AARP Eye Center
Last week Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was presented with copies of a new book, Where We Live: Communities for All Ages , which highlighted his initiative to create a more livable community.
https://youtu.be/Elp-FLmHxps
Where We Live highlights more than 100 inspirational initiatives undertaken by mayors in cities throughout the nation. Together, these examples highlight the creativity and innovation currently being harnessed to create more livable communities for people of all ages.
Written by Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President of Community, State and National Affairs, Where We Live: Communities for All Ages , provides an overview of impactful strategies put in place by mayors in towns and cities across the country — from Alabama to North Dakota, California to New York. These projects are improving communities for older adults and people of all ages. In areas from housing to the environment, transportation to culture and community connections, these examples can be replicated or adapted in other places.
“There is a pressing need to create livable communities for people of all ages. In less than 15 years, one out of every five people in the United States will be 65 or older, a demographic shift that will be felt in every community,” said LeaMond. “At AARP, we’ve seen mayors’ tremendous interest in and energy put toward tackling livability, with solutions that benefit not only older constituents but people of all ages.”
In Evansville, Mayor Winnecke has led an effort to clean up Evansville through an anti-trash and litter program called Clean Evansville. This campaign is a joint effort of the City of Evansville, Keep Evansville Beautiful and volunteer members of the "Clean Committee." The goal is to involve the entire community in picking up trash, as well as targeting specific areas for clean-up on a monthly basis that will help boost the city’s development potential while helping the environment.
“I've lived in Evansville for the past 45 years and seen this 'river town' change and grow in so many ways,” said AARP Indiana volunteer Joe Kendall. “The sense of community is very strong here and programs such as the Clean Evansville Initiative and Keep Evansville Beautiful are integral to furthering that feeling.”
“We’re honored that Clean Evansville is included in this book,” said Mayor Winnecke. “We’re looking forward to connecting with leaders in communities throughout the region to share our success story and get ideas on ways to get more people involved.”
Adds Ms. LeaMond: “We hope that with this book, and our related Livable Communities website, ( AARP.org/livable) and award-winning AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter ( AARP.org/livable-subscribe), we can provide a platform to inspire even more creativity and sharing of practices to spur innovation in making all communities great places for people of all ages.”
To download a copy of the free e-book, visit AARP.org/WhereWeLive. For a print copy, or to share ideas on initiatives that have helped make your town or city more livable, email us at livable@aarp.org.