Resources for Age-Friendly Communities

Below are resources for learning about and developing Age-Friendly Communities. Many of these materials were originally assembled for the October 2015 Conference on Creating Age-Friendly Communities in Northern New Jersey, sponsored by the Taub Foundation and the Grotta Fund.

Research and General Interest Publications

Rutgers Baseline Report

This report details the communities and organizations that received funding in a pioneering grantmaking program and the ways in which the grantees are setting out to launch their respective community and project work.

Click here to read more

2025 Snapshot: The Mismatch Between an Aging Population and the Homes and Neighborhoods They Need

New Jersey—along with many other parts of the country—is experiencing a housing shortage, driving up rents and home prices and prompting many households to leave the state in search of cheaper housing elsewhere. The state is also aging, with residents aged 65 and older comprising an increasing share of the total population. The two trends are converging in ways that should attract the concern of policy makers.

Click here to read more

Rutgers University School of Social Work Age-Friendly Movement in Action

Advancing insights on how local leaders work with others to make their communities better places to grow up and grow old.

Click here to visit the website and learn more

The Community Design for All Ages Action

Sustainable Jersey actions are designed with flexibility to meet the varying needs of all municipalities.

Click here to visit the website and learn more

Communication Best Practices: Reframing Aging Initiative Guide to Telling a More Complete Story of Aging

Colleague Dr. Katie York is a co-author of this guide as part of an ongoing initiative to counter ageism and guide our nation’s approach to ensuring supportive policies and programs for us all as we move through the life course.

Reframing Aging Initiative/Gerontological Society of America – 2022

 

 

The Story of Reframing Aging

Too often, we limit opportunities for older people and minimize their contributions. This is unjust to older people and a loss to our communities. To live up to our ideals, we must confront the injustice of ageism.

Reframing Aging Initiative/Gerontological Society of America – 2021

 

 

The Roles of Age-Friendly Community Initiatives in Northern New Jersey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated in the United States in March 2020, age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs) in northern New Jersey pivoted their activities in response to numerous health and social needs in their communities. This report presents ways in which AFCIs contributed to increased capacity in their communities during the global pandemic through four roles: creator, amplifier, good community partner, and communications broker.

Rutgers University - School of Social Work – 2021

 

Age-Friendly Community Initiatives in Northern New Jersey: Four Years into Grant Funding

This report explores what the inaugural members of the North Jersey Alliance of Age-Friendly Communities look like four years into their development. The report provides an overview of the people, groups, organizations, and resources that support the initiatives’ work toward making their communities better places for long lives. These findings can help guide policy and practice to support the age-friendly movement as it takes hold and expands in New Jersey and beyond.

Rutgers University - School of Social Work – 2021

 

 

Creating Great Places to Age in New Jersey

Land use is a critical factor in a town's livability, and especially for older residents. Including aging-friendly factors in local planning like affordable and diverse housing, transportation, walkability, flexible employment opportunities, and access to daily activities and socialization helps towns ensure that older residents can continue to live and thrive independently in the communities they know and love. New Jersey Future has been helping towns proactively design their built environments to accommodate the needs of an aging population.

New Jersey Future – 2020

 

 

The Best of Both Worlds: A Closer Look at Creating Spaces that Connect Young and Old

To shed light on factors inhibiting the creation of shared sites in the United States, this report interviews staff and board members of intergenerational shared sites, real estate developers and national policy and program experts. This report identified four key phases in the development and operation of shared sites, and explores these phases and shares lessons learned from intergenerational shared sites around the country.

/Eisner Foundation – 2019

 

 

Universal Design in Landscape Architecture

Universal landscape planning and design ensures people with disabilities can better participate in public life. These principles, which build off The Center for Universal Design’s principles, should guide the planning and design of all public spaces, regardless of intended audience.

American Society of Landscape Architects – 2019

 

 

Silver to Gold: the Business of Aging

A report from the Summit on Business and the Future of Aging, for the Milken Institute. “Businesses have a golden opportunity to tap into the longevity economy through technology and other solutions, ranging from new ways to communicate to financial management strategies, to health and day-to-day living products and services. Each generation will design its own path through the longevity economy. We all need to recognize that when aging is viewed as a win, we all win.”

/Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging – 2018

 

 

Age-Friendly Initiatives in the Early Implementation Phase

This report provides an overview of nine age-friendly initiatives in northern New Jersey during the early implementation phase. The report describes the initiatives’ activities and outputs across six domains; addresses the evolution of their leadership teams and community partners; and presents the concept of “gaining traction” to conceptualize their progress.

/Rutgers University – 2018

 

 

Universal Design in Parks

Early in 2016, Kansas City Communities for All Ages identified two cities that were preparing to plan for the improvement of public park space. The city of Blue Springs, Missouri, was in the initial phases of working with a private developer whose project would alter access to a public park. The city of Roeland Park, Kansas, had a park on a former school site that residents wanted to see improved. Both cities were open to learning how UD could be incorporated in these projects to enhance access to the parks so residents with mobility challenges could fully engage in activities.

Mid-America Regional Council – 2016

 

 

Age-Friendly Community Initiatives

This report is an overview of the initial development of nine age-friendly community initiatives in northern New Jersey. Based on interviews with initiative leaders, the report identifies two inter-related goals of the early planning phase: better understanding aging in the community and greater engagement of local stakeholders around aging. The report describes key activities in working toward these goals, as well as the role of diverse people and organizations in the early planning phase.

/Rutgers University – 2016

 

 

The Case for Age-Friendly Communities

The movement toward age-friendly communities is growing, with the key impetus being population aging. In the U.S. in 1900, 4.1 percent of the population was 65 or older. In 2015, this figure was 14.5 percent. By 2020, it is expected to increase to 16.1 percent, and by 2050, to 20 percent—one in five Americans.

/ Grantmakers In Aging – 2016