits
Description: Poor sidewalks and crossings near local adult centers and the downtown area made walking unsafe for older adults in Mulvane. To address this, the foundation led walk audits, community meetings and mentorship sessions to identify hazards and propose solutions. Findings will inform the city's 10-year comprehensive plan and support grant applications for ADA upgrades and safer intersections. One volunteer called the experience eye-opening, saying she learned how audit data can drive funding and policy changes.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Blytheville, AR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: A walk audit of Blytheville's downtown revealed many crosswalks didn't include curb cuts, making them difficult to navigate for people with disabilities. Because of this, people using wheelchairs or pushing strollers had to venture into the street to access a ramp. To address this, Main Street Blytheville poured concrete to create 20 curb ramps. Organizers say the ramps make downtown more walkable and inclusive for people of all ages and abilities. One local business owner said, "I didn't even realize how much we needed those until you did this project. I have seen new faces coming into my store and I believe it was because you made it easier for them to get around when they visit." MainStreet organizers report the project has since spurred the City to address other pedestrian infrastructure needs, including leveling uneven sidewalks.
Jackson, TN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Public or private transit access
Description: The City of Jackson wanted to help riders predict when to expect their bus. To do this, City installed transit routers on buses to provide real-time information about arrival and departure times. That allows passengers to track buses through a smartphone app. Previously, they had to access timetables through PDF maps or by calling the Jackson Transit Authority. Project organizers say up-to-date information about arrival times helps residents avoid long waits at the bus stop, with are difficult for older adults and families with small children. The app also allows riders to pay bus fares online -- before they had to purchase tickets with exact change at the bus depot. Since the app's launch, the City of Jackson plans to improve bus stops, introduce a mobile fare payment and help the transit authority track bus ridership.
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