As Older Adults Prepare to Walk Around, Will Infrastructure Let Them?

For older Americans with diminished vision or coordination, the lifting of shelter-in-place restrictions may present unexpected difficulties, reports Next Avenue . Uneven sidewalks, cracked or missing curb ramps at street crossings, and other obstacles are examples of mounting challenges for such people — especially in older, historic cities and towns with aging infrastructures and slim budgets. A 2018 AARP survey found that about 75 percent of people 50 and older "want to be able to age in their community." Although well-kept streets and sidewalks are a priority for respondents, "there's a general perception that sidewalks aren't maintained, and buckling really does pose an impediment," said Danielle Arigoni with AARP's Livable Communities program. To cost-effectively improve infrastructure, an AARP community challenge grant has funded demonstration projects that include walk audits and traffic calming in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood; the reactivation of a neglected alleyway in Newnan, Ga., and a partnership with artists to fix potholes in Chicago. Meanwhile, Boston has reserved more than $1 billion over five years for improvements to sidewalks, roads, and bridges. "We have improved over 4,000 curb cuts, replaced miles of sidewalk with age-friendly materials such as concrete, and filled hundreds of tree pits to lessen tripping hazards," said Boston Age Strong Commissioner Emily Shea.