Nashville, TN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017

Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement

Description: The Nashville Civic Center Design Center hosted the Nashville Neighborhoods Celebration at the intersection of 11th and Arthur Avenues. To showcase possibilities for public space there, organizers set up seating, street games and art installations. The gathering featured dance performances, food vendors and live music. Organizers wanted to ensure intersection upgrades aligned with Nashville's Walkike Master Plan. So they installed temporary streetscaping features, including vertical barriers to protect pedestrians crossing the street, signs to alert drivers to crosswalks, sensor lights and reflectors to increase visibility at night and bike lanes separated from traffic by planter boxes. At the event, residents had the opportunity to share their feedback on the improvements. Based on the pop-up efforts, the City permanently redesigned 11th street in 2019, adding a new bike lane. And since then, additional pop-up bike lane projects have informed permanent changes to downtown.

Nashville, TN

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022

Project Category: Bringing resident insight and volunteer power into local government

Description: This project cultivated leadership skills among people 50 or older at a series of lunch and learn events, helping them become more actively engaged in their neighborhoods.