Aging in place and complete communities
More than 13 percent of the US population is over 65, and by 2030, that figure will be 20 percent, according to this real estate trends article. That means that the US today has about 42 million senior citizens, and that figure will rise by 25 million by 2030. Many of those Baby Boomers plan to age in place, and many others will move to smaller houses or multifamily buildings. It's unlikely that Boomers will be moving to retirement communities in large numbers. “The primary reason is they want to be near friends and family,” Nancy Thompson, spokeswoman for the AARP, told the reporter. “The image that people move when they retire to Florida and Arizona are inaccurate. Some people do that, but for the most part, Baby Boomers will turn the suburbs gray.”
Boomers are into fitness. They like to walk, ride bicycles, have easy access to parks, and many will seek mixed-use places. The nation will need more active living, and more complete, communities to accommodate this massive demographic shift. That probably means a Walk Score of at least 70, in a safe neighborhood, ideally with access to transit. We can produce these neighborhoods by repopulating cities and towns that have emptied out, transforming suburban areas, and making new development more sustainable.
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