Design for an Ageless Community

 

Place matters… and it matters more in older age than any other stage of life.

Where we live shapes daily experience and our access to the things we want and need in our lives.  In old age, when transportation can become a challenge, proximity to those things is more important than ever.  This is especially true when you include community among those needs.  In retirement, the people close by can make the difference that allows someone to fully leverage those decades after full-time work for an active, engaging life. Global ageing has given planners, real estate agents and developers a new challenge: how to create communities that are age-ready. You might say that there are already plenty of options for senior housing.  However, the disruption caused by the world's rapidly aging demographics is not just about increased numbers.  It’s about a population that has new expectations for old age — expectations that will determine how, where, and among whom tomorrow's older adults will choose to live. More than any preceding generation, the baby boomers have improved each stage of life with nearly every aspect redesigned. The sheer size of this looming retiree cohort will certainly drive sales in "active ageing developments".  It is also clear that current senior housing options do not tap the full market potential of the largest generation ever to retire. The ‘boomers’ expect (sometimes demand!) • homes that are designed just for them, yet flexible enough to accommodate all stages of life; • communities that are accessible and supportive, yet stimulating and engaging; and • activities and services that provide what is needed, as well as experiences that can excite and delight. Moreover, it might just show that well designed communities are communities for everyone of every age.   Content for this blog is drawn from Big Think Blog by Joseph Coughlan.