AARP Hearing Center
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
In 2016, the planning group Team Better Block partnered with AARP Vermont in the town of Bethel (pop: 2,030) to demonstrate how placemaking and community design influence successful aging, health, economic vitality and overall livability.
The Roadmap
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
The event took place over a weekend in early October and featured temporary "pop-up" businesses, street modifications, new public spaces and many other small interventions aimed at improving livability in the downtown corridor.
Bird's Eye View
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
Bethel was a great place for a Better Block demonstration project because it featured a good street (suitably named Main Street) that could be made better.
Closed for Business
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
Among the reasons Bethel benefited from a Better Block intervention was that many of its downtown buildings, including this historic one at 257 Main Street, were vacant and in need of a facelift.
Open for Business
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
During the Bethel Better Block weekend, pop-up shops and services took upoccupency in the building's street-level spaces.
Take a Closer Look
Photo courtesy Team Better Block
This bird's eye view image shows three demonstration projects that were added to improve Main Street's walkability.
