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Placemaking is a term used to describe anything from painting a mural to building a mixed-use development project. NAR’s Placemaking Grant,as part of its grant criteria, defines placemaking as transforming unused, underused and unwelcoming sites into vibrant public places for the whole community.
NAR does get inquiries and applications that focus on enhancing existing public spaces like parks or trails. However, the NAR grant does not fund adding amenities, like benches or signs, to existing public spaces.
But there are other funding sources including crowdfunding platforms like ioby.org and patronicity.com as well as America Walks Community Change Grants and AARP Community Challenge Grant. So, if your project doesn’t meet the criteria of NAR’s Placemaking Grant, you should look into one of these funding sources.
As for this year’s AARP Community Challenge Grant, nearly $3.2 million is being distributed to fund 244 quick-action projects across the country, helping urban, rural and suburban communities make immediate improvements and jumpstart long-term progress to support residents of all ages.
AARP Community Challenge Grant Projects
Below are some projects that were funded by the AARP Community Challenge Grant along with the reason (in bullets) as to why they would not meet the criteria of NAR's Placemaking Grant. If you are considering doing something like this next year, you may want to consider applying for an AARP Community Challenge Grant.
Foley, AL
Musical instruments will be added to an existing pocket park so people of all ages can play and organizations can stage public performances.
- Adds amenities to an existing public space
Camp Verde, AZ
Town of Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Division
Seating is lacking along several key stretches of the Town of Camp Verde Sport Complex. Challenge funds will be used to place benches along the 1.6-mile Perimeter Loop Trail and around a pond.
- Adds amenities to an existing public space
Wilmington, DE
Sculptural bicycle racks designed by local artists will enhance community spaces and the city's cycling infrastructure.
- Multiple amenities (benches, bike racks) installed along a multi-site area (street, trail)
Estherville, IA
Playground swings suitable for users of varied ages, skills and sizes will be installed at parks throughout the city.
- Multiple amenities (benches, bike racks) installed along a multi-site area (street, trail) and adds amenities to an existing public space
Stanton, IA
In honor of the town’s Swedish history, Swedish-themed mile markers will be installed along the Stanton Greenbelt Trail.
- Adds amenities to an existing public space
Loogootee, IN
Loogootee Beautification Board
A large mural by a local artist will be installed on the side of an abandoned building that's being renovated as a multi-use community space.
- Does not create a new public space
Bath, ME
Age-Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec | City of Bath
Outdoor chess-and-checker tables will be installed in a public plaza and along downtown streets.
- Multiple amenities (benches, bike racks) installed along a multi-site area (street, trail) and adds amenities to an existing public space
Newport, NH
Recreational wayfinding signs and trail kiosks will be installed to increase and improve visits to the town’s trail system.
- Adds amenities to an existing public space
Chillicothe, OH
As part of an established plan to improve the Chillicothe Transit System, this project will install artistic, accessible bus stop structures that can help to improve social connections among passengers.
- A bus stop is not a destination/gathering spot but part of transit infrastructure
Eufaula, OK
The “Musical Walk Project" will help enliven a downtown area by installing outdoor musical equipment along a pathway and at points of interest in the community.
- Multiple amenities (benches, bike racks) installed along a multi-site area (street, trail)
Charleston, SC
City of Charleston — Keep Charleston Beautiful Program
Hampstead Square, the city's oldest public green space, will receive much-needed improvements, including an irrigation system, new landscaping and a free Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Enhances an existing public space
Green River, UT
An age-friendly green space with accessible trails, seating and shade will be installed at Canal Commons, a housing development for people with limited incomes.
- Isn’t accessible to the whole community
Find below some of the projects that would have qualified for the NAR grant. REALTOR® Associations could have partnered with others in their communities to help build these projects. The examples below may also give you some ideas for a placemaking project in your community.
Level 2 Grant Project Ideas
Willcox, AZ
Willcox Theater and Arts, Inc.
An unused lot in the downtown historic district will be transformed into a courtyard that celebrates the area's heritage and character through art installations, features accessible walkways and provides seating so visitors can enjoy and interact in the new space.
