where we live

99 Pages·2016·14.5 MB·English

WHERE
COMMUNITIES
FOR
ALL AGES
WE
100+
INSPIRING IDEAS
FROM AMERICA’S MAYORS LIVE
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY,
BY NANCY LEAAMMOND STATE AND NATIONAL AFFAIRS, AARP
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2 ENVIRONMENT FRESH AIR, CLEAN
WATER AND OPEN SPACES 30
AARP TOOL KIT FOR CREATING Spotlight on Atlanta, Georgia 35
GREAT COMMUNITIES 5 Berkeley, California 36
Bridgeport, Connecticut 36
HOUSING SAFE, AFFORDABLE, Cheyenne, Wyoming 37
ACCESSIBLE 6 Des Moines, Iowa 37
Spotlight on Boston, Massachusetts 11 Evansville, Indiana 38
New York City 12 Laredo, Texas 38
Oakland, California 13 Madison, Wisconsin 38
Salt Lake City, Utah 13 Minneapolis, Minnesota 39
San Diego, California 14 New Bedford, Massachusetts 39
Schenectady, New York 14 New Orleans, Louisiana 40
Washington, DC 14 Raleigh, North Carolina 40
Salt Lake County, Utah 40
TRANSPORTATION CONVENIENT San Diego, California 40
AND SAFE OPTIONS 16 St. Louis, Missouri 41
Spotlight on Omaha, Nebraska 21 Yonkers, New York 41
Altamonte Springs, Florida 22
Atlanta, Georgia 22 HEALTH FROM FOOD TO FITNESS 42
Birmingham, Alabama 23 Spotlight on Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 47
Burlington, Vermont 23 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 48
Chattanooga, Tennessee 24 Charleston, West Virginia 49
Clarksville, Tennessee 24 Eugene, Oregon 49
Jersey City, New Jersey 25 Fort Worth, Texas 49
Los Angeles, California 25 Hernando, Mississippi 50
Macon-Bibb, Georgia 26 Houston, Texas 50
New York City, New York 26 Lansing, Michigan 50
Phoenix, Arizona 27 Louisville, Kentucky 50
San Diego, California 27 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 50
San Francisco, California 28 Phoenix, Arizona 51
Seattle, Washington 28 Portland, Maine 51
Utica, New York 29 Spencer, Iowa 52
West Hartford, Connecticut 29 St. Paul, Minnesota 52
St. Petersburg, Florida 52
Seattle, Washington 53
York, Pennsylvania 53
TOC 0608.indd 2 6/8/16 2:44 PM
ENGAGEMENT CONNECTING CULTURE ELEVATE THE ARTS
PEOPLE TO THEIR NEIGHBORS TO ELEVATE THE COMMUNITY 76
AND LEADERS 54 Spotlight on Salem, Massachusetts 81
Spotlight on Louisville, Kentucky 59 Carmel, Indiana 82
Fayetteville, Arkansas 60 Columbus, Ohio 82
Fort Worth, Texas 60 Gary, Indiana 83
Holyoke, Massachusetts 61 Loveland, Colorado 83
Indianapolis, Indiana 61 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 83
Las Vegas, Nevada 62 Suwanee, Georgia 83
Miramar, Florida 62
New Orleans, Louisiana 62 NEIGHBORHOOD A PLACE TO
Portland, Oregon 63 LIVE, WORK AND PLAY 84
Topeka, Kansas 63 Spotlight on Dallas, Texas 89
Wilmington, Delaware 63 Albany, New York 90
Baltimore, Maryland 90
OPPORTUNITY EMBRACING Charleston, South Carolina 91
DIVERSITY AND PURSUING Concord, New Hampshire 91
POSSIBILITIES 64 Detroit, Michigan 91
Spotlight on Chattanooga, Tennessee 69 Las Vegas, Nevada 91
Albuquerque, New Mexico 70 Miami, Florida 92
Bufalo, New York 70 Pembroke Pines, Florida 92
Cheyenne, Wyoming 71 Providence, Rhode Island 92
Denver, Colorado 71 Santa Ana, California 92
Detroit, Michigan 71 Tampa, Florida 93
Grand Forks, North Dakota 72 West Sacramento, California 93
Kansas City, Missouri 72 Wichita, Kansas 93
Los Angeles, California 73
Miami, Florida 73 LEGACY RECOGNITION 94
Minneapolis, Minnesota 73
Providence, Rhode Island 74 INDEX 96
Rochester, New York 74
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 75 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 97
Tulsa, Oklahoma 75
Virginia Beach, Virginia 75 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 97
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
A A R P | ENV IRONMENT
people’s interests and energies are more likely focused
INTRODUCTION close to home.
