“Aging in Place ” and “Green Living” might seem like an unlikely pairing. However, advocates from both camps have found many commonalities between the two. Aging today is not solely an issue of health and finances; the issue of aging has developed into so much more than that because of drastic increases in life expectancy over the past century. Unfortunately, poorly designed elder communities unfairly isolate individuals because of their age or capacity. As a result, these auto-dependent communities create barriers for older individuals, but also create barriers to healthy living and civic engagement for all individuals.
On Wednesday, June 23rd, the fourth annual Mountain Green Sustainable Communities Conference will be held in Swannanoa, NC, this year with a focus on how the “Aging in Place” and “Green Living” initiatives intersect. The conference, a project of the Gibson’s center in Swannanoa, NC, will bring together professionals from sectors such as architecture, energy, and education in order to explore best practices in sustainable planning and design. The topic of “aging in place” was a natural choice for the conference since, according to the Center’s director Phillip Gibson, “what’s good for seniors is good for everyone.”
At next week’s conference, practitioners from various disciplines, such as medicine, planning, and architecture, will address ways of designing and building sustainability to cater to the long-term needs of the aging population. Dr. Bill Thomas, international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare, will discuss his revolutionary community-oriented nursing facilities that nurture residents’ dignity and emotional well-being. Kathryn Lawler, of the Atlanta Regional Commission, and Scott Ball, of the architecture firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, will present information regarding the integration of the “Aging in Place” agenda into regional master planning.
On Wednesday, June 23rd, the fourth annual Mountain Green Sustainable Communities Conference will be held in Swannanoa, NC, this year with a focus on how the “Aging in Place” and “Green Living” initiatives intersect. The conference, a project of the Gibson’s center in Swannanoa, NC, will bring together professionals from sectors such as architecture, energy, and education in order to explore best practices in sustainable planning and design. The topic of “aging in place” was a natural choice for the conference since, according to the Center’s director Phillip Gibson, “what’s good for seniors is good for everyone.”
At next week’s conference, practitioners from various disciplines, such as medicine, planning, and architecture, will address ways of designing and building sustainability to cater to the long-term needs of the aging population. Dr. Bill Thomas, international authority on geriatric medicine and eldercare, will discuss his revolutionary community-oriented nursing facilities that nurture residents’ dignity and emotional well-being. Kathryn Lawler, of the Atlanta Regional Commission, and Scott Ball, of the architecture firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, will present information regarding the integration of the “Aging in Place” agenda into regional master planning.