Making Suburbia More Livable

The nation’s sprawling suburbs may have been a good place to grow up, but they’re a tough place to grow old. Here’s how towns are beginning to ‘retrofit’ their neighborhoods—and what your community might look like in the future.

Here is a great article from the Wall Street Journal, and even an audio interview if you scroll down the page a little, about what’s happening as people age in Suburbia. Many of the problems and projects that hit the NeighborLink website are a result of some of these issues.

Our aging recipients are being trapped in a house or neighborhood that no longer fits their needs but is definitely what they want to remain attached to. They desire and should be allowed to remain independent and still be able access the resources they need to do so. But this isn’t happening in most of Fort Wayne.

You should read the article, and if you’ve every taken a NeighborLink project and met some of our recipients, you’ll understand what it’s talking about. Think about the neighborhoods they live in and then think about accessing resources. Can they walk to a store? Can they access health care or social services? Can they even walk on sidewalks?

Or, does every move they make require a car.

Very challenging. I hope our city officials are beginning to see the challenges that the baby boomers and older are facing. I hope we can strive for more integrated living among generations and allow micro communities to develop.

Thanks for forwarding Zach