Center for Civic Partnerships

Healthy Aging

Community Access Toolkits

Active Living for Older Adults: Management Strategies for Healthy and Livable Communities
ICMA, 2003
Offers strategies for designing communities that support: active aging", primarily encouraging physical activity. This guide explains the concept of active living and describes general strategies for beginning a local active aging initiative and specific strategies in land sue planning, streetscape design, transportation, housing, and promoting awareness. Item number 43140
Audience: local government managers and local government leaders

Aging in Place: Technical Assistance Guide
Partners for Livable Communities, 2007
A short, succinct guide that provides readers with an overview of the issues; a historical perspective of Partners for Livable Communities and their work for the past 20 years; a national overview of what some cities are doing to prepare for an aging population; Community Report Card; and a listing of resources.
Audience: Government/planning agencies; legislative advisory bodies on zoning, population, planning and development; city/county executives; regional aging agencies, community development councils

Aging in Place: A Toolkit for Local Governments
Atlanta Regional Commission, Community Housing Resource Center, 2004
A tool designed to help local governments plan/prepare for their aging populations. It presents a series of programs and zoning practices that expand the alternatives available to older adults living in the community.
Audience: Local governments.

Beyond 50.05 A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging
AARP, 2005
A report (versus a Toolkit) about options for younger seniors to remain in their communities as they age; connects community engagement, housing, transportation and successful aging; details consequences of communities that fail to prepare to meet resident's needs; and illustrates how people over age 50 can benefit from and contribute to well-designed communities. Six major recommendations for social change are presented as well as a set of policy implications.
Audience: All

A Blueprint for Action: Developing a Livable Community for All Ages
N4A, Partners for Livable Communities, Metlife Foundation, 2007
Provides overview of what Livable Communities are; Key Challenges most communities face and action steps for: Housing, Planning/Zoning, Transportation, Health/Supportive Services, Culture/Lifelong Learning, Public Safety, and Civic Engagement. Plus 6 Steps to focus community energy through assembling team, assessment, action, success, and long-term planning.
Audience: All

Communities for a Lifetime Blueprint
Florida Department of Elder Affairs
This Toolkit outlines the process, what persons should be involved, sample proclamations, best practices, resources, and grant opportunities. The toolkit is a very easy to use workbook with specific questions to ask a Task Force. PowerPoint slides are available on the visioning process, also included are “Questions to Get Started”.
Audience: Local government / collaboratives

Global Age-Friendly Cities: a Guide
World Health Organization, 2007
WHO worked with groups in 33 cities worldwide. WHO conducted focus groups with older adults focusing on 8 areas. The focus group results let to the development of age-friendly city checklists. Part I describes the trends and challenges facing cities. Part II presents the "active aging" model. Part III summarizes the research process. Part IV describes how the Guide should be used to stimulate action. Parts 5-12 highlight the issues and concerns voiced during the focus groups and checklist of core age-friendly city features. Part 13 integrates the findings and creates principal traits of the ideal age-friendly city.
Audience: All

Guide to Elder-Friendly Community Building
Cuyahoga County Planning Commission / the Cleveland Foundation (Ohio), 2004
The Guide is intended to assist cities in identifying the physical, social and institutional elements of aging in the community. It is a guide for a community building process that determines how well a community is already meeting the needs of older adults, identifying areas to be addressed, and future planning for the community. The recommendations are designed to occur within regular budgetary and planning processes (versus ad hoc addressing issues as they arise).
Audience: municipalities

Livable Communities: An Evaluation Guide
AARP, 2005
Designed to help community organizations and activists identify qualities and services in their towns that can be enhanced to promote livability.
Audience: community organizations and activists

The Maturing of America: Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population
N4A, Partners for Livable Communities, MetLife Foundation, ICMA, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, 2006
10,000 local governments surveyed regarding "aging readiness" and livability. Report presents the findings and recommendations and solutions based on the survey findings.
:Audience: local governments

Project 2015 National Initiative
New York Office for the Aging, 2003, Reissued 2007
Toolkit provides overview of NY process including key elements, timeline, PPT presentations and adaptations, and resources. Focus is on the impending demographic changes in all age groups and the impacts it will have on agency services, products, and constituents. Made it very clear that it was not about topical issues such as housing or LTC or transportation, but the process of having agencies’ determine how the demographic changes would impact the agency and changes they could make based on those changes. Participating agencies’ decided what they were going to do.
Audience: State and local agencies, Area Agencies on Aging, new stakeholders at government level not usually involved in “aging” issues, business community

Sustainable Communities for All Ages, A Viable Futures Toolkit
JustPartners, Inc. with funding from Blue Moon Fund and Annie E Casey Foundation, 2006
Toolkit provides the following: User's Guide, Video, Planning Worksheet, Community Checklist, Issue Briefs, Organizational Assessment, and Tips for Coalition Building/Collaboration, Communication Guide, and Resource Development.
Audience: Decision-makers of local governments, administrators, practitioners, advocates, policy makers at any level and community-organizations