Seniors – people in my age group – are often an obstacle to intelligent town planning. We don’t like change and we’re afraid that weird things like bike lanes and housing that’s different than single-family homes on big lots will “ruin the neighborhood character” and (outrage!) reduce the resale price of our house. NIMBY, thy name is us.
So here’s a thought: Repackage sensible ideas like sidewalks, mixed-used development and bike lines as being “age friendly” – things that will let old folks stay in their house instead of being shuffled off to a COVID-racked retirement home when they can’t mow the enormous lawn any more.
New Hampshire Bulletin has a story (read the whole thing here) talking about that very idea, although it’s not presented in quite such a damn-those-annoying-old-farts kind of way:
First, what’s good for some is good for all.
“Everyone benefits from safe sidewalks. Everyone benefits from housing that is safe and affordable. Everyone benefits from transportation that is safe and accessible,” said Ashley Davis, associate state director of outreach and advocacy at AARP New Hampshire. “This work really opens doors for everybody, and it makes our state an even better place to live.”
Second, today’s retirees, who are living longer, are particularly valuable because they have the professional experience and free time needed for community efforts, and the money to spend in local restaurants and stores.
“The baby boom generation is the healthiest and wealthiest generation ever to walk on the face of the earth. There’s simply no contest,” William Beach, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, told journalists at a September fellowship hosted by AARP. “
Return to the Concord Monitor
Despite (or maybe because of) being of similar age and background to the writer here, I tend to disagree with the conclusions in this article. Our generation was early on in the explosion of running, biking and all manner of outdoor activities. I don’t recall the generations of Marlboro smokers preceding us anxiously waiting for the lifts to open or the 1/2 marathon gun to go off, but maybe I wasn’t paying attention. More seriously, the generalization re age is off – as are most all generalizations. I, for one, and most of my friends can’t get enough of bike dedicated trails, lanes and more hiking trails. One look at Bike Maine – and the generation that got that going – and you can cross check my math 😉
PS: Even the last sentence in your article is a bit contradictory to the premise as it is noted that “(t)he baby boom generation is the healthiest…ever to walk the earth.” Well, that generation didn’t get to be healthiest via purely sedentary lifestyles.