The state of Florida leads a Communities for a Lifetime initiative to support the communities in the state that choose to adopt plans for meeting the future needs of their residents. Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs describes its role as “providing state technical assistance to make crucial civic improvements in such areas as housing, health care, transportation, accessibility,business, partnerships, community education, effi cient use of natural resources, volunteer opportunities and recreation.

Through an executive order of the governor, Aging 2020: Arizona’s Plan for an Aging Population, was developed through several stages, starting in 2004. An Aging Summit was convened to obtain views of the public in May of 2004. State agencies were then required to draft plans, by the following September, based on the concerns raised at the Summit. After the draft plans were completed, community leaders were convened in forty forums throughout Arizona to obtain recommendations from the public to be incorporated into the plans. The report on the Plan states that, throughout the planning process, several “guiding principles were established to help guide strategy development and approaches.”

The City of Santa Cruz has been one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. With less than seven percent of residents easily able to afford to buy a median-priced home in the community, Santa Cruz was having trouble retaining teachers, fi refi ghters and service workers and it decided to act. In 2003, city offi cials created the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Development Program to make it easier for homeowners to create a separate housing unit attached or adjacent to the house. The city believed that through more development of ADUs, the community could minimize the impact of population growth and also help homeowners supplement their mortgage payments.

Fairfax County is an urban county, south of Washington DC, with a larger population than that of seven states. With over 1,000,000 residents, Fairfax County has become home to a very diverse population, with almost 30% of the county’s population born in a foreign country. The percentage of older adults has increased from 3% in 1970 to 9.2% in 2006, and the growth continues. The County took action to improve its livability for older residents when the results of a demographic trends study showed that the increase in the numbers of older adults in the County was rapidly accelerating.

The Jefferson Area Board on Aging (JABA) is the AAA for Charlottesville and fi ve surrounding counties. JABA spearheaded the development of the 2020 plan, which was developed with the Jefferson Area Planning Board and by many area residents who contributed their time and professional expertise.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Area Agency on Aging, as a division of the ARC, worked very closely with the ARC’s Board and its planning staff to develop a process for planning Lifelong Communities. In many respects, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and its AAA, have been the model for planning for aging in place.