Seniors Want Walkability Too

We assume millennials prefer walkability and urban living for all the right reasons: social cohesion and community, better access to entertainment, services, and jobs. So why do we assume that older Americans and senior citizens, who also value connectivity, community, and healthy living, wouldn’t prefer the same living arrangement?

According to a new study by A Place for Mom, a nationwide referral service, the Senior Living Preferences Survey, older Americans value walkable urban centers. The survey asked 1,000 respondents nationwide about their living preferences, and a majority said it was very important or somewhat important to live in a walkable neighborhood, as well as one with low crime that was close to family.

“It’s time to abandon the idea that only millennials and Generation X care about walkability and the services available in dense urban neighborhoods,” says Charlie Severn, head of marketing at A Place for Mom. “These results show a growing set of senior housing consumers also find these neighborhoods desirable. It’s a trend that should be top of mind among developers.”

Read the rest of the story here.

The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently partnered with Keep Virginia Beautiful to help support the agency’s Adopt-a-Highway program. The agreement calls for Keep Virginia Beautiful to focus on engaging volunteers to participate in the program, which is aimed at beautifying roads throughout the commonwealth and preventing litter.

 Keep Virginia Beautiful will promote the Adopt-a-Highway program through its website, social media platforms and public relations channels as well as the organization’s many external partners. In addition to boosting the volunteer recruitment process, Keep Virginia Beautiful will educate the general public on the need, impact and benefits of an effective Adopt-a-Highway program.

 Adopt-a-Highway has involved numerous groups since it was first established in Virginia in 1988. It provides an opportunity for businesses, civic groups and even families to clean up litter and be recognized for their efforts with a sign featuring their name after two pickups have been documented. VDOT is confident that the partnership with Keep Virginia Beautiful will produce measurable results in the number of miles covered with regular litter cleanups and the recycling of collected waste, which will in turn translate into overall savings for the commonwealth.

 “We are pleased with this joint initiative between VDOT and Keep Virginia Beautiful, which will ensure that our Adopt-a-Highway program continues to provide Virginians with clean roads as they travel throughout the commonwealth,” said VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick.

 “Our goal is to raise awareness of the impact litter has on our environment and that it’s up to us to change our behavior and make a difference,” said Mike Baum, Executive Director of Keep Virginia Beautiful.

 Background

VDOT set up the Adopt-a-Highway program in 1988. Each year, nearly 18,000 Adopt-a-Highway volunteers collect more than 25,000 bags of waste along Virginia’s highways. It is estimated that these efforts save the commonwealth over $1.35 million that would have otherwise gone to clean up Virginia’s roads. Groups agree to adopt a two-mile stretch of highway in their community by picking up litter and recyclables at least twice a year for three years. In return, VDOT provides trash bags, vests, important safety information and highway signs that recognize the individual or group.

 For more information, please visit: http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/prog-aah-default.asp

 Established in 1953, the mission of Keep Virginia Beautiful is to “engage and unite Virginians to enhance our natural and scenic environment” through five focus areas: litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, beautification and environmental education. 

 For more information, please visit: http://keepvirginiabeautiful.org/