2. There’s strong belief in the collective good at
WHERE WE LIVE influences who we become. So the community level.
let me tell you a bit about where I have lived and how This fact was revealed when AARP asked its mem-
it has influenced me and inspired me to write this book. bers whether they had supported or would support
I grew up in a northern New Jersey suburb where increased funding for public schools even if they had
cities were places to go for special occasions. To me, no children in the schools. The majority answered
New York City was magical—diverse, noisy, energetic. “yes.” That’s a powerful sense of legacy.
I remember taking my first trip to Yankee Stadium and 3. Community eforts are almost always inter-
thinking it was so green and beautiful. I enjoyed musi- generational and can be apolitical.
cals and plays on Broadway, and I visited museums I discovered this through a series of visits I made
where I could see things I had dreamed or read about. to some of AARP’s state ofces, where I met with vol-
Also nearby was Newark, New Jersey, where my unteers and members. We talked about Medicare and
mother worked for an insurance company. To me, an Social Security, but we also talked about local transpor-
avid reader, that city’s grandeur was its outstanding tation and parks and volunteering. Their attention was
public library that placed no limit on the number of on where they lived. They were generally optimistic
books you could check out. that whatever community improvements were needed
These experiences provide the backdrop for my could and would be done, and that solutions would be
lifelong interest in cities. good for all generations.
Then in the summer of 1969, two years after the
nationally reported devastating riots in Newark, I COMMUNITIES FOR ALL AGES
interned at the Greater Newark Urban Coalition. As I began looking at demographic trends, I realized
There I saw mayors and other elected ofcials solving that one of the compelling challenges for mayors and
real problems—vexing though they were—and seeking other leaders throughout the country—particularly
ideas and solutions. My summer of researching, those in cities and towns—would be to construct com-
fact-checking, and observing cemented my interest in munities that are livable for residents young, old, and
cities. I returned to college and constructed my under- in between. At AARP, we call these places “communi-
graduate and graduate degrees around urban studies. ties for all ages” or “livable communities.”
I was set on a path as a city planner—a discipline We recognize that work on “livability” will grow in
that combines policy with practicality and politics. importance as the nation’s population continues to age,
Alas, a recession occurred on my way to that career thanks to the boomer population (people born from
goal and planning jobs were tough to find. I ended up 1946 to 1964) and the enormous millennial generation
in Washington, DC, where I worked for the federal gov- (born between the early 1980s and early 2000s).
ernment in a series of jobs focused on legislation and The U.S. population numbers almost 46 million
regulatory policy on Capitol Hill and in government people age 65 and older today, with 73 million pro-
agencies. In 2000, after a long federal career, I took a jected by 2030. By then, fully one out of every five
job at AARP. There, I was struck by three factors about people will be 65 and older. According to U.S. Census
people and their communities: projections, all 50 states will see an increase in the
