Livable Communities for All Ages Brochure
"Livable Communities for All Ages" is a thoughtful brochure  that reflects years of expertise and findings, as well as resources and case studies, on how all facets of the community can contribute to a more “older adult –friendly” environment. Download hereWith the goal of promoting safer and affordable communities, "Livable Communities for All Ages" features a specific guide on which aspects of civic life—whether the local Chamber of Commerce or an individual— can respond to the maturing of America with instructive measures on the benefits of older adult livability adaptations in four areas:
Terms:2010, Aging in Place, AIP Report/Publication, Arizona, Cultural Institutions, Housing, Life-Long Learning, Partners Reports/Publications, Santa Cruz, CA, Tampa, FL, Transportation, Wichita, KS, Workforce Development
Leveraging Youngstown State University
How does a city aspire to be livable when the outside public seemingly brands it as ‘dying?’ How does the city grow when it is told that is 'shrinking’? With eyes that are turning away from the core industrial cities and onto the technological hubs of the twenty-first century: can the city sustain itself? For Mayor Jay Williams of Youngstown, OH, hearing his city being labeled by Forbes Magazine as one of Americas 10 Fastest-Dying Cities, inspired him to take the city in a new direction; one that leveraged successful development upon its own definition.
At the “ Building Livable Communities” forum held at Washington, DC's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on September 22, 2010, Mayor Williams held a detailed discussion on how civic institutions in Youngstown redefined their role to promote dynamic change as amenity rich centers.
Adult Volunteers at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
What can you do to improve your community? There are many directions one can take but often times it requires a bit of foresight and planning. For many older adults, something as enjoyable and simple as volunteering can be a perfect use of time, but for many the willingness to volunteer can be met with physical and economic hurdles. Realizing there is much potential in their community members, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center of Florida utilized an Aging in Place Initiative “Jumpstart the Conversation" Grant to engage more older adults in the local arts and culture community.
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LED Streetlight Program
Washington, DC
Households that replace just a few old incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs, a product with more than three times the lifespan of their traditional counterparts, can reduce electric bills and put a dent in their carbon footprint. Imagine the impact of replacing 4,424,361 light bulbs. This is the number of streetlights in our nation’s ten largest metropolitan statistical areas. According to a study released in March of 2008, switching all streetlights in these major regions to an LED or a “smart streetlights” system could lead to a savings of 1,494,250,000 kilowatts (kWh) or a reduction of 1,161,716 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). This report wasn’t produced by the EPA or a national LED manufacturer; in fact, this white paper was prepared by Bob Grow, then an American Chamber of Commerce Executives Ford Fellow in Regionalism and Sustainable Development for the Greater Washington Board of Trade.
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The Clean Tech Center
Syracuse, NY
When most people think of New York, they’re quick to conjure up images of the Empire State Building and Wall Street. But in the era of clean energy, New York’s emerging ‘Green Apple’ is giving the renowned Big Apple a run for its money as the innovation center of the state. With over 30 colleges and universities, the Central Upstate New York region has one of the highest concentrations of students in the country. Couple that with market leaders such as GE Global Research, GM Research and Carrier Corporation that are developing world class new clean technologies, along with $2 billion in annually funded R&D at the region’s top six research institutions, and you’ve got a region prime for green technology incubation. The Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce has been leading that green revolution. In July of 2009 with a $1.5 million grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Syracuse Chamber proudly unveiled The Clean Tech Center, a clean energy business incubator program—one of the first of its kind in the country.
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Libraries Advance Against All Odds
America’s public libraries, fast turning themselves into “one-stop shops” for digital job searches, appear to be staging one of their great historic transformations.
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The Dollars and Sense of Green Business: Chambers of Commerce as the New Champions of a Green Economy
This report showcases the innovation and leadership of 22 chambers of  commerce that when faced with the challenge of ensuring the future strength of their economies, have employed creative new agendas that not only help reverse the effects of environmental degradation but leverage the occasion for valuable economic and social gain. Click here to download the report.
