Building a livable community

The following article is sponsored content provided by AARP.

By Cathy MacCaul

Since its founding in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, AARP has aimed to make our nation’s towns, cities, and communities livable for people of all ages. By livable, we mean communities should have safe and walkable streets, age-friendly housing and transportation options, access to needed services, and opportunities for residents of all ages to participate in community life.

Like the rest of the nation, Washington state’s aging population is in the middle of a significant demographic shift that will have important implications for policymaking and planning at all levels of government. In 2020, 16.7% of Washington’s population was 65 and older. By 2050, the Office of Financial Management forecasts that the 65 and older population will reach 23% of the state’s population.

As a state that prides itself on caring for all Washingtonians, we must address these challenges. We must ensure that people can age in their communities with dignity, meaning, and purpose. We must protect safety net services that help people combat isolation, age in place, and address the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of the most vulnerable.

Many communities in Washington want to have vibrant neighborhoods and commercial districts where people of all ages, income, and backgrounds can live, work, shop, and play. Thoughtful zoning codes and land use approaches can help encourage the creation of precisely the type of places that people most enjoy.

AARP’s Livable Communities initiative offers a myriad of resources to support efforts to create communities that are great places for all ages. One of our most popular tools is the AARP Livability Index. As an interactive online tool, the AARP Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. based on the available services and amenities in seven broad categories of community livability: housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. Using more than 50 national data sources, the AARP Livability Index provides the clearest picture of how well a community meets the current and future needs of people of all ages, regardless of income, physical ability, or ethnicity.

Enabling Better Places: A Handbook for Improved Neighborhoods is another asset to help municipalities create vibrant neighborhoods and commercial districts where people of all ages, income, and backgrounds can live, work, shop, and play. The publication can be handy in times of local budget cuts and austerity. It illustrates specific examples of how to make places work better and can be helpful to municipalities that lack the staffing and resources to reexamine and revamp their entire zoning code.

Whether a community is big, small, urban, rural, suburban, or has a little bit of everything, incremental code reform can improve the most fundamental and powerful elements of the built environment. Zoning code revisions can benefit a community by improving conditions for businesses to open, expand, and adapt; creating varied housing options; and allowing for more pedestrian- and bike-friendly streets. Zoning code changes can also eliminate barriers to needed housing types and businesses within neighborhoods.

This month, tune into our free online event, the 2023 AARP Livable Communities Workshop – Economic Development: Connecting to Opportunity, on Wednesday, September 27, and Thursday, September 28, 2023. Through four core themes – Built Environment, Digital Connections, Work and Jobs, and Local Economies – this national workshop will share best practices, insights, and inspiring next steps for meeting the economic development needs of a post-pandemic America. This online event is free to attend, and those interested should register here.

It is up to us to build communities that are great places to grow up and grow old. The AARP Livable Communities initiative helps advance the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities, counties, rural areas, and entire states to be livable for people of all ages. Feel free to contact the AARP Washington state office at aarpwa@aarp.org to learn more about our state efforts to create more age-friendly and livable communities for current and future generations.