2024 AARP Livable Communities Workshop: Designing for People of All Ages

This free, virtual workshop explored how local leaders can design for people of all ages in urban, suburban and rural communities by:

• Developing (and redeveloping) a housing stock that meets the needs of individuals throughout their life span to allow them to age in place

• Ensuring that communities are healthy and well-connected with safe streets and accessible transit

• Providing vibrant, multigenerational parks and public spaces that have the power to foster community interaction

• Recognizing the value of community engagement strategies that ensure all lived experiences are valued and contribute to the decision-making process

Through four core themes — Housing, Transportation, Public Spaces, and Community Engagement — the workshop shared innovative solutions and best practices to design places that benefit people of all ages and abilities.

• Read a highlights article about the workshop
• Watch the session videos below

Workshop Hosts:

• Mike Watson, Director, AARP Livable Communities

• Rodney Harrell, Ph.D., AARP Public Policy Institute, Vice President, Family, Home and Community
   

Day 1: Wednesday, October 16

Watch the Opening Remarks

Keynote Address: Day 1 | Watch the Video

Mariia Zimmerman, Principal Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation

A livability leader with experience in both transportation and housing policy, Zimmerman will share how communities can leverage federal resources to design transportation systems that enhance safety, accessibility and equity at the local level for people of all ages.

Conversation: AARP Community Challenge Grantee Interview | Watch the Video

Learn about an AARP Community Challenge-funded event inviting older residents to reimagine their neighborhood, which was divided decades ago by highway construction. 

• Moderator: Mike Watson, Director, AARP Livable Communities

• John Chin, Executive Director, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation

Conversation: Local Leaders Taking Action | Watch the Video

Learn how mayors are encouraging transformative change for safer streets through federal funding, such as the Reconnecting Communities and Safe Streets and Roads for All grant programs.  

• Moderator: Nancy LeaMond, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, AARP

• Cavalier Johnson, Mayor, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Acquanetta Warren, Mayor, City of Fontana, California

Panel: Transportation | Watch the Video

This panel will discuss the importance of designing inclusive transportation systems and streets that are accessible and safe for all users.

• Moderator: Tim Morstad is a director for AARP Government Affairs

• Grace Perdomo is an architect, urban designer, civic practice sector leader for Zyscovich Architects and board member of the Underline Conservancy

• Jonathon Stalls is a multidisciplinary artist and co-creator of Walk2Connect (now a program of America Walks) and the Pedestrian Dignity project. He is the author of WALK – Slow Down, Wake Up & Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour

Keynote Address: Parks and Public Spaces | Watch the Video

• Gil Penalosa, Founder, 8 80 Cities

A dynamic livability advocate and speaker, Penalosa will discuss how designing spaces to serve people of all ages and abilities can create vibrant, multigenerational places that have the power to strengthen a community. 

Day 2: Wednesday, October 17

Watch the Opening Remarks

Keynote Address: Day 2 | Watch the Video

• Rebekah Taussig, Author, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

 A disability advocate and storyteller, Taussig will discuss the need to think bigger and more critically about who has a seat at the table and the barriers that bar others from inclusion. 

Conversation: AARP Community Challenge Grantee Interview | Watch the Video

Learn about an AARP Community Challenge-funded project featuring a "universal design" guidebook for residents.

• Moderator: Noel Bonam, State Director, AARP Maine

• Jason Lamoreau, Recreation Director and Older Adult Services Coordinator, Town of Bowdoinham, Maine

Panel: Housing | Watch the Video

Learn how livability features, such as inclusive and universal design, are crucial in the development and redevelopment of the nation’s housing stock so people of all ages and abilities can age in place.

• Moderator: Samar Jha is a director for AARP Government Affairs

• Stephanie Terry, Mayor, City of Evansville, Indiana

• Crystal Hudson, Council Member, City of New York, New York

Conversation: AARP Community Challenge Grantee Interview | Watch the Video

Hear about the effectiveness and replicability of an ADU Design Competition that was funded by an AARP Community Challenge grant.

• Moderator: Mike Watson, Director, AARP Livable Communities

• Viviana Frank, FAIA, CEcD, Co-founder and Partner, Able City, and Founder, City Makery

Conversation: Community Engagement | Watch the Video

Learn how local leaders can equitably engage community members to ensure that all lived experiences are valued and contribute to the decision-making process. 

• Moderator: Tina Tran, State Director, AARP Texas

• Laura Poskin, Executive Director, Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh

• Tabitha Taylor, Age-Friendly Officer, City of Dallas, Texas
  

 

Innovation Showcase | Watch the Video

We invited representatives from 14 communities and organizations to tell the workshop audience a bit about the solutions and programs they've designed and are implementing for people of all ages.

Challenge Grantee Videos

Watch how a block party in Bismarck, North Dakota, welcomes people (and pups) of all ages and an ADU competition in Louisville, Kentucky encouraged the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by local homeowners.

 

Discussion Groups

The following activities were not recorded. 

Transit YOUR Ticket to Independence

• Transit leaders will talk about using engagement strategies to meet the needs of their community’s most vulnerable users and develop a transit network that works for all.

Inclusion: The Keystone to Truly Intergenerational Communities

• Learn how to use an inclusive, intergenerational strategy to engage people of all ages for community-wide change.

Let’s Talk: Parks and Public Spaces              

• Join a discussion about designing parks and public spaces that welcome people of all ages and abilities.

Designing Streets for All

• Multi-model transportation advocates share insight into designing “Complete Streets” that provide a variety of transportation options in order to meet the needs of all residents. 

Housing Diversity: Options to Promote Aging in Place 

• Many older adults want housing options that are more affordable, compact and accessible. In too many places, such housing types don’t exist. Learn how local leaders are implementing housing options in their communities.

ADUs: A Critical Piece to the Housing Puzzle

• Our housing needs and preferences evolve throughout our lifetime. Learn how to advance accessary dwelling units (ADUs) as a key way to expand housing choice nationwide.

Supporting a More Inclusive Community Through Universal Design and Visitability

• Learn how housing advocates and architects are working to implement design features that enable homes to be livable for people of all ages and abilities.

Civics 101: Empower, Educate and Engage

• There’s power in designing a decision-making process that encourages participation from all community members. Learn strategies for engaging elected officials, and empowering and educating residents about the local planning process.