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How to behave like an Anchor Institution
As many traditional economic drivers leave our cities, institutions like libraries, colleges, and arts organizations are now the key to supporting vibrant communities. Given the right leadership and resources, these “anchor” institutions can act as fulcrums of change for leveraging stronger development agendas. In order to achieve this goal, institutional leaders across the country are seeking guidance on how to use their own missions to improve their communities. A new report, released by CEOs for Cities and Living Cities, responds to this call for direction. How to Behave Like an Anchor Institution presents six case studies of institutions that have successfully become “community anchors, developers and forces of change for their neighborhoods.” Read more about the project and download the full report by clicking here. -- Click here to learn more about Partners’ related program, Institutions as Fulcrums of Change, which seeks to initiate changes in the philosophy and programming of community institutions to help them strengthen their communities.
Enhancing Lifelong Learning: Developing a Livable San Diego County for All Ages
This report documents the San Diego Aging in Place Workshop that explored the the topic of lifelong learning. Click here to download the report.
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Overview
Livability has become the framework for our Congress, our administration, and our federal agencies to invest in the quality of life, economic competitiveness, and recovery of the American community.
Yet “livability” is a broad term encompassing many values. Partners for Livable Communities, in association with the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum, hosted a forum that discusses how quality of life, economic development, and social services can be addressed by engaging the full range of livability values, including transportation, housing, and amenities such as arts, cultural heritage, and design. This blending of strategies has created a livability tool kit that city, state, and national leaders can use to revitalize the American community.
Our program featured a view of livability at the crossroads, a panel of federal officials outlining the federal livability agendas, and perspectives on how economic, social, and quality of life development fit into these agendas. The forum sought to create a framework to advance cooperation among our federal partners, Congressional leaders, and staff as they weave resources together to restore the vigor and reinforce the livability of communities across America.
| What: |
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A forum to create a common livability framework that incorporates the full range of tools available to the movement. |
| When: |
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
2:00 - 5:00 PM (followed by an outdoor reception on the Hirshhorn Plaza)
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| Where: |
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Ring Auditorium
Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Washington, DC |
| Who: |
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Congressional representatives, federal agencies, think tanks, cultural institutions, and community development leaders |
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Partners Releases New “Livable Communities for All Ages” Brochure
Since 1989, Partners has been at the forefront of creating communities that are hospitable for all people, young and old alike. Now, with nearly 22 years passed since Partners laid the initial groundwork for the Aging in Place strategy, the MetLife Foundation has stepped in to help Partners continue the conversation and advance the agenda of livability regardless of age. On September 22, 2010 Partners released "Livable Communities for All Ages", a thoughtful brochure that reflects years of expertise and findings, as well as resources and case studies, on how all facets of the community can contribute to a more “older adult –friendly” environment. Read More>>
Libraries Expand Their Borders to Strengthen Communities
by Lorin Ditzler
on September 03, 2010
Public libraries have transformed themselves from mere book-lenders into hubs of social and economic activity. In a recent column, journalist Neal Peirce details how libraries are adding new services ranging from lending gardening tools and hosting chess club meetings, to providing job search assistance and English instruction. Peirce quotes Partners’ president Robert McNulty regarding the transformation: "Central libraries, notes Robert McNulty of Partners for Livable Communities, can be “the great good place in the city” — as a literacy, Internet and special film center, or as a place for lectures, for local performing arts and exhibitions. Or as a coffee house. Or as an information center for visiting tourists, or a safe place for kids."
“Green” Partners Continue to Inspire
by Lorin Ditzler
on December 16, 2010
To remain economically competitive, our cities need to go “green.” Partners’ report “ The Dollars and Sense of Green Businesss,” features 22 organizations across the country that are boosting the economic health of their cities by fostering green business initiatives. Six months after the release of Partners’ report, these organizations are still hard at work. Read on for key updates, and get inspired to make your community more prosperous through sustainability. Read the individual city profiles here.
