Planning Hip Retirement Communities

Developers are wooing empty-nesters who want to be where the action is. Just don't call it a retirement community.

1 minute read

January 29, 2005, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"As they focus on the consumer needs of the 78 million baby boomers who will be contemplating retirement in the next five to 10 years, home builders specializing in retiree communities have been expanding their footprints into metro areas, such as New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. They hope that many, like Mrs. Kislin, will be reluctant to give up urban amenities and cultural variety and will want to stay near the cities where they've worked and raised children for many years.

... Mr. Schreiner also says that because boomers are more computer-savvy, the communities will feature tech-minded amenities like intranets within the community and online programming for local news, social activities and recreational scheduling."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Thursday, January 27, 2005 in Wall St. Journal

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.