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Stay Informed, Learn About Livability — For Free!

Created for community "influencers" — elected officials, planners, municipal staff, placemaking pros, local leaders, policy makers, citizen activists and residents — the multi award-winning AARP Livable Communities Weekly e-Newsletter contains a mix of best practices, research, ideas, slideshows, interviews, how-to's and information about age-friendly efforts from places near and far. The newsletter, which is published on Wednesdays, is how we announce the release of our newest free publications and the application period for the annual AARP Community Challenge grant program. Links to past issues (titled according to each edition's featured article) appear below.

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AARP Livable Communities Newsletter
AARP.org/Livable

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Email AARP Livable Communities: Livable@AARP.org

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2021

  • How to Use AARP.org/Livable (Apr. 21)
  • Free Publication for Smart Cycling (Apr. 14)
  • Livable Lesson Video with Gil Penalosa (Apr. 7)
  • See the Design Differences Between a Safe and Dangerous Street (Mar. 31)
  • Livable Lesson Videos: Supporting Downtowns During and After COVID-19 (Mar. 24)
  • Why California Created a Master Plan for Aging (Mar. 17)
  • Learn What the AARP Community Challenge Has Achieved (Mar. 10)
  • Free AARP + Project for Public Spaces Webinar: March 9 (Mar. 3)
  • Placemaking During a Pandemic (Feb. 24)
  • AARP is Accepting Grant Applications (Feb. 17)
  • Age-Friendly Communities and Equity (Feb. 10)
  • Now Showing: Age-Friendly Network "Training" Videos (Feb. 3)
  • Free Publication: A Model for Enabling Better Places (Jan. 27)
  • No newsletter on Jan. 20
  • Free Webinar: Bicycling and Older Adults (Jan. 13)  
  • Register for Two Housing Webinars (Jan. 6)

 

2020

  • No newsletter on Dec. 30
  • No newsletter on Dec. 23
  • 492 Age-Friendly Communities — And Counting (Dec. 16)
  • How Local Leaders Can Help People Social Distance Outdoors in Winter (Dec. 9)
  • Free Guides and More About ADUs (Dec. 2)
  • No newsletter on Nov. 25
  • Local Lessons From Livability Leaders (Nov. 18)
  • A Past and Future Vision for Aging in Place (Nov. 11)
  • No newsletter on Nov. 4
  • What Does Safe Transportation for the 50+ Look Like Now? (Oct. 28)
  • Age-Friendly Actions and Impacts (Oct. 21)
  • Meet the Livable Communities 'Corps' Team (Oct. 14)
  • The Livable Library is Open! (Oct. 7)
  • Videos from the AARP Livable Transportation Workshop (Sept. 30)
  • The United States is an Aging Nation (Sept. 23)
  • Join Us Online Today and Tomorrow (Sept. 15)
  • Get the Free, All New AARP HomeFit Guide (Sept. 9)
  • No newsletter on Sept. 2
  • No newsletter on Aug. 26
  • Announcing the 2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantees (Aug. 20)
  • Register for the AARP Livable Communities Transportation Workshop (Aug. 12)
  • 'StrEateries' Are Spreading (Aug. 5)
  • Join the Discussion 7/30: Commercial Districts and COVID-19 (July 29)
  • Speak Up About Cycling (July 22)
  • See the Housing That’s Gone Missing (July 15)
  • New, Free: Walk Audit Worksheets (July 8)
  • No newsletter on July 1
  • 5 Watch-Whenever Webinars (June 24)
  • Livability, Mobility and Equity (June 17)
  • How to Help a Community in Crisis (June 11)
  • No newsletter on June 3
  • How Communities Are Protecting Older Adults From COVID-19 (May 27)
  • No newsletter on May 20
  • The 8 Domains of Livability and COVID-19 (May 13)
  • Hold On to Your 'Why' (May 6)
  • Making Cities and Spaces Work for People (Apr. 29)
  • Why High-Speed Internet is Slow to Connect Rural America (Apr. 22)
  • Walking Provides Self-Care and Connections During the Pandemic (Apr. 15)
  • Getting Counted in the Census and Making Connections (Apr. 8)
  • New (Free!) Publication: AARP Rural Livability Workshop Report (Apr. 1)
  • Extended to May 15: AARP Community Challenge Deadline (Mar. 25)
  • Join a Live Coronavirus Tele-Town Hall: March 19, 1 pm (ET) (Mar. 18)
  • Grants for Good Projects (Apply by April 1) (Mar. 11)
  • See If You'll Be Where We'll Be (Mar. 4)
  • Preorder the AARP Rural Livability Report (Feb. 26)
  • Now Showing: Quick Videos About "Quick-Action" Community Projects (Feb. 19)
  • Get a Free Guide. Apply for a Grant (Feb. 12)
  • The 2020 AARP Community Challenge is On! (Feb. 5)
  • Why People 50+ Are Good for the Economy (Jan. 29)
  • Wanted: Sevice-Minded "Public Allies" for the Livable Communities Corps (Jan. 22)