Brownfields/Grayfields Tax Credit Program
by Irene Garnett
on June 03, 2010
Des Moines, IA
Efficient land use is not only vital to protecting natural resources but to profitable physical development. High density design allows for more activities within a smaller space and has continuously attracted the young, creative classes in search of dynamic places in which to live. In the effort to create these dense, walkable communities, the process of urban infill—the use of land within an already developed area—is a key to success, but no easy task. Urban land available for infill is often environmentally hazardous, such as deserted manufacturing sites known as brownfields. Other pieces of land may have little or no environmental contamination but are outdated, abandoned, or have plummeted in value; these derelict parking lots or vacant strip malls are known as grayfields. Most communities have them, but very few have effective strategies for turning these properties into valued parts of the community such as those in Des Moines, Iowa. Fulfilling its role as the regional economic development organization, the Greater Des Moines Partnership worked in collaboration with local allies to take major steps in reducing sprawl and carbon emissions through the mending of their urban fabric.
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Creating Community out of Art
by Brian Miller
on August 30, 2010
Long considered by many as the center of high society and fine art, museums have established themselves as the elite foundation for what many museum directors proudly describe as the, “cathedrals of culture.” In vibrant metropolises, urban museums have sought to find a composite group of high class patrons amongst the density and heterogeneous nature of the city. Up until recently, museum collections sought out only the most exclusive and rarest of art as a top priority in the agenda held by longtime directors. In the current era, however; a major trend has occurred amongst many of the directors who are facilitating new programs that allow each institution to provide a focused area for creating a multicultural setting in the local community.
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Volume II of the Economics of Sustainability Released!
by Irene Garnett
on June 03, 2010
Partners is excited to announce the release of the second volume of the Economics of Sustainability, “The Dollars and Sense of Green Business,” made possible by support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. This publication is a continuation of Partners’ sustainability agenda and explores the innovation and leadership of 22 chambers of commerce from around the country—true champions of the green economy. To read more about Partners’ Economics of Sustainability initiative, click here.
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Green Plus
by administrator
on June 02, 2010
Chapel Hill-Carrboro, NC
A program instigated by the local chamber of commerce that teaches businesses how they can effectively use sustainable solutions to cut costs and reduce waste.
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Aging Well in Communities: A Toolkit for Planning, Engagement & Action
by Irene Garnett
on June 17, 2010
Eighty million members of the boomer generation (born between 1946–1964) have reached or are approaching the traditional retirement age of 65. These boomers overwhelmingly want to age in place. Yet few communities are prepared to meet the needs of older residents, or to engage these residents in civic life.
In response, the Center for Civic Partnerships created Aging Well in Communities: A Toolkit for Planning, Engagement & Action.
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Culture and literacy through art
by Stephen Ducker
on July 15, 2010
Nassau County, NY with its growing immigrant population, has witnessed a 107 percent increase in Hispanics since 1990. Recognizing the local demographics of their community are rapidly changing, the Nassau County Museum of Art has created a new outreach program to both attract and to serve this growing community. Nassau County Museum of Art collaborated with Queensborough Community College’s adult literacy program for English language learners to create Culture and Literacy through Art (CALTA).
Green Infrastructure Toolkit
by Irene Garnett
on June 03, 2010
State of Massachusetts
The 495/MetroWest region is one of the most economically productive in the state of Massachusetts and is still growing. Between 1980 and 2006, the region experienced a 59 percent increase in employment; during the 1990s alone, the region experienced a 12.1 percent increase in the local population. Though this trend is immensely beneficial to the area’s economic health, it also places a great strain on existing infrastructure and water supplies. More than 40 acres of open land per day, or nearly 300 acres every week in Massachusetts are converted into residential, commercial, or industrial land, putting local resources and biodiversity at risk. As a public/private association dedicated to the sustainable economic and physical growth of the region, the 495/MetroWest Partnership provides local businesses and governments with an effective strategy to ease burdens on local resources and ensure their future vitality through the Green Infrastructure Toolkit.
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