Accessible Communities for the Third Age

 

Toronto Islands boardwalk. June 2016. Credit: Mzuriana.

In my perfect world, in four years +/- two, I will settle down in a city with these characteristics:

1. Population size: 300k to 750k
2. Demographics: Diverse in age, complexion, ethnicity, language of origin, and socio-economic status
3. University campus (for its cultural events open to the community)
4. Mild climate
5. Historical interest
6. Library system
7. Diverse and well-dispersed food markets and parks
8. Widespread, universal design for pedestrians, wheelchair/walker/stroller users, cyclists, and alternative-motorized vehicles, such as golf carts

#8 is very important for me. I envision a time in which I'll need to retire my car keys. When that happens, I'll want to be living in a walkable community. An accessible community. 

What is an accessible community? 

Here's how Canadian Rick Hansen (a wheelchair user) defines it (emphases mine): 

An accessible community is barrier-free and doesn’t limit anyone’s participation in everyday life.

In accessible communities, people with disabilities can be active participants. Ensuring that such communities exist — and thrive — is important because both people with disabilities and their neighbors benefit. Accessible communities:

• Allow for the interaction and engagement of all members,
• Reduce social isolation and improve mental health for people with disabilities,
• Increase economic gains for local businesses, and
• Improve physical health opportunities and outcomes for all.

Mr. Hansen's definition above focuses on people with disabilities, but the beauty of accessible communities is that it benefits all of us, including, for example, caregivers of children in strollers and folks who may not have a disability in the strictest sense of the word, but who, for example:

• Move more slowly or carefully than more able-bodied people
• Have limited stamina to walk far without frequent rests at well-spaced benches

Tied in my mind to accessible communities are: 

• The broader concept of universal design
• Walkability, i.e. curb cuts, sidewalks, traffic calming, cyclist lanes, etc.
• Robust, affordable public transportation system that can include buses or vans, Uber/Lyft, or in the not-too-distant future, driverless cars that one can "call up" for errand-running
• Pathway design for alternative personal vehicles such as golf carts, bicycles and adult tricycles, and motor scooters
• Avoidance of food deserts
• Good street lighting (that also conforms with Dark Skies)
• Green spaces equally dispersed throughout the community

Good lighting versus bad lighting. Source: FAU Astronomical Observatory. 

AARP's website has a section devoted to "AARP livable communities" and "age-friendly communities." It has a lot of depth to it, including free guides for individuals and community leaders.