︎ Gather + Grow
A community garden pavilion and mobile hub supporting healthy living in rural aging
By Catherine Henebery ︎
Hypothesis
If older adults with diabetes gain access to an inclusive, interactive community garden pavilion and a mobile food hub that delivers fresh, diet-appropriate meals, they will experience improvements in nutrition, physical activity, and social engagement. These changes will lead to better disease management and reduced social stigma. Thoughtfully designed built environments, combined with mobile services, can lower physical, logistical, and social barriers to healthy living for those most affected by isolation and limited resources.
If older adults with diabetes gain access to an inclusive, interactive community garden pavilion and a mobile food hub that delivers fresh, diet-appropriate meals, they will experience improvements in nutrition, physical activity, and social engagement. These changes will lead to better disease management and reduced social stigma. Thoughtfully designed built environments, combined with mobile services, can lower physical, logistical, and social barriers to healthy living for those most affected by isolation and limited resources.
- Why
Higher diabetes rates among older adults in rural areas stem not only from age and income disparities, but from environmental barriers such as limited healthcare access, inadequate food systems, and a lack of supportive spaces for movement and connection. Effective diabetes management is shaped as much by place as by personal choice.
- How
By integrating universal design, modular infrastructure, and community anchor spaces, this project shifts health resources into people’s daily routines, bringing them closer to their residences. These strategies make healthy choices easier, spaces more inclusive, and engagement more natural and sustainable over time.
- What
A community pavilion and garden pair with a mobile food hub to provide fresh food, social space, and light physical activity. Low-cost, modular elements allow the system to adapt to different rural contexts while strengthening local networks.
- So What
This intervention supports better nutrition, mobility, and social connection for older adults managing diabetes, turning everyday spaces into catalysts for long-term health and well-being.
This proposal integrates universal design, modular/mobile infrastructure, and community anchor spaces to bring essential health resources closer to where people live and gather. Universal design ensures accessibility for all ages and abilities, while modular and mobile systems make interventions adaptable, flexible, and scalable. Community anchor spaces provide consistent, welcoming hubs that encourage ongoing engagement, social connection, and shared ownership. The project combines a community pavilion and garden with a mobile food hub to expand access to healthy food and social space. Located at trusted and regularly visited local sites such as churches, the pavilion features raised planters, ramped walkways, shaded seating, and flexible gathering areas for programs and meals. The mobile food hub supplies fresh produce, prepared meals, and pop-up dining on a regular schedule. By improving access to fresh food, gentle physical activity, and social interaction, this adaptable system promotes blood sugar control, mobility, and mental well-being for older adults with diabetes in rural communities.
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