AARP Livability Index
By Jana Lynott & Shannon Guzman, AARP Public Policy Institute
You like where you live. Your community is the perfect fit, you say.
Can you believe the 2015 football season is drawing to a close? Indeed, Super Bowl 50 is this Sunday, Feb. 7: Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos vs. Cam Newton’s Carolina Panthers.
One of my very best friends died three years ago. He happened to be my grandfather, who was 96 years old. He was ready. It was time.
Many cold cities in the Midwest, like Madison, Wisconsin, rate highly for livability.
The Livability Index: Great Neighborhoods for All Ages does a few unique things and we are glad to know that residents and policymakers are beginning to use it. The index’s categories cover the wide range of issues that affect people’s lives and their ability to stay in their neighborhood if they want to do so.
How well does your community meet your needs — both today and in the future? With AARP Public Policy Institute’s new Livability Index: Great Neighborhoods for All Ages, people and policymakers have a first-of-its-kind resource to determine how well their neighborhoods support all members of the community. This is particularly important in the coming years to address the changing needs and wants of this country’s aging population as nearly 9 in 10 Americans 65-plus want to age in their communities and the overwhelming majority of them choose to do so.
America’s public health crisis has been well documented. More than two-thirds of adults are overweight, and more than 1 in 10 children become obese as early as ages 2 to 5. Boomers have the highest obesity rates of any age group, topping 35 percent in 17 states. Obesity is related to dozens of serious health issues, including diabetes, heart disease and vascular dementia. Traditional public health intervention efforts in the form of nutrition and exercise education and promotion have had limited success. What is clear is that a crisis of this scale and tenacity requires a fresh approach. Open Streets may be that spark.