Livable Communities Takes to the Streets

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Philadelphia Free Streets – AARP PA was a proud sponsor of the inaugural Philly Free Streets, an initiative organized by the City of Philadelphia that was modeled on the Open Streets programs in effect in over 120 North American cities. Led by the Managing Director's Office of Transportation & Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), the Philly Free Streets event temporarily closed nearly 10 miles of streets to vehicular traffic, encourage city residents and visitors to walk, run or bike and enjoy Philadelphia streets and trails.

The Open Streets concept took hold in Pittsburgh as well. AARP PA partnered with OpenStreetsPGH and has fostered a strong relationship with Mayor Bill Peduto who was instrumental in initiating OpenStreets in Pittsburgh.

AARP PA supported the development of a Complete Streets policy in Pittsburgh which continues to be a priority for Mayor Peduto.

With leadership from AARP PA, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County jointly enrolled in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities in 2015. This year, AARP conducted a local survey of 50+ residents to inform the assessment phase of the process.  This builds upon a long history of livable communities-themed work in the region.  For example, AARP PA has hosted multiple walkability audits, including one in Downtown Pittsburgh.

In the southeast region of the state, AARP PA staff hosted City Council briefings to educate City Council members and their staff on livable communities and discuss opportunities for making Philadelphia more livable for all ages. These briefings garnered support from key council members and has strengthened our relationships, opening the door to opportunities on other AARP initiatives such as fraud prevention.

Additionally, AARP PA hosted a tele-town hall with Philadelphia City Council members in order to engage AARP members around the issues of transportation, housing and civic engagement. City Council members joined AARP staff for the tele-town hall to hear from constituents and to begin discussions on local efforts.

In Philadelphia, AARP PA launched a Livable Communities Network which includes over a dozen organizations serving the southeast region that helps guide the livable communities work in Philadelphia, particularly around housing, transportation, and civic engagement.

In collaboration with Managing Director’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, AARP Pennsylvania hosted an event that attracted key stakeholders for a discussion around transportation. Panel discussions featured representatives from UBER-Philadelphia, VisionZero, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and several representatives from the City of Philadelphia.

Additionally, AARP PA spoke at a symposium focusing on Aging in Place to highlight the importance of adequate housing in the framework of livable communities.

In 2016, AARP PA continued to work closely with the City of Philadelphia in achieving its age-friendly designation. AARP was proud to present the Borough of West Chester with an age-friendly designation. West Chester Mayor Caroline Comitta expressed the importance of the designation, and the multi-disciplinary approach the borough is taking to make West Chester more livable for all ages.

As we look to 2017, AARP Pennsylvania plans to continue working at the local level in cities and counties across the Commonwealth to ensure that communities are livable for all as we age. We look to grow our efforts in neighborhoods and local communities, develop support systems and networks for community collaboration, and share and analyze programs.

For more information about AARP PA’s livable communities outreach in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, please contact Jen Blatz at jblatz @ aarp dot org. For information about livable communities in the Philadelphia region, please contact Yocasta Lora at ylora @ aarp dot org.