The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 37
“Drama琀椀c demographic
changes are an
opportunity to rethink
how housing serves
Americans across
genera琀椀ons.”
people living alone. Yet our housing system s琀椀ll
preferences increasingly large, single-family homes.
Our exis琀椀ng housing can also be profoundly
isola琀椀ng. Most older adults live in car-dependent
loca琀椀ons, even though many limit their driving or
don’t drive at all. Access to transit, medical care,
food, and social ac琀椀vi琀椀es can be patchy.
Aging in place also tempts us to ask the wrong
ques琀椀ons. Instead of “should I stay or should I
go?” older adults should be asking: Is the home
actually safe and a昀昀ordable? Is the neighborhood
connected? Is there a plan when mobility declines
or supports are needed?
It also lets policymakers o昀昀 the hook: If they
can claim “people just want to stay home,” they
don’t need to change our housing policies or
funding priori琀椀es.
Yet we do have models that point toward
something be琀琀er.
Across the country, innovators are
experimen琀椀ng with housing that priori琀椀zes
community, accessibility, and support. Some are
new forms of senior housing that emphasize
“aging in community” rather than alone in a house,
featuring smaller, more manageable apartments
or co琀琀ages with on-site services and vibrant
social spaces. Others are intergenera琀椀onal
developments where young and old live side by
side, trading help such as homework tutoring,
tech assistance, or rides. Addi琀椀onal programs are
retro昀椀琀�ng exis琀椀ng homes and neighborhoods to
make them universally accessible and to promote
intergenera琀椀onal exchange.
These diverse e昀昀orts share a common focus
on community and cul琀椀va琀椀ng rela琀椀onships within
buildings and the surrounding neighborhood. They
right-size housing so it’s easier to maintain and
be琀琀er matched to changing physical needs and
budgets. They create built-in safety nets for people
who live alone or have limited family nearby. And
by focusing on a昀昀ordability, they free up room in
household budgets for other needs. These crea琀椀ve
op琀椀ons recognize that independence is not the
absence of support, but the presence of choice.
Scaling these ideas demands a deliberate push:
design studios and compe琀椀琀椀ons that pair older
adults with students and young professionals in
architecture, urban planning, public health, and
public policy; innova琀椀on grants from philanthropy
and government that help promising concepts
get built; and zoning and 昀椀nancing reforms
that clear the path for new types of homes and
neighborhoods. The very process of inven琀椀ng new
ways of living can build connec琀椀on and community.
The 昀椀rst step in unleashing this crea琀椀ve
housing explosion is moving beyond the facile
no琀椀on that aging in place is the best solu琀椀on at
hand for the growing number of older adults. Then
we must open our minds to new op琀椀ons.
That is how we move our housing system out of
the 1960s and into the century we’re living in.
A D ECA D E O F P RO GRE S S , A D ECA D E TO ACT 33
