The City as 'Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities': It’s the People Thing

If even a sliver of a 78-million-strong set of consumers seems willing to hand over cash for something, businesses organize themselves to deliver, whether we’re talking hula hoops or downtown apartments.

1 minute read

October 26, 2016, 6:00 AM PDT

By Hazel Borys


"When The New York Times used my wife and me as examples in a story about retirees’ growing preferences for urban life, it was a chance to literally walk the talk."

"I’ve been writing about my Baby Boomer cohort for all my career, first in the ‘60s alternative press, then in newspaper and magazine stories as we aged through what is probably the longest adolescence in world history. The chance we’ll grow up before we die? Even money. But here’s something you can bet on: The generation that moved markets at every stage of our lives is likely to have something left for a finale. And maybe it’s a walk-off nudge in the direction of neighborhood and community design."

Ben Brown goes on to discuss urbanized areas as Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs).

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