.
Building Healthy Communities
for Active Aging Awards 2007
         AGflNG
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               Protecting the Health of Older Americans

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            About  the Award
      The principal goal of the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award program is
      to raise awareness across the nation about healthy synergies that can be achieved when
  communities combine and implement the principles of smart growth with the concepts of
  active aging.

  Awards are presented to communities demonstrating the best and most inclusive overall
  implementation of smart growth and active aging at the neighborhood, municipal, tribal,
  county and regional levels. Applicants are evaluated based on the overall effectiveness of
  their programs, level of community involvement and outreach, use of innovative approaches,
  and overall environmental and health benefits of the project.

  Two types of awards will be
  made—the Achievement Award
  and the Commitment Award.
  The Achievement Award winners
  demonstrate excellence in build-
  ing healthy communities for active
  aging. These recipients have imple-
  mented programs and policies that
  improve the health and well-being
  of the community and its citizens.
  The Commitment Award recognizes
  communities that are planning for
  and beginning to integrate smart
  growth and active aging.
Individuals and the community benefit when people of
all ages engage in an active lifestyle.
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                   Building Healthy Communities
                            for  Active Aging
Achievement Award Winners
   Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia  	2
   City of Kirkland, Washington	3

Commitment Award Winners
   Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Texas	4
   Carver County Public Health Division and Carver County
   Health Partnership, Minnesota 	5
   City of Rogers, Arkansas	6
   Queen Anne's County Housing Authority, Maryland  	7
   Town of Scarborough, Maine  	8

What is Smart Growth?	9  Announcing the 2008 Awards for Building
.... . .  .  ..   .  .  0                   Healthy Communities for Active Aging .. 12
What is Active Aging?	10       y                  M  M
_            , _       ,            Self Management Assessment and
Connecting Smart Growth and            ResQurce ^                    12
Active Aging	11
                                  Acknowledgements	13
                         Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                Achievement  Award Winner
                                                                      -
    The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), which serves 10 counties and
    66 cities in the Atlanta, Ga., metropolitan area, has a history of promoting
smart growth and active aging. In 2002, ARC launched Aging Atlanta, a 50
organization partnership focused on meeting the needs of the region's  grow-
ing older adult population. Aging Atlanta's pilot projects laid the foundation for
the Lifelong Communities Initiative. The Initiative works with local governments
to create housing and transportation options
that enable older adults to "age in place."
To improve housing options, ARC facilitated
zoning policy changes and the development
of 30 senior housing developments located
close to services and connected to existing
neighborhoods. With more than 90 percent
of Atlanta's older adults relying on automo-
biles for transportation, ARC  has  taken steps
to decrease auto dependency by promoting
ride sharing through its six voucher programs
and working to improve bus stops and routes.
These efforts increase quality of life and offer
environmental benefits.
                                              facilities	.
                                              activity among older adults.
   To encourage healthy lifestyles, ARC partners converted traditional senior cen-
   ters to wellness centers, emphasizing physical activity and social interaction.
   Currently, 46 of these centers offer programs for the 400,000 older adults in
   the metro area, and approximately 1,000 individuals have joined walking clubs.
   Through community involvement, ARC has incorporated older adults' needs
   into parks, trails and pedestrian paths. Working with city and county staff, ARC
   is integrating age-appropriate features into local sidewalk audits and plans.
                                                                           Atlanta Regional
                                                                           Commission
Georgia

"Local leadership has
emerged in many
communities to
develop new policies,
start new programs
and make significant
change in the lives of
older adults."
       - Cathie Berger,
         Division Chief,
  Area Agency on Aging
                                                                        Contact:
                                                                        Cathie Berger
                                                                        Division Chief,
                                                                        Aging Services
                                                                        Atlanta Regional
                                                                        Commission
                                                                        (404) 463-3235
                                                                        cberger@atlantaregional.com
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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City of Kirkland
Washington

"Here I can walk
to the lake, the
senior center, the
stores or use public
transportation. Do I
use the pedestrian
flags? You bet.
I love them."
      - Leona Hansen,
    80-year-old resident
Contact:
Carrie S. Hite
Deputy Director Parks &
Community Services
City of Kirkland
(425) 587-3320
chite@ci.kirkland.wa.us
                             Achievement Award Winner
                                          The city of Kirkland, Wash.,
                                          strives to make its physical
                                      activities more accessible for its
                                      19,000 older residents by orga-
                                      nizing exercise opportunities and
                                      improving infrastructure.

                                      The city offers more than
                                      50 physical activity programs
                                      specifically designed for older
                                      adults. The Kirkland Steppers
                                      Walk Program, which is free for
                                      adults over age 50, organizes
                                      group walks through downtown
                                      twice a week during the summer.

Over the next six years, the city of Kirkland will invest $6 million to improve
sidewalk connections between commercial and residential developments to
make the city more walkable. In addition, Kirkland is the first city in the state
of Washington to adopt a Complete Streets Ordinance to design streets
for the needs of walkers, bicyclists and drivers. It has adopted two innova-
tive programs: the "PedFlag" Program, which has placed flags at 63 cross-
walks to remind drivers to yield to pedestrians, and the Flashing  Crosswalk
Program, which has incorporated flashing lights into the pavement of 30
crosswalks. Both programs promote a safe pedestrian environment. By
listening to the good counsel and recommendations from the Active Living
Task Force and the Kirkland Senior Council, the city of Kirkland has and will
continue to enhance the quality of life for its older residents.
                                     Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                Commitment Award  Winner
      The Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) is a regional
      planning association encompassing seven counties in Texas' Brazos
   Valley. In 2007, after consulting citizens and stakeholders, the BVCOG
   created the Brazos Valley Building Healthy Communities Coalition to link
   smart growth and active aging principles in both rural and urban areas of
   the region. As part of this effort, the Wolf Pen Creek corridor was desig-
   nated as a design district. The Wolf Pen Creek master plan was devel-
   oped to ensure coordinated development that preserves the ecological
   integrity and creates new mixed-use developments including residential,
   office and recreational uses.

   The BVCOG's Agency on Aging created a Senior Transportation Program
   to provide door-to-door rides to senior centers, retail stores and health
                                     care facilities for older residents.
                                     The Senior Transportation Program
                                     is staffed primarily by volunteers.
                                     Ridership has increased dramati-
                                     cally, and the program currently
                                     serves more than 1,000 individuals
                                     each month.  Increasing acces-
                                     sibility to key amenities and to
                                     walkable parks and town centers
                                     creates a more livable community
                                     for older residents.
The Brazos Valley Senior Games
highlight the benefits of active aging.
                                                                     Brazos Valley
                                                                     Council of
                                                                     Governments
                                                                     Texas

                                                                     "We are especially
                                                                     proud of the success
                                                                     of the implementation
                                                                     of our Evidence-
                                                                     Based Program, our
                                                                     transportation system,
                                                                     and the growing
                                                                     number of programs
                                                                     and opportunities for
                                                                     Brazos Valley residents
                                                                     to become more
                                                                     active."
                                                                           - Ronnie Gipson,
                                                                                 Manager,
                                                                          Brazos Valley Area
                                                                           Agency on Aging
                                                                     Contact:
                                                                     Tom Wilkinson
                                                                     Executive Director
                                                                     Brazos Valley
                                                                     Council of Governments
                                                                     (979) 595-2800
                                                                     twilkinson@bvcog.org
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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Carver County
Public Health
Division and
Carver County
Health
Partnership
Minnesota

"[Our agency] has
worked closely with
Carver County and
the Health Partnership
in their cutting-edge
work to develop and
implement a county-
wide initiative to
prepare for an older
population. Their
efforts have provided
outstanding results."
     - Dawn Simonson,
      Executive Director,
      Metropolitan Area
      Agency on Aging

Contact:
Katy Boone
Off ice of Aging Planner
Carver County Public Health
(952)361-1329
kboone@co.carver.mn.us
                             Commitment  Award Winner

   Foreseeing a dramatic increase in the aging population, the Carver
   County Health Partnership incorporated smart growth and active aging
principles into a Master Plan
on Aging. Elected officials, key
stakeholders and residents
served on a county-wide
Senior Commission to develop
the master plan. In response,
the Carver County Board of
Commissioners adopted a
"Communities for a Lifetime"
vision statement in 2006 and
in 2007 created the Office of
Aging, housing it in the coun-
ty's Public Health Division.
Members of the city of Victoria Senior Commis-
sion and other community members conduct a
walking audit as part of a Walkability Workshop.
The development of the "Communities for a Lifetime" approach demon-
strates Carver County's commitment to addressing the needs of its 65-plus
population—expected to quadruple to 20,820 by 2030. The approach lays
the foundation for improving housing, transportation and physical activity
options throughout the county.

Already this approach has supported housing efforts such as The Crossing,
a mixed-use development that combines city offices and a public library with
68 senior housing units, and initiatives to create walkable communities to
increase the physical activity levels of older adults. Two cities in Carver County
have successfully completed Walkable Community Workshops, demonstrat-
ing progress in advancing active aging initiatives throughout the county.
                                     Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                Commitment Award Winner
      Located on a formerly blighted site in Rogers, Ark., the Adult Wellness
      Center (AWC) provides physical and social opportunities for adults from
   age 50 and older. Each month the center offers more than 30 age-appro-
   priate physical activity classes and 50 mental and social activities. Each
                                        day between 750 and 1,000
                                        for organized group activities
                                        and to independently work out,
                                        walk, swim or play competi-
                                        tive recreational sports. With
                                        strong community support, the
                                        AWC provided educational and
                                        physical opportunities to more
                                        than 6,500 members in its first
                                        year. The facility was specifically
                                        designed for the city's aging
                                        population and provides a safe
                                        and enjoyable environment for
                                        older adults.
   During the development phase of the AWC, a primary consideration was
   to locate it within walking distance of amenities. AWC is situated near a
   32-unit low-income senior housing complex, hospital, library, grocery store
   and mall. The AWC neighborhood has become a walkable smart growth
   community. Future plans for the neighborhood include a 72-unit mixed-
   rate housing complex and a three-acre wellness garden with trails that will
   connect to the city trail system. By eliminating the barriers to physical and
   social activities, the AWC has enhanced the lives of many older citizens.
                                                                        City of Rogers
Arkansas

"When we first started
going to the Wellness
Center, I could barely
walk with a cane...
I don't use a cane
anymore. I can walk,
and I feel so much
better than I did."
       - Gayle Jones,
        AWC member
Contact:
Keri York Wilkinson
Director
City of Rogers
Adult Wellness Center
(479)631-3333
kwilkinson@rogersark.org
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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Queen Anne's
County Housing
Authority
Maryland

"We present a strong
program of physical
activities and social
and educational events
that assist seniors in
remaining active in
their communities."
    - Catherine R,
             Director,
   Queen Anne's County
    Department of Aging
Contact:
Candice Darling
Housing Program
Administrator
Queen Anne's County
Housing and Community
Development
(410)758-3977
cdarling@qac.org
                             Commitment Award  Winner
    The Queen Anne's County Housing Authority has created a model
    community for active aging through effective partnerships and strong
community involvement. Terrapin Grove, located in Stevensville, Md., is a
low- to moderate-income housing community for older adults, featuring
a library, salon and country store. The adjacent Kent Island Senior Center
offers an array of physical activities, including low-impact and chair aero-
bics, exercise classes, Tai Chi and yoga. All of the center's activities and
classes were developed with  community input. Through  its partnerships
with Chesapeake College, Terrapin Grove offers residents educational
courses, museum tours and luncheon lectures. In collaboration with the
                                              Department of Parks
                                              and Recreation and
                                              Safe Harbor Church, a
                                              network of new walking
                                              trails was created that
                                              connects to the county
                                              trail system. Strong
                                              citizen involvement and
                                              agency partnerships
                                              helped to create an
                                              enriching environment
                                              for older residents in
                                              Queen Anne's County.
Connecting Terrapin Grove to the existing trail net-
work has increased residents' ability to participate
in self-directed physical activities, such as biking.
                                    Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                Commitment  Award  Winner
      The Seniors Program Advisory Board collaborated with the town of
      Scarborough, Maine, to encourage responsible development and
   healthy living for all of its 18,900 residents. Through active community
   involvement, the town recently developed the Future Land Use Plan. The
   plan protects rural lands and open spaces and focuses development near
   existing resources. For example, a former school site was redeveloped
   into 60 affordable senior
   housing units in the town's
   community center. This
   excellent location provides
   older adults a greater sense
   of community and reduces
   reliance on motor vehicles.
   Scarborough created the
   Senior Center Without Walls,
   which is a network of pro-
   grams, services, and part-
   nerships that specializes
   in addressing the needs of
   Scarborough's 6,000 residents who are 50 years of age and older. As part
   of this initiative, the town of Scarborough designed three senior-focused
   exercise programs and improved five miles of walking trails and three
   miles of sidewalks to increase opportunities for physical activity.
Town of
Scarborough
Maine

"The town's decision
to support the
construction of more
than 200 units of
affordable senior
housing through
flexible zoning and
creative reuse of old
schools provides an
important resource
for residents to age
in place."
   - Laurence W, Gross,
     Executive Director,
       Southern Maine
      Agency on Aging
Contact:
Bill Reichl
Scarborough
Community Services
Town of Scarborough
(207) 730-4150
comserv®
ci.scarborough.me.us
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                              What  is  Smart  Growth?
    The built environment—places where we live, work
    and play—impacts people of all ages. Housing and
transportation opportunities shape our environment and
have longstanding consequences on our daily lives and
the quality of our environment. Smart growth strives to
minimize the impacts of our built environments both on
human health and the natural environment by integrat-
ing environmental considerations into development pat-
terns. Using smart growth, communities create attractive,
walkable neighborhoods that give people of varying age,
income level and physical ability a range of safe, affordable
and convenient   j  gLji  gp BB-J ij n
choices in where
to live and how
to get around.

Growing smart
helps to reduce
our ecological
footprint and
preserve natural
resources and
open space.
                 Smart growth development provides
                 easy access to transit. Photo of
                 Winooski, Vt, courtesy of Liisa Ecola,
For more
information,
please visit...
                  www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
Smart Growth Principles
• Mix land uses
• Take advantage of
 compact building design
• Create a range of housing
 opportunities and choices
• Create walkable neighborhoods
• Foster distinctive, attractive
 communities with a strong
 sense of place
• Preserve open space,
 farmland, natural beauty and
 critical environmental areas
• Strengthen and direct
 development toward
 existing communities
• Provide a variety of
 transportation choices
• Make development
 decisions predictable,
 fair and cost effective
• Encourage community and
 stakeholder collaboration
 in development decisions
                                 Building Healthy Communities through Active Aging 2007

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         What  is  Active  Aging?
     By 2030, the number of older persons in the
     United States is expected to double to more
  than 70 million. As our population ages, a growing
  number of us will be living with chronic conditions,
  placing increased pressure on our health care
  system. Only 20 percent of those over the age of
  65 participate  in regular activity, according to the
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many
  older adults live with at least one chronic condition.
  Research demonstrates that daily physical activity
  is vital for keeping fit and controlling chronic condi-
  tions. Creating a walkable community is one of the
  principles of smart growth that fosters active aging.

  Active aging strives to promote strategies that
  engage older adults through a variety of structured
  and unstructured physical activities. Communities
  can promote active aging by implementing a diverse
  array of accessible physical-activity programs,
  increasing the  accessibility of opportunities for self-
  directed physical activity for those 50 years of age
  or older and providing a safe, walkable environment.
     For more information on active aging,
     please visit these Websites...
Physical activities, such as DiKing, can
improve the quality of life for older adults.
 Learning Network for Active Aging
 www.LNactiveaging.org
 National Council on Aging's
 Center for Healthy Aging
 www.healthyagingprograms.org
 National Blueprint
 www.agingblueprint.org

Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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     Connecting Smart  Growth and Active Aging
   By adopting smart growth principles, communities can design places that increase mobility
   and improve quality of life for older adults. Neighborhoods that integrate a variety of uses,
such as residential, commercial, and recreational features, enable residents, especially mature
persons, to access key amenities without relying on their automobiles. Pedestrian-friendly,
level walkways also increase access to these amenities and encourage older residents to
walk to the doctor's office or local stores. By providing a range of housing opportunities,
communities can enable
residents to move within
their neighborhood as their
housing needs change. Such
life-long residents help to
establish a strong sense of
place within a community.
The benefits of building
healthy communities for
active aging are being real-
ized in communities across
the country. For example, the
city of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.,
where 18 percent of the popu-
lation is over 60 years of age,
has created a mix of hous-
ing opportunities near the
Saratoga Senior Center and
medical facilities.
                             Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                 Announcing the 2008 Awards for
      Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging
   EPA's Aging Initiative announces the 2nd annual Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging
   Awards program. The awards recognize outstanding community planning and strategies that
   support active aging. Communities will be recognized in two award categories—the Achievement
   Award and the Commitment Award. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2009. Applicants
   must be public sector entities in the United States and coordinate with their local Area Agency on
   Aging. Public sector entities include all levels of elected governments, from city councils to state
   legislatures and their subdivisions, such
                                         For more
                                         information..
as planning departments and other
executive branch divisions. Applications
are due September 12,2008. Applications,
award guidelines and entry rules can be
found at www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/awards.
EPA Aging Initiative
www.epa.gov/aging
                                                          Please submit questions to
                                                          aging.info@epa.gov
n
   Self Management Assessment  and Resource Tool
   The Self Management Assessment and Resource Tool includes 20 questions that can help a
   community assess its progress in integrating active aging concepts with smart growth principles.
   Each question focuses on a particular milestone, such as conducting a community assessment to
   determine the level of older adult participation in physical activity programs or formulating a plan to
   adopt smart growth planning. Communities are asked to select the category that best describes
   the progress of their active aging initiatives: not at all; partially completed; or fully completed. The
   tool also provides tips for getting started and links to potential resources for addressing each mile-
   stone. Communities can use the results from this self-test to identify opportunities to improve their
   active aging initiatives and smart growth planning efforts to promote a safe and healthy environ-
   ment for older residents. For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/aging/bhc/bhcaa.pdf.
Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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                                                    Acknowledgements
Thanks to the Steering Committee.
Terry Bazzarre, PhD, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation
David M. Buchner, MD MPH, Chief, Physical Activity &
Health Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko,  PhD, Professor and
Department Head, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Judy Kruger, PhD, Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
Catherine Liles, MPH, School of Rural Public Health,
Texas A&M University
Michael Marcus, MSW, Program Director for Aging,
Weinberg Foundation
John N. Migliaccio, PhD, Director of Research,
MetLife Mature Market Institute
Kevin Nelson, AICP, Senior Staff Member, Community &
Environment Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Marcia Ory, PhD, Professor, Texas A&M University
Serena Sanker, MS, Senior Program Associate,
National Council on Aging, Center for Healthy Aging
Chris Spain, Director, Research, Planning & Special Projects,
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Kathy Sykes, MA, Senior Advisor, Aging Initiative,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Brett Van Akkeren, MBA, Senior Staff Member, Community
& Environment Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Nancy Whitelaw, PhD, Director, Center for Healthy Aging
and Senior Vice President, National Council on Aging
Thanks to the BHCAA Awards Supporters.
AARP
Active for Life (AFL)
America Walks
Administration on Aging (AoA)
American Medical Association (AMA)
American Public Health Association (APHA)
Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)
American Society on Aging (ASA)
Center for Civic Partnerships (CCP)
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
Elder Care Advocacy of Florida
Generations United (GU)
Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
Healthy Aging Research Network (HAN)
International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)
Local Government Commission (LGC)
Milton H. Erickson Foundation, Inc.
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
National  Blueprint Initiative
National  Council on Aging (NCOA)
National  Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)
National  Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
                                       Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards 2007

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AGUNG
        nitiative         ^^^
        Protecting the Health of Older Americans
         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
        Office of Children's Health Protection and
            Environmental Education (1107)
      The Child and Aging Health Protection Division
             1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
             Room 2512 Ariel Rios North
              Washington, DC 20460
                www.epa.gov/aging
                EPA100-K-08-001
                 February 2008

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