Proposal Presented for the Master Plan for Aging (#20)
Disclaimer
Throughout the MPA process, more than 100 proposals were developed thanks in particular to thousands of hours of work by external stakeholders and members of the public. These proposals and the MPA Council commentary are being submitted to the Governor and shared with policymakers and the public to inform policymaking. These proposals represent a starting point for discussion. Further discussion is necessary between relevant state agencies and stakeholders to both refine these proposals and assess which may be appropriate to adopt and implement.
Summary
Establish an interagency group responsible for the coordination of community design and housing solutions. Incorporate or encourage age-friendly principles into community design through incorporation into state procurement and spending policies, planning for enhanced and expanded pedestrian infrastructure and public gathering spaces in and around communities with an aging population as well as public engagement of older New Yorkers to live in communities with a higher concentration of jobs, social/medical services, recreational opportunities, and public transit options.
Justification
New York State lacks accessible and comfortable public gathering spaces such as parks, town squares, and other areas to wait for transit and meeting areas within the public realm. Public, accessible spaces promote social engagement, reduce social isolation, promote community engagement, and improve access to services and businesses. The incorporation of age friendly principles into community design, such as adding more time to pedestrian street crossings for older adults and people with disabilities, will improve safety and promote inclusivity. Additionally, establishing an interagency group responsible for the coordination of community design and housing solutions will help avoid duplication of services and reduce state agency silos.
Full Proposal
Incorporate or encourage age-friendly principles into community design:
- Encourage older New Yorkers to live in communities with a higher concentration of jobs, a mix of land uses, social/medical services, accessible and inclusive, recreational opportunities, and public transit options – with these destinations being accessible by walking or bicycling and eliminating reliance on a personal automobile. Such programs could provide incentives for the individual’s choice of location and/or for increased housing options in these communities. Enhance access to, and availability of, public gathering spaces for older New Yorkers and those with physical, cognitive or sensory restrictions—in both indoor and outdoor spaces—by making them more age-friendly, inter-generational and inclusive, including both ADA compliance and encouraging amenities that exceed ADA requirements. This not only results in an improved quality of life for the individual but also makes better use of existing services rather than extending them to low-density geographic areas where they are not viable or affordable to provide.
- Establish an interagency group responsible for the coordination of community design and housing solutions that include social care services, with the intention of reducing state agency silos. The following state agencies are potential candidates for this: DOS, HCR, NYSERDA, and Empire State Development (ESD) from the community planning, development and housing agencies and OMH, DOH, NYSOFA, and OTDA from the services agencies.
- Plan for enhanced and expanded pedestrian infrastructure in all communities to allow individuals to walk to nearby services and other destinations. Identify locations and potential funding sources from public and private sector sources to reconstruct deteriorated sidewalks and other streetscape amenities, build new pathways, calm traffic / reduce vehicular speeds, enhance roadway crossings, and ensure ADA compliance—and encourage features that exceed ADA compliance - to allow streets to accommodate individuals who are mobility impaired.
- Incorporate age friendly principles into applicable State grant funding opportunities that affect the public realm, as a funding incentive for localities to address this issue.
- Recommend reissuance of the New York State Age-Friendly Planning Grant Program RFA or a similar RFA which addresses both Smart Growth Principles as well as the eight (8) domains of Age-Friendly/Livable Communities.
- Create a state level resource guide paired with training toward capacity building; building off the previous foundation provided by the Healthy Aging Across All Policies initiative.
MPA Council Commentary
This proposal is categorized as infrastructure. In addition to the agencies specifically named in this proposal, many other state agencies engage in programming that influences the lives of older New Yorkers. As a result, any implementation of this proposal should take a statewide approach and consider opportunities for implementing age-friendly principles across agencies. Any additional resources or funding allocations necessary to implement this proposal would be subject to the annual budget process and available resources.