Age friendly criteria

-Resident empowerment

Resident empowerment makes a point about achieving sustainable neighborhoods through strong leadership, effective engagement and participation by local people. How GMV is achieved as a successful lifetime community in terms of its design and final output, is as important as what is done to bring about necessary change. It is the latter, where residents take part into setting out their needs and concerns, identifying priorities for action within areas of habitation, and working together along with local governments in providing a range of services for their community to flourish in the long term. Resident empowerment could involve the public as well as the private sector, voluntary and community organizations that assist resident-led activities on a range of formal and informal options, from one-off events to community-led asset management, based on community demand. It is then the job of local government, parish and town councils on local authority level as well as housing associations, developers and councils in a wider context to encourage inclusive design of outdoor spaces and configuration of services to respond to a society of various age and background.

-Social networks and well-being

Social networks and well – being relate to measures that address overall behavior and intergeneration relations, opportunities for volunteering, work and involvement as well as measures to address crime. These all feature parts of the physical environment in relation to how people use and live in this environment and how they communicate and get involved towards promoting a strong social and cultural life. This is an important aspect of lifetime neighborhoods in the scope of the latter to secure place and community evolution and adaptation in the long turn. Furthermore, it allows residents to participate as active citizens in their community, link to different groups and activities provided in the area, as well as enhance the way in which they engage with various age groups.

-Access

Access encompasses local infrastructure, along with provision of signage and information for residents and visitors, that would help them orientate around areas in which they live and connect to people and services in their immediate surroundings. A key aspect in lifetime neighborhoods is sustaining a diverse range of means of transportation with specific focus on public transportation, reduction of car use and minimum parking. Another crucial aspect of access, further relates to the potential of defying neighborhoods as ‘’walkable’’. Walkability here relates not only to the physical aspect of the topography of a certain site, but also features availability of facilities that correspond to a wide range of needs. The latter could include places for people to rest along their journeys, such as sets and benching, accessible restrooms and street design that favors orientation and way finding.

-Range of services

The provision of amenities along with a mix of residential, retail and employment services also plays an important part in creating ‘’neighborhoodsliness’’ and social interaction at a local level within lifetime communities. In this case, it is crucial that the social infrastructure meets the needs of all groups within the community, as diverse as they may be. Vibrant services as well as their attractive exteriors could have significant impact on the way people perceive local shops and retail spaces, which then further impacts on the economic growth of an area in the long term.

-Public spaces, green spaces

When talking about public spaces, we normally refer to a wider built environment. Green spaces refer to all open spaces: from natural environments, through parks and gardens, to street greenery and planting. These all carry the potential to enhance lifetime neighborhoods and the connection with nature while providing residents with benefits in terms of sociability, health and well-being.

-Appropriate and flexible housing

Our homes have a powerful capacity on maintaining our independence, social engagement and overall quality of life. Housing needs and aspirations, however, tend to change over time. Awareness of demographic change, user-responsive and adaptable design and potential for a more inclusive neighborhood design and service lie in the foundation of every successful lifetime community project. The final and probably most important aspect of lifetime neighborhoods is therefore related to the provision of an appropriate housing mix to cater for different age groups and sizes with related flexible housing, open to ever changing needs as households expand or shrink. A range of choices, such as standard housing, sheltered housing or extra care housing, in this case could help maximize the value of such neighborhoods and render them successful in the long turn.

With meeting the needs for appropriate housing there is a difference as whether the neighborhood agenda will be on retrofitting existing accommodation or treating a new housing development. The challenge with the latter, of course, comes with the importance of considering both the overall neighborhood design as well as the individual dwellings.