AARP Eye Center
How can Boston become a more age-friendly city? If you’re a Boston resident, we’re sure you have some great ideas.
AARP, the office of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, and the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute invite you to attend one of a series of upcoming Age-Friendly Boston Listening Sessions being held throughout the city, where you can share your ideas.
The next Listening Sessions will be held in Chinatown on July 28 and South Boston on Aug. 13 (see below for details and RSVP information).
Age-Friendly Boston is an initiative of the Mayor Martin J. Walsh administration, in partnership with AARP and UMass Boston Gerontology Institute.
At each Listening Session, AARP, the Mayor’s office, and the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute want to hear from city residents about factors that contribute to an environment in which older adults can continue to lead healthy, productive, and happy lives. Additionally, what factors make one city better to live in than another? And what factors of Boston life need improvement, modification, or perhaps even removal?
The Age-Friendly philosophy is closely aligned with my vision for Boston. The guiding principle focuses on designing livable communities that promote good health, strong civic participation, and clear communication. That means safe, walkable streets; offering better housing and transportation options; improving access to key services; and providing opportunities to be socially engaged. "It means sustaining economic growth and enabling happier, healthier residents. In other words, an Age-Friendly city is a thriving and inclusive city for all.” — Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh
Choose a Listening Session below!
The Listening Sessions will also provide information about how you can get involved in the Age-Friendly Boston project. Creating a more age-friendly Boston challenges the city’s businesses, cultural, educational, and religious institutions, community groups, and municipal agencies, in terms of becoming involved and making changes to increase the quality of life for residents 50+.
According to the Mayor’s office, key areas for consideration include outdoor spaces, buildings, housing, and transportation; health services; community support; and the effectiveness of communications from the Mayor’s office. The office also wants to identify opportunities for volunteering and employment throughout the city’s civic, social, and cultural arenas.
Read more about Mayor Walsh’s commitment to the project at the city’s Age-Friendly Boston blog, and read the Mayor’s own words in this interview in The Journal 2015, published by AARP International.
Please take part in this opportunity to define the age-friendly ways you’d like to see Boston change and grow! Call or email today and RSVP today for one of the upcoming Listening Sessions:
Chinatown Listening Session
DATE: Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 2-3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Quincy Tower, 5 Oak St., Chinatown, MA 02116
RSVP: Call Quincy Tower at 617-423-7560.
South Boston Listening Session
DATE: Thursday, Aug. 13, 1-2:30 p.m.
WHERE: South Boston Public Library, 646 East Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127
RSVP: Call Lu O’Brien at 617-842-6733.
Call or email today and RSVP for one of the scheduled Listening Sessions!
Visit www.aarp.org/livable to learn more about the AARP and World Health Organization Age-Friendly network, of which Boston is a member, and to see all the resources available to communities across the country
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