Psychology of aging - city planning project

[mermer1507]

I'm doing a project for my Psychology of Aging course in which I must plan a city for a variety of age groups. Since the class deals with the aging process and the elderly, that is going to be a particularly important part of my plan.

So far, I'm planning a town center with a park-like setting, retail and mixed-use buildings surrounding (including residential) and the city will grow out from the center in a grid. The great part of school projects is hearing these 2 phrases: no budget and no space restrictions!

I've been researching online and in libraries, but haven't found much info. about urban planning for the elderly population.

Any advice for resources or particular issues I should address in my plan?

I appreciate your feedback!
Thank you.

[JNA]

From AARP -
Affordability and Safety of Livable Communities: Lessons from Around the World
http://www.aarpinternational.org/res...doc_id=1302210

[Hink]

Any advice for resources or particular issues I should address in my plan?

I appreciate your feedback!
Thank you.

Keep things one story. Make sure everything is ADA compliant. And never ever forget the Bingo Hall

[wahday]

Adopt Universal Design principles so that everyone can go anywhere but not feel like they are second class citizens if they have to go around the side and take the ramp. http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/cud/

You might poke around on the site of this cohousing development in Santa Fe that is geared toward seniors with the intention of keeping people in their homes until The End. I'm sure they incorporated many design principles that make mobility, access to outdoor spaces, circulation, access by medical suppliers/ambulances/etc. easier. I think they even plumbed the buildings with stuff like oxygen lines and data lines for medical equipment. I don't know if any of that info is on their site, but its a place to start: http://www.eldergrace.org/

I think if you design a place to accommodate both kids and the elderly, everyone else will be taken care of as well.

[mermer1507]

Thank you so much for your help! Great info. and resources.

[JNA]

USA TODAY HEADLINE: Communities can age gracefully
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...umn27_ST_N.htm

HIGHLIGHT:

one of the most hopeful and surprising trends in our rapidly aging world is the reassertion by communities of the qualities that make them uniquely attractive and less vulnerable to the tides that gut them of young people and leave older people to endure economic decline.

industrial Rockford, Ill., and Sunbelt Sarasota, Fla. — offered contrasting views today of how a growing sense of place might figure in our older future to come.

Ted C. Fishman is the author of the new book Shock of Gray: The Aging of the World's Population and How it Pits Young Against Old, Child Against Parent, Worker Against Boss, Company Against Rival, and Nation Against Nation

Book website: http://books.google.com/books?id=UZM...page&q&f=false