Burlington has often been cited as one of America's most livable cities. It is not so clear, however, that this designation applies to people of all ages. This spring AARP Vermont started to explore ways to assure that Burlington residents can say, "This is a great place to grow old."

Together with city government and 30 local organizations - "the stakeholders" - AARP is focusing on housing, mobility, and community involvement as basic aspects of a livable community. They are calling on resident volunteers to help examine neighborhoods and talk to citizens to find out what is available and what is needed. They aim to create a vision and a plan to ensure that Burlington is a city "livable for life."

"AARP has made a ten-year commitment to Burlington," says Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, the project coordinator. "We hope to have specific recommendations by the spring of 2007. AARP will not provide funds for services, but we will push for the implementation of the plan with public education and advocacy."

The Burlington Livable Community Project is going to get down to the details of daily life, says Wallace-Brodeur. Volunteers will assess specific neighborhoods, such as the streets around Decker Towers, a large senior housing complex on St. Paul Street. They will note, for example, if the traffic light is long enough for people to cross safely; if curb cuts allow easy passage; if the sidewalk is smooth and easy to navigate; if street benches are available; if litter is picked up. Step by step, the Project will measure how available, affordable, and accessible housing, transportation, and community involvement are for Burlington seniors,

"The Burlington Livable Community Project gives us a unique opportunity to look at the city and envision an ideal place for seniors," says Kirby Dunn, director of HomeShare Vermont, which matches seniors living alone with others, usually younger, who need housing. "This is doable. Having the city and AARP working together means that it's not pie-in-the-sky." A senior housing expert, used to discussions limited to the availability of housing and services, Dunn says that she is fascinated by the broader discussions about community involvement - how civic participation is not only a key to quality of life but also a predictor of mortality: people who live alone are more likely to die earlier. "I always knew that my program was important," she says. "But I never saw figures like this."

Dunn is serving on the project's housing sub-committee, compiling data about where older people live in the city. This data can help us figure out how to encourage naturally occurring retirement communities (NORC's), she says, and help people stay at home, if they want to, as they age and become more frail.

"This project is a natural place for me to be," says Dan Bradley, a transportation planner at Burlington Public Works. It conveniently coincides with the city's current work on a new transportation plan, fifteen years after the last major effort. "We're concerned about the changing demographics of the city, the aging of the population," he says. Like Dunn, he finds discussions about fields other than his own interesting and relevant to his work. "The information about housing and the focus on aging made me realize how little age is considered in transportation planning," he says. "We assume that most people rely on private autos. We know that public transportation is important for environmental and economic reasons. Now I have more understanding of its importance for another whole sector of the population."

Bradley is looking forward to the data volunteers will collect about the friendliness of walking corridors - especially the major routes along Shelburne Road, North Avenue, and Colchester Avenue. "People should be able to walk to city attractions," he says. He is looking at possible improvements to the existing transit system - bus shelters, scheduling, how to get more people to use it. He is considering better connections between downtown Burlington, the airport, and Winooski - maybe light rail. How do we move people most effectively? How do we get traffic out of the neighborhoods?

"This is not an AARP product," says Wallace-Brodeur. "AARP is the catalyst and convener for the citizens of Burlington." To that end, besides the participation of the stakeholder organizations, Wallace-Brodeur is arranging several ways for the public, especially the senior public, to get involved. She plans a public opinion survey, study circles, and public meetings. Individual volunteers who will examine their neighborhoods are very important, she says.

Interested in shaping the future for an aging Burlington? Contact Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur at 802-224-1113 or jwbrodeur@aarp.org

Barbara Leitenberg writes on senior issues for the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging. This article originally appeared in the Burlington Free Press.

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