Partners for Livable Communities has long recognized that the growth of the older adult population is central to urban planning and community development and has championed Aging in Place for nearly two decades.  This demographic explosion, coupled with the lifestyle realities and choices that older adults and the retiring baby-boomers are making, is not only creating increased demands for traditional aging support services, but is placing new pressures on local governments to provide a broad range of new services and infrastructure.  While satisfying the needs of an aging population will have a positive impact on the quality of life of older Americans, it will also have a positive effect on a community’s population at large.

There are many factors that play into the success of an "ageless" community.  While grass-roots campaigns are critical, local leadership and key community stakeholders can produce policy changes more easily.  Powerful figureheads who endorse an issue usually increase public awareness and raise legitimacy, resulting in increased services and funding.

Partners has extended the conversation on Aging in Place into a wide variety of fields and topics and has created a set of values for planning for the aging population that extends beyond the traditional issues of healthcare, retirement communities and social security.