The Boston University Initiative on Cities released its annual Menino Survey of Mayors where municipal leaders from 119 cities from across the country answered a range of questions on diverse issues. Continue reading
Tag Archives: community design
Age-Friendly Funding Alert: MAPC Technical Assistance Program
Please submit project concepts for work to be undertaken by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for the benefit of your municipality through our Technical Assistance Program (TAP).
Through this Call for Project Concepts, MAPC is soliciting ideas for projects that will commence in the winter/spring of 2020. Continue reading
Updated Interactive Trailmap Unveiled by MAPC
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) has updated their interactive Trailmap, the most comprehensive and up-to-date collection of biking and walking trails in Massachusetts.
This new-and-improved version of Trailmap allows users to search by address to find trails near them and provides easy access to detailed maps of foot trails, bicycle facilities, and multi-use paths. Users can see all existing paths and toggle on maps showing paths that are in development. This can be a useful planning and assessment tool for age- and dementia friendly communities seeking to improve access to such outdoor transportation and recreational opportunities. Continue reading
Pop-up Placemaking Toolkit from AARP Can Help Create Vibrant Spaces that Create Community
The term “placemaking” refers to the work of improving a particular public space or overall area to make it more of a destination and shared gathering place.
The Pop-Up Placemaking Tool Kit was created by AARP and Team Better Block to inform a broad audience of local leaders, policymakers, advocates and neighborhood residents about the many ways temporary projects can inspire positive community change. Continue reading
AARP: Pop-Up Recipes for Parklets and Bike Lanes
Bicycle lanes and parklets are fun, easy and popular pop-up projects. There are many ways to create a demonstration bike lane. Parklets — which are essentially parking spots for people rather than cars — can be created with little more than paint, plywood and some decorative accessories.
This photo album is an excerpt from The Pop-Up Placemaking Tool Kit, a free publication by AARP and the planning and design firm Team Better Block, to be released on December 4. Continue reading
‘All in Together’ Report Examines Intergenerational Shared Spaces to Benefit Young and Old
For any Age- and Dementia Friendly Community advocating for intergenerational shared spaces and programming, a new report called “All In Together: Creating Spaces Where Young and Old Thrive” by Generations United and The Eisner Foundation provides some useful tools and examples from across the country. Continue reading
AARP Compiles Archive of Livable Community Videos to put Age-Friendly on Display
Over time, AARP’s Livable Communities team have released videos on various issues and projects in communities across the country.
Now, AARP has put all of those videos in one archive so stakeholders and community leaders can see everything from the basics (“What is a Livable Community?“) to bike trails and accessory dwelling units. Continue reading
Milken Institute Highlights Massachusetts in ‘Age-Forward Cities’ Report
According the the Milken Institute, the urban landscape already holds resources—human, organizational, and technological—that can transform aging lives. From intergenerational mixed-use neighborhoods to smart city technologies and integrated housing and healthcare models, there is progress. But too many local leaders still overlook the connection between aging policies and their cities’ vitality and sustainability.
“Age-Forward Cities for 2030” is intended by Milken Institute to offer examples for our urban future. By integrating population aging into strategies for growth, inclusion, and resiliency, cities can implement solutions that will strengthen how we grow, build, and care for generations to come. Continue reading
Pittsfield Placemaking Project Highlighted by AARP
In their recent newsletter, AARP Livable Communities focused on cities that are “activating” their alleyways into vibrant community spaces that turn into more than a pass-through or a place people avoid.
In 2017, the community planning and design firm Team Better Block helped to reimagine a stretch of Tyler Street in Pittsfield. Continue reading
New Report Shows Widening Housing Inequality Among Older Adults
Housing inequality is becoming increasingly evident among older Americans as the number of older households climbs to unprecedented levels, according to Housing America’s Older Adults 2019, a new report being released by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.