Planning cities for boomers will benefit millennials, too

This article provides a unique approach to the growing need to accommodate baby boomers. Millennials are defined as anyone born in the 1980s and 1990s. Millennials are often children of baby boomers. Many millennials are going to see the economic impact and familial impact of baby boomers. Richard Carlisle sees things a little differently than how millennials may be seeing the aging of the baby boomer generation. See the article below or click here to read more about Planning cities for boomers will benefit millennials, too.

 

Planning cities for boomers will benefit millennials, too

By Richard Carlisle 11:23 p.m. EDT April 8, 2015

Will your community thrive or fail in the next 30 years? The answer, in part, is in how it deals with baby boomers.

The U.S. census tells us that the number of people 65 and older will increase by 50% in the next 30 years. In 2010, 13.8% of the state's population was older than 65. By 2040, it will be 21%, and in southeast Michigan, it will be 24% — a quarter of the entire region, according to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).

This generation of Americans will be well-educated, diverse and fit. Many will be single. They'll have fewer children and more living parents than their predecessors.

The characteristic that will shape our communities most, though is this: They want to age in place. An AARP survey reported that more than 80% of Americans age 45 and older want to remain in their current home as long as possible, even if they need help caring for themselves. Perhaps more important, if they cannot or choose not to remain in their own home, they'd like to live in an attached or small-lot home, ideally with a first-floor master bedroom.

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