 

2019

  • 400+ Communities and Counting! (Dec. 11)
  • New! The Pop-Up Placemaking Tool Kit (Dec. 4)
  • More Recipes for Placemaking (Nov. 20)
  • Beginner Recipes for Creating Better Places (Nov. 13)
  • Last Week to Register for our Placemaking Webcasts (Nov. 6)
  • Meet Us in the Alley! (Oct. 23)
  • See What David Bowie, Maya Angelou, Alan Jackson and a Mermaid Have in Common (Oct. 16)
  • This High School Has a Senior (Citizen) Center (Oct. 9)
  • Pop In to Learn About Placemaking (Oct. 2)
  • People With Dementia Talk About Having Dementia (Sept. 25)
  • Spread the Word About Livability (in 5 Languages) (Sept. 18)
  • Now Online: Videos and More from the 2019 AARP Rural Livability Workshop (Sept. 4)
  • How to Make a Community More Livable in 90 Days! (Aug 14)
  • Get to Know the 300+ AARP Community Challenge Grantees (Aug. 7)
  • Dog Parks, Splash Pads, Pickleball and More! (July 31)
  • Free Guides About ADUs (July 24)
  • The AARP Community Challenge Winners Are ... (July 17)
  • The Power and Purpose of Parks (July 10)
  • Learn How Dangerous Your State is for Pedestrians (June 26)
  • American Men are Gathering in Aussie-Style "Sheds" (June 19)
  • New, Free: A Guide to Home Maintenance and Safety Solutions (June 12)
  • Register: Rural Livability Workshop Livestream (June 5)
  • Engaging the Community to Create Community (May 22)
  • Four States With Something in Common (May 15)
  • New, Free Guide: The ABCs of ADUs (May 8)
  • The 'MaaS' Appeal of Mobility as a Service (May 1)
  • Webinar Video: Missing Middle Housing (Apr. 24)
  • The Challenge Deadline is tonight! (Apr. 17)
  • The Challenge Deadline is one week away! (Apr. 10)
  • Housing for Grandparents (Apr. 3)
  • Need a Notched Trowel But Don’t Want to Buy One? (Mar. 27)
  • AARP Community Challenge Deadline: One Month Away! (Mar. 20)
  • Students are Living Like Retirees (Mar. 13)
  • Focusing on Rural Livability (Mar. 6)
  • Getting Ready to Ride in Self-Driving Cars (Feb. 27)
  • The 2019 AARP Community Challenge is On! (Feb. 20)
  • Bicycling and Walking Benchmarking Report (Feb. 13)
  • New, Free: Making Room: Housing for a Changing America (Feb. 6)
  • AARP Survey Finds Mayors and Local Leaders are the Least Polarizing Elected Officials (Jan. 30)
  • 2019 Dangerous by Design report (Jan. 23)
  • Roadmap to Livability: Book 6: The Economic Development Workbook (Jan. 16)

