Retirement Communities

The Villages, Florida

Golf Carts as Transportation

Designing roads for low-speed vehicles like golf carts can make getting around safer and easier for seniors.

September 5, 2021 - Curbed

A aerial view of Ladera Ranch, California, showing a variety of buildings and open space.

What Are Master Planned Communities?

Now frequently associated with retirees and sprawling developments in the U.S. Sun Belt, master planned communities, also known as new towns or planned communities, were invented as an escape from the haphazard growth of urban areas in the mid-20th century.

August 24, 2021 - James Brasuell

The Villages, Florida

The Villages and the Dangers of Holding Too Tightly to the Past

Some parts of The Villages, Florida, the nation's largest retirement community and one of its most popular master planned communities, bear a striking resemblance to the neotraditional development favored by famous early examples of New Urbanism.

July 20, 2020 - James Brasuell

Florida Retirement Community

The Stage for Trump's Racist Tweet: The Villages, Florida

The Villages is one of the strangest, and most significant, planning and development stories in recent memory—with surprisingly regular relevance in the media and numerous intersections to politics and culture.

July 13, 2020 - James Brasuell

Old Skool

An Urban, Technologically Enabled Era of Retirement

A feature article in Marketwatch describes a future for retirement communities that look more like WeWork than the golf course-adjacent exurban communities of the 20th century.

May 28, 2019 - Marketwatch

'An Adult Day Care on Every Corner:' Aging in the Rio Grande Valley

In a region where most people “age in place,” facilities offering services and socialization give primary caregivers a much-needed break.

January 15, 2018 - The Texas Observer

Walkable Street

Looking for a Walkable Urban Place for Retirement

Though many retirement communities still look just as they have for many decades—defined by cul-de-sacs and golf courses—many seniors are looking for a more urban lifestyle.

October 23, 2016 - The New York Times

Zoning Strategies for an Aging Country

Planners convene to discuss a model plan for the smart growth of an aging population.

December 12, 2015 - Urban Institute

Neighborhood Electric Vehicle

Mainstreaming the Golf Cart

Seniors are on the cutting edge of a movement to make Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs), otherwise known as golf carts, a viable form of everyday transportation.

October 12, 2015 - The Atlantic

Portland's Unclear Future as a Young Retirement Community

Portland's over-educated, under-employed population is largely a semi-retired community of young adults, according to some. But with rising housing prices and overall cost of living, it is unclear how Portland will retain these characteristics.

September 18, 2014 - The New York Times Magazine

Old Skool

The New Retirement Community Paradigm

After postponing home purchases during the recession, people over the age of 55 have been the first group to return to the home buying market.

June 2, 2014 - New York Times

Ocean Grove Sidewalk

The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs

Several trends are conspiring to challenge America's ability to house and care for its senior citizens. Utilizing successful examples, architect and planner Eric C.Y. Fang examines how the suburbs can be adapted to support an aging population.

April 5, 2013 - Eric C.Y. Fang

Designing a Retirement Community for LGBT Seniors

Architect Mattias Hollwich talks about BOOM, a community designed with the unique needs of gay and lesbian retirees that has become a blueprint for new retirement developments the world over.

December 5, 2011 - SmartPlanet

The Rise of NORCs

There are senior-living and retirement communities all over the U.S., but a new breed of housing for the elderly is emerging in cities across the world: the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, or NORC.

March 18, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

Senior Housing Options Decline Amidst Housing & Financial Crises

Unable to sell their homes, thousands of aging seniors throughout the U.S. who would have moved to assisted or independent living or retirement communities are staying put - in homes they would love to leave but are financially tied to.

November 25, 2008 - The New York Times

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