Improving Cities for Older Residents

Demographic change means older city dwellers. Entrepreneurs and developers are searching for better ways to serve this community.

1 minute read

January 4, 2017, 2:00 PM PST

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Elderly Walking

Nejc Vesel / Shutterstock

As people live longer, cities must accommodate the needs of the elderly. In a recent article for The Guardian, Matthew Wheeland investigates what that means. For a start, the way retired people live gives them different challenges. People who don't work and don't commute use the city's infrastructure in different ways. Older residents can also find cities isolating, "A study of over-60s by the University of California, San Francisco found 43% of those surveyed felt lonely on a regular basis," Wheeland Reports. "Exacerbating the problem is that as people age they are less likely to move, "… only 4% of older people moved in the past year, compared to 13% of under-65s," Wheeland writes.

Some entrepreneurs and developers have seen opportunities in tackling these problems. The online service Silver Nest connects empty-nesters and other baby boomers with housemates who are looking to save money and avoid living alone. The developer of Serenbe in the Atlanta area is looking to build an apartment to connect people of different ages. "The aim of Serenbe is to tackle the social isolation people can experience as they age, either because they live in cities that are failing to meet the needs of older people, or because the retirement homes or communities they move into can leave them feeling cut off," Wheeland reports. 

Friday, December 9, 2016 in The Guardian

courses user

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

Commercial street in small rural U.S. town with storefronts and clocktower.

Progressive Planning in Ideologically Conservative Communities

Planners must work in diverse political environments including conservative jurisdictions that are skeptical of new issues and perspectives. Here are ways to reconcile conflicting goals.

November 7, 2024 - Todd Litman

Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger train passing over bridge in Altamont Pass, California.

Amtrak Expanding Service in California’s Central Valley

Amtrak is planning a major expansion to the passenger rail lines connecting the Central Valley and the Bay Area.

November 4, 2024 - The Modesto Bee

Aerial view of downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

Lexington, Kentucky Passes Urban Growth Plan

The city’s new master plan sets out requirements for mixed-use development.

November 6, 2024 - The Lexington Times

View of traffic on San Diego freeway.

Opinion: Why Linking Driving to GDP Misses the Point

The argument that car-centric development is good because it boosts national GDP ignores the massive costs of driving to everyday Americans.

November 13 - Streetsblog USA

White BART public transit train at Coliseum station in Oakland, California.

San Francisco’s BART Awarded $545 Loan for Upgraded Rail Cars

The agency plans to modernize its fleet with more efficient rail cars equipped with new safety features.

November 13 - Golden Gate Media

Large roof with solar panels and Los Angeles hills in background.

How Los Angeles County is Advancing Sustainability

A recently released report by the Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) shows that L.A. County is making progress on meeting the goals of the OurCounty Sustainability Plan.

November 13 - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office

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.