Age is way more than a number... it's one of the smartest community development strategies around. Join us for a conference call next Thursday, December 8 from 4-5 pm EST with Elissa Thomann Mitchell, Director of Network and Outreach for the Generations of Hope Development Corporation, and Philip Stafford, Director of the Center for Aging and Community at Indiana University and author of Elderburbia: Aging with a Sense of Place in America.

Join us! Register to receive call-in details and check out our other conference calls.

Most communities struggle to help their elders age in place. And most communities work hard to help families and youth. Few connect the dots, but the ones that do often find unexpected successes for all of their age groups—and in a number of other places.

There are a whole host of benefits to building communities for all ages, including better support for young families, increased diversity, engaged youth, more active and healthier elders, and more walkable and livable communities overall.

What are multigenerational communities?

Almost every community includes some mix of age groups in its demographics, and some interaction between them. But communities that focus on supporting multiple generations have a few key hallmarks.

1. Residents in different age groups tend to live, work and play in the same places (rather than all the elderly residents clustered in one neighborhood, and all the young families in another).
2. Community services integrate those age groups, using one group's strengths to support another.
3. Key planning and community development priorities improve quality of life for all age groups (think sidewalks and green spaces).

What are some examples of communities for all ages?

• Hope Meadows Community in Rantoul, IL is built on the premise that "it takes a village" - but not just to raise a child. This planned residential community built by Generations of Hope Development Corporation intentionally integrates elders, families, and children adopted from foster care in a way that benefits them all.  Seniors receive discounted housing in return for volunteering with families, often functioning essentially like grandparents. Older adults get a new sense of purpose, kids get new families, and the whole community gets an extended support network. Generations of Hope is working to help other communities replicate the model.

Watch a video of Elissa Thomann Mitchell, one of next week's speakers and a semi-finalist in the Strong Communities competition, talking about Generations of Hope.

• Indiana's Communities for Life is an innovative program that identified neighborhood sites that naturally had a high number of older residents, allowing cities to focus services and incrase their efficiency while also building community and helping elders to remain in their homes and neighborhoods.
• Nashville Livability Project is one of the best independent programs around. Nashville put together an impressive coalition to "explore how the city can best prepare for the changing demographic makeup of the city—as the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age—and better meet the needs of all citizens from birth to retirement" and is now holding neighborhood meetings to explore actions.
• Communities for All Ages National Network includes 25 sites across the U.S. that are actively working through a series of steps to strengthen support for multiple generations. Check out the participating communities for ideas, from Baltimore, MD to Orange County, CA.
  

What are some resources to get started?

• Aging and Livable Communities have both been hot topics for many towns, and Philip Stafford is one of the leading thinkers in how to tie them together. Join Phil on the call next week to hear more, and in the meantime, take a look at his Aging Indiana site and blog, Phil's Adventures in Elderburbia. Both are packed with resources, including Phil's "Aging in Place: Livable Community Guidebook."
• Child-Friendly Cities represent the opposite end of the spectrum, in terms of entry points, but many of the actions and results are the same - stronger integration among the ages, and more livable communities overall (check out this article on the topic). The American Planning Association's Family-Friendly Communities page is a good place to start for resources on this angle.
• Communities for All Ages is one of the very best places to start. In addition to the Network mentioned above, this national initiative has developed a three-stage process and loads of resources for assessing your community, planning actions, and then implementing a range of changes to help coordinate services, strengthen leadership, and otherwise build the infrastructure needed to create communities for all ages.
• Communities for All Ages: Planning Across Generations is a strong report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, setting the stage for using the multigenerational approach as a framework for larger planning efforts.
• A Blueprint for Action: Developing A Livable Communities for All Ages is another great report on the topic from Partners for Livable Communities, starting with the rationale for planning for all ages and ending with concrete strategies and action plans. (PDF)

Let's the keep the conversation going!

Pick up the phone next Thursday, December 8th at 4pm EST and join Elissa Thomann Mitchell and Philip Stafford to talk about how to build communities for all ages. Register now!