On Their Own Turf: Community Design and Active Aging in a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community

Abstract

This research examines neighborhood-scale physical and social environmental conditions that are associated with active living among seniors in Greendale, Wisconsin. The town's demographics reflect a naturally occurring retirement community. From survey responses of over 700 seniors, findings show that far more seniors reported walking for health and exercise reasons than for instrumental reasons or for social interaction. Senior Greendalers rarely reported deterrents to walking because of poor safety. Most residents feel safe being out in their neighborhood at night, and show a strong sense of belongingness to one's neighborhood. The latter may be linked to one's feeling of safety, and NORC qualities themselves may elicit these perceptions. Proximity to amenities in one's neighborhood seems to be a key factor in reports of walking behavior, regardless of the specific amenity itself. Retrofitting communities may be necessary to promote healthier environments in which adults age and remain vital.

KEYWORDS:

• active aging
• Greenbelt towns
• naturally occuring retirement community
• seniors

Notes

1. While there are numerous characteristics that define New Urbanism, elucidated in the Charter of Congress of New Urbanism nearly twenty years ago, it is generally characterized by livable streets arranged in compact, walkable blocks; a range of housing choices to serve people of diverse ages and income levels; schools, stores and other nearby destinations reachable by walking, bicycling or transit service; and an affirming, human-scaled public realm where appropriately designed buildings define and enliven streets and other public spaces (www.cnu.org). Many of the New Urbanist design principles reflect those of much earlier Greenbelt Towns Program (GTP) that was developed under Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal agenda, and built in 3 towns in the U.S. in the late 1930s during the Depression: Greendale, Wisconsin; Greenbelt, Maryland; and Greenhills, Ohio. The planners of these greenbelt towns in the U.S. transplanted ideas from Ebenezer Howard's (1898) garden-city proposals (see Ahrentzen, 2008; Birch, 2002).

2. While the survey asked that only residents 60 years and older, we did get a few from individuals less than that age. Because there were only a few and relatively close to 60 years, we included them in the analyses.

3. Analyses were conducted on all eight neighborhoods. Reports of these are available from the author.