Center for Healthcare Policy and Research report offers resources on planning communities for aging populations

Communities are beginning to address the health and housing needs of the rapidly increasing population of older adults (including adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities). Proactive land-use planning and community design based on strong evidence can help to mitigate the physical, cognitive, and social challenges most people face as they age.

Planning Healthy Aging Communities [PDF], published by the UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, seeks to inform and inspire developers, planners, builders, policy makers, and other key stakeholders in the development of innovative healthy aging communities.

This report offers a unique combination of information and resources from a planning-for-health perspective. It includes an evidence review about how land-use planning and design can improve health; current planning guidelines and toolkits; and interviews with content experts. Thirty-five model communities provide examples of innovative community features that successfully support healthy aging.

The report also reviews the role of digital technology in healthy aging, and opportunities for community partnerships to support the planning and development of these communities. The concluding chapter summarizes the findings and provides planning recommendations to developers, planners, and policy makers. Numerous links in the report provide more in-depth resources for readers.

Download the Planning Healthy Aging Communities report [PDF].