1. People place a deep importance on the com- percentage of their 65-plus population.
munity they call home. This reality is borne out in our cities. Today, the
The Silent Generation (people born between the 20 largest metro areas are home to almost 17 million
mid 1920s and early 1940s) focuses on the country and people 65 and older. From 2010 to 2020, Los Angeles’s
the world, according to AARP research. By contrast, 65-and-older population is projected to increase 38
later generations of Americans center on “me, my percent, Houston’s by 69 percent and New York’s
family, and my community.” While it doesn’t mean by 32 percent. Some cities that already have older
national issues aren’t important, it does mean that populations such as Prescott, Arizona, will grow 35
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A A R P | ENV IRONMENT
percent, with 30 percent of the city’s population 65 from our members and the success of the work, we
and older. Similarly, Asheville, North Carolina, will made livable communities a key part of our social
see a 37-percent increase, with 23 percent of resi- mission agenda.
dents 65 and older. Over the years, the work has grown as our staf and
The demographics within that older population volunteers have engaged more and more. We have all
are also changing. From 2010 to 2050 the percent of been struck by the compelling and the obvious: Volun-
Hispanics, African Americans or Asian Americans teers might eschew getting involved in a big national
and Pacific Islanders age 65 and older will increase issue, but they don’t hesitate to pitch in to clean up a
597 percent, to more than 57 million, compared to local playground or collect cans of food for the home-
just a 96 percent increase in the white population age less in their neighborhood.
65 and older. At the same time, the total population
age 85 or older will increase 231 percent to more than LOCAL LEADERS AS THE CATALYSTS
19 million. FOR CHANGE
While we know the demographic trends, the people While many people have very little trust and faith in
in these generations will also reshape the world of the leaders they send to Washington, DC, most have
aging. For instance, boomers are more active than their abiding confidence in their local elected ofcials.
parents were at the same ages and they have diferent According to Gallup, 70 percent of people trust their
demands for their communities. The millennials will local government to make decisions versus 32 percent
likely live longer than their parents and are already who trust Congress. This is because people want
changing the country. With the boomers, millennials results—and town and city mayors just get things done.
and Gen Xers (born from the early 1960s to the early One AARP member said to me that if Congress was
1980s), there will be more people who came of age in in charge of snow removal, it would never happen.
the “do-it-yourself” era. Legislators would debate whether the snow was actu-
An aging population will likely place demands on ally snow. They would state their views on climate
local governments. When we take a step back, we see change, the measure would get filibustered, and the
the wants and needs of the various generations are snow would never be plowed. By contrast, mayors
often similar. jump to action, doing everything they can to get their
Boomers and millennials, for instance, have similar streets clear.
preferences for walkable neighborhoods that include So it isn’t surprising that as the country talks the
a variety of entertainment options, shopping and talk about dealing with the impact of demographic
amenities, according to the Urban Land Institute. Both changes, mayors are among the first to efectively
generations say they want to be near shops and restau- address those changes.
rants and want easy access to public transportation. Mayors and other community leaders don’t see the
They prefer to live where there’s a variety of housing changing population just in charts and graphs or in the
options and would move into a smaller home for a appendix of a budget document, like many in Wash-
shorter commute. ington, DC, do. Local leaders see the shifts every day in
Communities are at the center of this demographic their neighborhoods, their kids’ schools and their com-
shift, and they’re at the center of the shift in what munity events. As mayors take action, they approach
people want, need and demand. the situation with creativity and energy.
With these trends, I realized that AARP was in a Where do these ideas come from? Everywhere. I’ve
unique position to help communities prepare. While found tremendous entrepreneurial problem-solving
headquartered in Washington, DC, AARP also has in communities, and good ideas can emerge from
hundreds of employees and thousands of volunteers residents getting together. Solutions can come from
stafng ofces in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, knowing what another city did. Many strategies come
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. So in 2006 directly from the mayors themselves, based on what
we began working on these issues with a pilot in two they see as they travel around their cities.
states: Vermont and Hawaii. Based on the response Continued E
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DRIVE TO CHANGE ▸ Community input and political imperatives: In
As my team and I began the search for examples of the many of the cases featured in this book, mayors heard
actions mayors are taking to improve their communities, from residents on issues of importance and built plans
I was struck by the variety of eforts we found. Step by from there.
