A lack of affordable housing and access to services and amenities make it difficult for many seniors to remain in their long-term homes or communities.

A new study from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) reveals “an acute lack of safe, affordable, and accessible housing options” for seniors hoping to ‘age in place.’ As Colleen Walsh explains in Harvard Magazine, “JCHS projects that U.S. households headed by someone more than 80 years old will number 17.5 million in 2038—more than twice the 8.1 million of 2018— accounting for 12 percent of all households.”
Jennifer Molinsky, who directs the JCHS’s Housing an Aging Society Program, says “When we talk about aging in place, we need to remember the home but also the larger place—does it have the amenities and transportation alternatives and walkability and opportunities to engage in the community that you might want or need?” In other words, Molinsky says, “it’s not only about the home and neighborhood, it’s also about ensuring access to the services and supports people need to stay safely there.”
Walsh describes several efforts by researchers, governments, and nonprofits to identify the challenges facing older adults and best practices and strategies for providing them with services and resources, which include listening to seniors themselves when trying to understand their needs. “The new report emphasizes the importance of involving older voices in planning a sustainable future for all seniors.” The report acknowledges the role of the pandemic, which “forced many people to reconsider the physical design, features, and accessibility of houses, apartments, and neighborhoods, including access to fresh air, green space, reliable elevators, and backup generators.” Molinski stresses the importance of housing as a primary factor in seniors’ health and well-being, shifting the focus away from a traditional healthcare-based approach.
FULL STORY: The Senior Housing Shortfall

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods
A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.

Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan
A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.

More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown
Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions