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Building Healthy Communities
for Active Aging Awards 2007
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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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