December 2005

Will 70 Million Americans be Stranded in 2030?

December 28, 2005

A survey released by the American Public Transportation System shows expected but still staggering statistics on the mobility for aging Americans. The survey states that 82 percent of Americans age 65 or older worry that they will be stranded and unable to get around when they can no longer drive. Maintaining independence was rated as “extremely important” for 98 percent of the survey’s respondents.

“These findings are dramatic proof that America’s older citizens believe staying mobile is essential and that ‘mobility security’ just like ‘financial security’ and ‘medical security’ needs to be planned for,” said William W. Millar, president of APTA.

More than 70 million people will be 65 years of age or older by 2030. This fact was not lost on the attendees of the White House Conference on Aging a few weeks ago. The resolution to “Ensure that Older Americans Have Transportation Options to Retain Their Mobility and Independence” received the third most votes out of the 73 resolutions presented to the conference. This resolution will be one of the 50 that will be sent to Congress and President Bush with the intent of guiding the national aging policies over the course of the next 10 years.

Mobility for seniors is one of the topics that really gets me fired up. So often I feel that the needs of older Americans are just cast aside in this country, although this is hardly just an American issue. There are so many glaring issues to address on nearly every street – crossing intervals at intersections that are much too short for all persons to safely cross, lack of adequate curb ramps, and dangerous cross slopes.

All people that design or construct pedestrian facilities should try and navigate around in a wheelchair on the sidewalks and streets for several hours (at a minimum) to get a feel for what it is like to have a disability and have to get around. I guarantee that our facilities would be designed at least slightly better after that experience. Even in the most walkable places, navigation for seniors and people with disabilities is extremely difficult. Many walkable places are historic, older places that do not have modern facilities compliant with today’s standards. >>Continue Reading This Article>>

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Attention Snow-Covered Communities: Shovel Your Sidewalks

December 22, 2005
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Walkable Communities A Top Priority in Housing Boom

December 17, 2005

One of the major trends in the recent housing boom is that home buyers are now purchasing smaller, more urban homes to avoid long commutes, writes James R. Hagerty in a Wall Street Journal article. James Z. Pugash, chief executive officer of a company which finances housing developments, Hearthstone Inc., predicts that American cities will become European-like, with more midrise developments, fewer square feet per person, and higher housing costs.

The article also cites a 2004 paper for the Brookings Institution by Virginia Tech professor Arthur C. Nelson that says there are at least tentative signs of a rising demand for more compact living environments combining offices, entertainment, and homes. Mr. Nelson cites as an example Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, DC. He writes that in 1990, the conventional wisdom was that the county was completely “built out” and there was no space for more residents. However, the county is encouraging higher-density housing on former industrial sites and transit-oriented development (TOD). The county is still growing rapidly, yet the character of established neighborhoods is being preserved effectively.

Speculation is that the desire for urban living in walkable communities will continue to grow, and condominium construction is soaring. In the 12 months prior to September, sales of condos and cooperative housing rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 942,000 units, up 14 percent. In the same time frame, sales of single-family homes rose only 6.9 percent.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also recognizes that a top priority of homebuyers is to purchase a home in a walkable neighborhood. “Realtors don’t just sell homes, we sell communities and neighborhoods,� said NAR President Walt McDonald, broker-owner of Walt McDonald Real Estate in Riverside, California in a press release for the 2004 American Community >>Continue Reading This Article>>Survey.

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The Ahwahnee Principles for Resource-Efficient Communities

December 7, 2005

The Ahwahnee Principles are an essential set of guidelines for land-use and community development. Here are the Principles in their entirety courtesy of the Local Government Commission:

Preamble:

Existing patterns of urban and suburban development seriously impair our quality of life. The symptoms are: more congestion and air pollution resulting from our increased dependence on automobiles, the loss of precious open space, the need for costly improvements to roads and public services, the inequitable distribution of economic resources, and the loss of a sense of community. By drawing upon the best from the past and the present, we can plan communities that will more successfully serve the needs of those who live and work within them. Such planning should adhere to certain fundamental principles.

Community Principles

1. All planning should be in the form of complete and integrated communities containing housing, shops, work places, schools, parks and civic facilities essential to the daily life of the residents.

2. Community size should be designed so that housing, jobs, daily needs and other activities are within easy walking distance of each other.

3. As many activities as possible should be located within easy walking distance of transit stops.

4. A community should contain a diversity of housing types to enable citizens from a wide range of economic levels and age groups to live within its boundaries.

5. Businesses within the community should provide a range of job types for the community’s residents.
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