2018

  • 300+ Communities and Counting (Dec. 12)
  • Now Online: Videos and More from the 2018 AARP National Livable Communities Conference (Dec. 5)
  • Creating Happier Holidays for Older Adults (Nov. 28)
  • Winter is Coming, Leading By Example, Lunching and Learning (Nov. 15)
  • Why Walkable Communities are the Best Communities for Older Adults (Oct. 24)
  • A Ball Club Where Only the Oldest Need Apply (Oct. 17)
  • Community Farming and Raised-Bed Gardening (Oct. 10)
  • A Retiree Teaches Teens to Sew, and Teens Teach Tech to Retirees (Oct. 3)
  • New, Free Publication: Creating Parks and Public Spaces for People of All Ages (Sept. 26)
  • Can Your Mayor Carry a Tune, or Cook Up a Batch of Chili? (Sept. 19)
  • AARP 2018 Home and Community Survey (Sept. 12)
  • Slideshow: Join Us in Charlotte, North Carolina (Sept. 5)
  • 10 Tips for Engaging With "Kupuna" (Plus: Take our "Boomer.ology" Quiz) (Aug. 15)
  • See an Example of a Complete Street (Plus: How to Build a Better Block) (Aug. 8)
  • How to Encourage Neighborhood 'Playdates' (Aug. 1) 
  • Registration is Open for the 2018 AARP National Livable Communities Conference (July 25)
  • And the Winners of the 2018 AARP Community Challenge Are ... (July 18)
  • Roadmap to Livability: Book 5: The Health Services and Community Supports Workbook (July 11)
  • The AARP Livability Index is Updated for 2018 (June 27)
  • Resilience Lessons from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (June 20)
  • The 2018 Edition of Where We Live is Available Today! (June 13)
  • Preorder the 2018 Edition of Where We Live (June 6)
  • Why We Do What We Do (May 30)
  • Roadmap to Livability: Book 4: The Transportation Workbook (May 23)
  • 7 Street-Level Solutions for Safer Cycling (May 16)
  • One Week Left to Apply! (May 9)
  • 1,000,000 Rides and Counting (May 2)
  • Apply Soon! The AARP Community Challenge (Apr. 25)
  • Visit Age-Friendly Maine and/or Age-Friendly Japan (Apr. 18)
  • Roadmap to Livability: Book 3: The Housing Workbook (Apr. 11)
  • Save the Date! Send a Proposal! 2018 AARP Livable Communities National Conference (Apr. 4)
  • Teens Triumph Over Aging (Mar. 28)
  • The 2018 AARP Community Challenge is On! (Mar. 21)
  • Roadmap to Livability: Book 2: Community Listening Sessions Tool Kit (Mar. 14)
  • A Place for Multigenerational Gamers (Mar. 7)
  • How to Get a Pedestrian Island Installed (Feb. 28)
  • AARP Walk Audit Guides: Now Available in Print! (Feb. 21)
  • Is Your State Age-Friendly? Two Now Are (Feb. 14)
  • GrandPals Are a Great Idea + Trading Time for a Tax Break (Feb. 7)
  • A Golden Solution for Slippery Sidewalks (Jan. 31)
  • Roadmap to Livability: The First Book in a Six-Part Series (Jan. 24)
  • Would an E-Bike Get You Pedaling? (Jan. 17)

2017

  • Is Where You Live on the List? (Dec. 13)
  • Highlights from the 2017 AARP Livable Communities National Conference (Dec. 6)
  • The Mayor's Book Club of Burlington, North Carolina (Nov. 29)
  • How to Create an Annual Report People Will Actually Read (Nov. 15)
  • How to Find an Age-Friendly Home (Nov. 8)
  • What a Giant Owl and Orange Octopus Have to Do With Livability (Nov. 1)
  • The Power of Popsicles, Toilet Paper and Chalk (Oct. 25)
  • Helping Secure Safe Drinking Water in Flint (Oct. 18)
  • Vacant Lots Can Create Clean Water (Oct. 11)
  • Does Your Community Offer Mental Health First Aid Training? (Oct. 4)
  • Telecommuters: Welcome and Wanted! (Sept. 27)
  • How to Reduce Car-vs-Bicycle Crashes by 81 Percent (Sept.20)
  • Southern Maine Towns Share Solutions for Seniors and Sleepy Students (Sept. 13)
  • AARP Community Challenge Winners (Sept. 7)
  • The newsletter was on hiatus from July 26-September 7 due to website upgrades
  • Download or Order the New Where We Live  Book (July 26)
  • Slideshow: A Livable Tour of Japan (July 19)
  • Call for Proposals (July 12)
  • Ready, Set, Go! Apply to the AARP Community Challenge (June 27)
  • Why Facebook Users Really Like the Bangor Police Department (June 14)
  • Apply! AARP Community Challenge (June 7)
  • New Hampshire Says Yes to Accessory Dwelling Units (May 31)
  • Slideshow and How To: Main Street Bethel, Vermont, Gets a Makeover (May 24)
  • AARP Pop-Up Demonstration Tool Kit (and a Protected Intersection Project) (May 17)
  • Pop-Up Project: Road Diet and Plaza (May 10)
  • Pop-Up Project: Protected Bike Lanes Can Pop-Up Overnight (May 3)
  • Pop-Up Project: Streetscape Revitalization (Apr. 26)
  • Pop-Up Project: A New Jersey Plaza (Apr. 19) 
  • Pop-Up Project: A Montana Parklet (Apr. 12)
  • Planning a Placemaking Pop-Up (Apr. 5)
  • 20+ Ways Local Leader Can Connect With the People They Serve (Mar. 29)
  • How to Get Community Leaders Walking (Mar. 22)
  • 11 Ways to Make Streets Safe for Walking (Mar. 15)
  • AARP Livability Index: Updated (Mar. 8)
  • An Award-Winning Home Renovation (Mar. 1)
  • Slideshow: Look at These Little Free Libraries (Feb. 22)
  • Sharing Spaces: This High School Has a Senior Center (Feb. 15)
  • Welcome to the 20-Minute Village (Feb. 8)
  • What 108 Mayors are Saying (Feb. 1)
  • Slideshow: Let's Have Some Fun (Jan. 25)
  • 2016 "Dangerous by Design" Report (Jan. 11)
  • An LGBT-Welcoming Place to Call Home (Jan. 4)