Miami, FL
The creation of “Historical Storytelling Fitness Paths” in local parks will include signage that promotes healthy behaviors by sharing stories about the city as experienced and told by older Miamians.
Honolulu, HI
The installation of parklets in Honolulu’s Kalihi neighborhood will support local businesses as they recover from the pandemic, improve safety and livability, and demonstrate how parklets fit with and can enhance the city's transit development plans.
Hidden Springs, ID
Hidden Springs Town Association
The creation of an all-weather path for the Hidden Springs community and greater Treasure Valley will provide an outdoor recreational option for all ages along scenic riparian trails, a community farm and agricultural fields.
Peoria, IL
Phoenix Community Development Services
The Madison Mural Project will turn an urban alley into an inviting, outdoor gathering space with seating and lighting.
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines Historical Society — Waveland Trolley Loop Project
A park and interactive trolley sculpture will be created on a vacant, long-neglected site. The revitalized space will feature informational signage about the Waveland Trolley (which ceased operations in the 1940s) and life in Des Moines during the early 20th century.
Indianapolis, IN
Transforming a vacant lot alongside a neighborhood center will create a community orchard with native shade trees, benches and accessible pathways.
Abbeville, LA
Challenge funds will support the installation of a walking trail and fitness stations in the Lafitte Drive-In Park.
Portland, ME
The grant-funded project will activate blighted alleyways with murals that use old doors, lighting, greenery and creative overhead treatments to turn the corridors into engaging multiactivity spaces.
East St. Louis, MO
Grant funds will be used to transform a transit station into an active space that promotes bus and light-rail use, supports creative play and celebrates the history and culture of East St. Louis.
Greensboro, NC
Creative Aging Network-NC/Center for Creative Aging North Carolina
The "Creativity as a Catalyst for Inclusion" project will transform a 10-acre campus into a hub of multicultural and intergenerational art, community gardening and environmental stewardship by installing an "international garden," constructing an outdoor classroom, and hosting programs and events.
Southport, NC
John N. Smith Cemetery Restoration and Preservation
An outdoor museum within a historic African American cemetery will share and celebrate the contributions made by Black residents.
Imperial, NE
A vacant alleyway and lot will be transformed into a mini-park with murals, benches, raised garden beds and a mosaic dragon for children to play on.
Omaha, NE
The installation of a mural, community gardens and seating at the southern trailhead of the North Omaha Trail will help turn an unused parking lot into an interactive public space.
Amesville, OH
To celebrate the community's status as a "Bee City USA" honoree — a designation bestowed by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation — a large pollinator garden will be planted and used for guided tours and educational classes.
Providence, RI
A library lawn will become the location of a staffed, resource-rich park featuring books, games, activities and technology services.
Lynchburg, VA
Downtown Lynchburg Association
An overlooked alley will be transformed into an attractive, artistic and usable public space.
Richmond, VA
A custom-designed parklet will provide a neighborhood desperately in need of public gathering spaces with an attractive, safe and shaded destination.
Snohomish, WA
Friends of the Snohomish Library
Funding will support the Snohomish Library Story Trail, an installation of 22 "stations" — each holding pages from a children's picture book — placed along the Centennial Trail.
Appleton, WI
Creative Downtown Appleton, Inc.
A new parklet equipped with solar lights, art, a bike rack and a hand sanitizer station will provide accessible public seating on College Avenue.
Hinton, WV
The creation of a community green space will include a playground for children and a community garden accessible to all residents.
Level 1 Grant Project Ideas
Montgomery, AL
This demonstration project will create protected bicycle and pedestrian lanes on busy streets in the Old Cloverdale district to show the value of walk-bike infrastructure in the neighborhood and city.
San José, CA
An underutilized parking lot in the downtown arts district will be revitalized with a demonstration garden, farm stand, dog park, mobile food vending hub and artistic murals.
Hamtramck, MI
Challenge funds will be used to temporarily transform a downtown alley into a pedestrian-friendly route and community gathering space. Feedback from the short-term project will be used to inform the final design.
Mansfield, OH
Richland Community Development Group
A temporary linear park will be installed to enliven a downtown road and help residents envision what a permanent connection between the city's Imagination District and Carrousel District.
