Warner, M.E., Homsy, G. H and Morken L. M. (2017). Planning for Aging in Place: Stimulating a Market and Government Response, Journal of Planning Education and Research, 37(1): 29-42. DOI: 10.1177/0739456X16642824

Municipalities must respond to the needs of an aging population.  This article explores the challenges of planning and service delivery for senior residents in communities across the urban, suburban and rural spectrum. Service delivery can help address problems of poor environmental fit in less dense settlements. This is especially important because the concentration of elderly is highest in rural areas and suburbs. We use a national 2010 survey of 1,414 municipalities across the United States to examine the impact of planning on service delivery after controlling for demographic, economic, and government finance characteristics. Multilevel regression analysis shows that planning and public engagement are key drivers of higher levels of service delivery.  Involving elders in planning not only stimulates a government response, it also helps market providers see this new market segment and respond with more services. We also find rural and suburban communities are doing more to plan for elder needs, which is important given their less favorable built environments.

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Subject: Planning