Our Free Publications!

See the collection: AARP.org/LivableLibrary

AARP Livable Communities Publications

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2016

  • Is Where You Live on the List? (Dec. 21)
  • Slideshow: Signs That Say So Much (Dec. 14)
  • How Block Parties Can Build Bridges (Dec. 7)
  • Extra Space, Extra Money (Nov. 30) 
  • Profitably Aging-in-Place (Nov. 16)
  • Talking Transportation with Gil Penalosa and Ray LaHood (Nov. 2)
  • One House = Two Homes: Multigenerational Housing and Building Intergenerational Bonds (Oct. 26)
  • 5 Questions & Answers About Vision Zero (Oct 19)
  • Tiny Houses, Tiny Tour (Oct 12)
  • How to Conduct a Community Walk Audit (Oct 5)
  • Modern Families, Old Zoning (Sept 28)
  • The Winners List: Mayors' Challenge for Safer People, Safer Streets (Sept 21)
  • How Bicycle-Friendly Streets are Good for People Who Don't Ride Bikes (Sept 14)
  • Get Where We Live for Free! And Tell Us About Where You Live (Sept 7)
  • Where We Live: Community Engagement (August 31)
  • Where We Live: Neighborhood (August 24)
  • Where We Live: Culture (August 17)
  • Where We Live: Health (August 10)
  • Where We Live: Opportunity (August 3)
  • Where We Live: Environment (July 27)
  • Where We Live: Transportation (July 20)
  • Get the New AARP book Where We Live ... for Free! Plus: An excerpt of the Housing chapter (July 13)
  • Florida Works on Becoming More Walkable (July 6)
  • 5 Questions About Smart Growth — plus, Livable Lingo (June 29)
  • In Search of Missing Middle Housing (June 22)
  • Happy Father's Day, Dads! Check Out This Shed! (June 15)
  • 7 Ways Communities Can Be More Livable for People with Vision or Hearing Impairments (June 8)
  • We're Now Weekly: Shuffleboard Is Out, Pickleball Is In! (June 1)
  • Now in 5 Languages: The "In a Livable Community ..." poster (May)
  • It's Time to 'Disrupt' How We Get Around (April)
  • Disrupt Aging by Rethinking Where We Live (March)
  • 'Aging Friendly' Solutions for Most Every Remodeling Project (Feb)
  • 20 Questions and Answers About Cohousing (Jan)

2015

  • The Imagining Livability Design Guide (Dec)
  • Pictures of Age-Friendly Places and Programs (Nov)
  • A Home Remodeling Before & After Slideshow (Oct)
  • The Livability Economy + Living a Car-Free Life (Sept)
  • Solutions for Small Town Main Streets (Aug)
  • Transforming Suburban Streets and Commercial Strips. Plus: A Q&A with Gil Penalosa (July)
  • Tools for Making a Community Livable, Safe, Walkable (June)
  • 11 Inspiring Livability Examples (May)
  • The Livability Index. Plus: A Livable Tour of Des Moines (April)
  • New Guide and Worksheets for Making a Home "Fit" (March)
  • Slideshow (and printable download): In a Livable Community (Feb)
  • Tiny Houses, Lifelong Houses, Not So Big Houses (Jan)

2014

  • Bookmark, Share These Winning Livability Resources (Dec)
  • 15 Cities Working to Be Great for Older Adults (Nov)
  • 11 Ways to Create Great Places (Oct)
  • U.S. Housing 'Unprepared' for Wave of Older Adults (Sept) 
  • How to Create a Grandparents Park (Aug)
  • Slideshow: A House That Can Be a Home for Life (July)
  • Where Have All Our Young People Gone? (June)
  • The Most Dangerous Places to Be a Pedestrian (May)
  • Slideshow: The 8 Domains of Livability (April)
  • Texas is Becoming More Walkable (March)
  • Portland Takes Age-Friendly Action (Feb)