US communities are getting older - and more livable | Cornell Chronicle

"Analyzing nearly 650 counties, cities and towns that have participated in the AARP Livability Index over the past decade, new Cornell research shows most have made progress developing communities conducive to aging in place across a range of metrics, from transportation to civic engagement. Some 31,000 other places that are not part of AARP's age-friendly network also made improvements, but to a lesser extent."

""So many view aging as a crisis - but this is not, 'Woe is me, we're aging and society is going to fall apart,'" said Mildred Warner , M.S. '85, Ph.D. '97, professor of global development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and of city and regional planning in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. "This is an opportunity to do what we all want to do, which is create more livable communities. Looking over time, we see that there has been progress.""

"Warner is the co-author of " Progress in Building Livable Communities: What do the AARP Livability Data Show? " with , M.S. '16, Ph.D. '19, assistant professor of biobehavioral health at Pennsylvania State University. Submitted for journal publication, the study has been presented at two conferences and been reviewed by a network of age-friendly scholars and by AARP for technical accuracy."

Nearly 650 counties, cities and towns that participated in the AARP Livability Index over the past decade made measurable progress developing communities conducive to aging in place across transportation, civic engagement and other metrics. An additional 31,000 places outside the AARP age-friendly network showed improvements, but to a lesser degree. Notable challenges persist, especially housing affordability and access to health care. Rural communities with larger shares of older and lower-income residents require targeted attention to ensure equitable gains. The analysis underwent scholarly and organizational review and has been presented in professional forums and webinars to inform policy and practice.

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