Regional and Livability Age Friendly Community Initiative
A StoryMap Highlighting Our Miami Valley Age-Friendly Communities
What is the Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Initiative?
The Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Initiative is part of the Institute for Livable & Equitable Communities and promotes becoming a more accessible region for all ages to thrive. The Initiative, which is funded through The Dayton Foundation’s Del Mar Healthcare Fund, encourages communities to utilize the AARP’s multi-faceted planning framework to prepare for future demographic trends. According to AARP, the United States is seeing a rapid increase in the average age of its population.
Current trends predict that by 2030, 1 in 5 of people in the United States will be ages 65 or older. Furthermore, it is predicted that by 2034 there will be more adults aged 65 or older than children 18 and younger. According to the 2023 profile of Older Americans In 2022 Ohio was one of nine states where half the population over 65 resided, where the population over 65 was 2.2 million.
This map from the 2023 profile of Older Americans displays the states percentages of persons 65 and over.
Communities participating in the the Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Initiative are properly equipped to enact positive changes that will allow them to prepare and support changing demographics.
Coalition of Age Friendly Communities of Ohio
Currently, the Miami Valley is the largest Livable and Age-Friendly Region across the state of Ohio, Our region partners with other communities in Ohio through the Coalition of Age-Friendly Communities of Ohio, which is housed in The Ohio State University’s Age-Friendly Innovation Center. This map shows all the Livable and Age-Friendly Communities in Ohio.
The Roadmap
Communities who are part of the Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Initiative are guided by a multi-year roadmap through the AARP. This roadmap has three steps and typically occurs over 3-5 years:
- Year 1: Conduct a community needs assessment.
- Year 2: Develop an action plan.
- Years 3-5: Implement the action plan and track progress.
The Del Mar Health Fund of The Dayton Foundation awards grants to MVAFN member communities to support Year 1 Assessments, as well as age-friendly enhancements to support the Year 2 Action Plan and Year 3 Implementation phases. Examples of projects funded for the Year 2 Action Plan and Year 3 Implementation phases are highlighted in the story map.
Domains of Livability
The Institute for Livable and Equitable Communities has 9 Domains of Livability which have prioritize areas of improvement that communities can invest resources in to further their livable and age-friendly progress. The infographic bellow displays those 9 domains that impact livability for communities and serve as areas of focus.
Domains of livability
Who Are Our Age-Friendly Communities?
The map below showcases the communities that make up the Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Communities Initiative. Each of these 14 communities have received funding through the Del Mar Healthcare fund to participate in the multi-year process of developing plans and policies to align with the mission of the AARP’S Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
Want to Learn More?
Your Next Steps
For more information on AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and the Regional Livable and Age-Friendly Initiative, please visit the following linked webpages, which provide next steps and further insight into the goals of the program, predicted outcomes, and guidelines on how communities can participate.
About Us
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) has been serving the region since 1964. The Miami Valley regional Planning Commission assists with planning efforts in the counties Greene, Montgomery, Miami as well as parts of Warren County. The MVRPC team deals with diverse stakeholders to identify issues and solutions. MVRPC also serves as Regional Transit Authority for the counties Preble, Darke, and Shelby.