step, issue by issue, these mayors are making their com- Above all, though, it’s the ideas—and the mayors
munities places where residents of all ages can thrive. who have or implement them—that create real changes
Transportation, parks and public spaces, unem- and improve communities for older adults and people
ployment and entrepreneurship: After looking across of all ages.
a broad span of actions that mayors are tackling, we
noticed some common triggers that motivate leaders WHAT THIS BOOK IS—AND ISN’T
to take action. At AARP, we are focused on keeping the flow of ideas
▸ A personal connection to an issue: As you’ll read in moving to help provide opportunities and innovation.
this book, some mayors’ experiences with weight loss While AARP’s work centers on people ages 50 and
inspired citywide initiatives. A mayor who is an avid older, we are committed to creating communities that
cyclist invited constituents to join her for Rolling Town are livable for people of all ages. We recognize that
Halls. Personal commitments to reducing the carbon positive community changes benefit people across all
footprint have led to initiatives toward the same goal. ages and, since no community is the same, there is no
▸ Compelling data that identifies a problem: Some one-size-fits-all approach.
of the examples I highlight include launching eforts With that in mind, this book has a simple premise:
after seeing scientific data about wildlife decline, high to highlight the interesting and inventive ideas that
obesity rates, a lack of afordable housing or low test mayors have implemented and by doing so, to inspire
scores by students. even more creativity and sharing of practices to help
▸ Economic development needs and budgetary spur even more action.
realities: Some towns, for example, have adopted Where We Live: Communities for All Ages details
environmentally sustainable policies to save money more than 100 initiatives that mayors have launched to
and others have worked to revitalize neighborhoods to improve their communities, respond to pressing issues
achieve the economic potential of communities. and build partnerships.
▸ External funding sources: Federal and state grants This collection is not an academic study of planning,
and money from community foundations—such as nor is it an academic analysis or a complete listing of
the John T. Gorman Foundation in Maine, the Tufts ideas and smart solutions. Rather, this guide provides an
Health Plan Foundation in Massachusetts and Kaiser overview of some of the interesting strategies that have
Permanente in Hawaii—have helped communities worked and can be replicated or adapted in other places.
achieve needed change. While many community leaders—including town
▸ Nationwide initiatives: A national program can planners, city council members, county commissioners
provide a framework for local leaders. For example, and town managers—do wonderful work, I have chosen
some mayors have implemented the national Climate mayors as the focus for this project.
Action Plan, or adopted Vision Zero agendas (a global Each example is discussed within eight diferent
efort to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries due topics: housing, transportation, environment, health,
to vehicular causes). Similarly, some leaders have engagement, opportunity, culture and neighborhoods.
leveraged national prizes and networks to drive their
agendas, including through the Rockefeller Founda- WHAT CAN YOU DO?
tion’s Resilient Cities program, Smart Cities, and the I am more than certain that the 100+ ideas shared in
AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities (aarp. this book are just the tip of the iceberg of the creativity
org/agefriendly). AARP’s network is part of the World in mayors’ ofces across the country. My hope is that
Health Organization Global Network of Age-Friendly sharing the ideas in this book will jar loose even more
Cities and Communities, which has participating com- examples and ideas of how we can make our cities and
munities in more than 20 nations. towns more livable. Please let me hear from you and
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learn about more of the great work that is happening Keep up with our growing list of innovative ideas by
across the country. If you have an idea or a project you visiting the award-winning AARP Livable Communi-
think should be highlighted, email us at
W H E R E W E L I V E | HOUS ING
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W H E R E W E L I V E | H O U S I N G
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HOUSING
SAFE,
AFFORDABLE,
ACCESSIBLE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
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W H E R E W E L I V E | HOUS ING
Where we live—
our homes—is a
fundamental building
block for everything
from our jobs and
schools to where we
shop and socialize
with friends and
family.
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