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Worcester Common Ground Inc. (2025) Print
2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Pedestrian Safety
└ Pedestrian Safety
This project will enhance safety and walkability along Pleasant Street by installing artistic crosswalks and wayfinding signage.
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See More Projects Like This One
Dallas, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: The project will install temporary crossings, curb extensions and traffic calming elements at a Dallas intersection. These changes will make it safer to walk to bus stops and parks and will guide future permanent street upgrades.
Greensboro, NC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: Speeding traffic, trucks and bus activity made it risky to cross W. Elmsley Dr., a link to shopping and a transit corridor used by many older adults. The city installed a permanent high-visibility crosswalk with pedestrian-activated flashing lights, ADA ramps and a refuge island, then added a new sidewalk to complete the connection. Walk audits with residents informed the location and built buy-in. During filming, staff saw drivers slow and stop for the beacon, and crossing felt noticeably safer. The project also aligned with plans for higher-frequency transit and spurred interdepartmental coordination on future safety upgrades.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Arcadia, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Pedestrian Safety
Description: This project will install pedestrian-friendly wayfinding signage in downtown Arcadia. The signs will highlight key destinations, historical sites, and cultural landmarks.
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Worcester, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: High-visibility crosswalks, curb bump-outs, reflective signs and a street mural will be added near a neighborhood garden. These features will slow traffic and make crossings safer for older adults and other pedestrians.
Worcester, MA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Digital navigation skills
Description: Older adults in Worcester public housing lacked affordable internet and digital skills, leaving them isolated and unable to access telehealth or manage benefits. The Senior Tech Savvy Pilot Program installed computers and Wi-Fi in community rooms and offered 12 classes for 120 residents. Eighty percent reported confidence using email and browsing safely, and 75% could now navigate health portals. With permanent access to technology and plans for ongoing classes, residents gained independence and security online. One participant said that now she didn't feel the same frustration and was confident enough to practice at home.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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