Seniors in one Bay Area community want to stay in their communities, but many find the cost of living and maintaining older homes prohibitive.
A survey of senior residents in Palo Alto, California found that “most respondents overwhelmingly desire to "age in place," or live in their own homes as they advance in age,” but the cost and variety of housing options is making it difficult for many Americans.
As Elizabeth Lorenz explains in Palo Alto Online, out of 52 areas compared to national benchmarks in the survey, the three that were sub-par in Palo Alto were all related to housing and cost of living, with only 10 percent of respondents saying affordable, quality housing is accessible in their community. “Close to 30% have ‘housing stress,’ meaning they spend 30% or more of their income on housing.”
Avenidas, a senior citizen center in Palo Alto, offers a program called Avenida Village that creates opportunities for social connection and provides resources to senior residents. They also created a home maintenance program aimed at helping seniors fix up aging homes and add accessibility retrofits.
FULL STORY: The age of uncertainty: How seniors are 'aging in place'
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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