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Livable communities offer transportation options that improve health, support vibrant neighborhoods and connect people to economic and social opportunities throughout their communities.

 

AARP Transportation Principles

The following principles set out broad goals for policymakers and community stakeholders to provide a variety of transportation options to meet the needs of their residents.

  • Promote affordable transportation options
  • Ensure the transportation system is accessible
  • Promote healthy communities through sustainable transportation infrastructure  
  • Foster coordinated transportation services and assets  
  • Strengthen federal leadership in transportation

For detailed information on our policies around Livable Communities, please see our policy book.

Featured Publications See all publications >

Innovations in Rural Public Transportation: Data Standards Undergird Equity

This report explains how transportation systems built with open and universal data standards can allow rural residents to experience more seamless travel on public transportation without reliance on a personal automobile.

RideSheet: Rural Transportation Benefits from New Coordination Technology

Lake County, Oregon used an open-source software product called RideSheet to provide demand-responsive transportation.

Future of Transportation

Explore how emerging technologies are transforming our transportation system.

Volunteer Driver Insurance in the Age of Ridehailing

This report offers state legislators and the insurance industry a roadmap to removing barriers that volunteer drivers face with insurance challenges.

Communities Are Embracing Development Near Transit

This snapshot of Transit-Oriented Development Support across the United States, details the ways state, regional, and local actors proactively foster TOD.

Convenient Transportation Options

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A variety of safe, affordable, dependable and user-friendly travel options enables people of all ages to stay active and engaged in their communities. For some, regular, fixed-route public transportation services are ideal; for others, because of health, disability status or geography, more personalized services — such as paratransit, dial-a-ride, reduced-fare taxis or rides in private vehicles available through volunteer driver programs — are needed.

Safe Streets

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More than 30,000 Americans are killed on our nation’s roadways each year and far more are injured. Older road users, because of their increased frailty, are overrepresented in both vehicle and pedestrian crash fatalities.

Complete Streets are those designed and operated for safe, comfortable and convenient travel by pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. The focus of complete streets initiatives has been on changing transportation agency policies and procedures so that these multimodal accommodations become routine at the project-development stage. Well-designed roads help to extend many older adults’ safe driving years and at the same time they make it possible to travel by foot, bicycle or public transit safely in the community. 

Travel Patterns of the 50+

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AARP is your go-to resource to understand the travel of persons age 50+. The AARP Public Policy Institute has done extensive analysis of the National Household Travel Survey data series to understand the travel patterns of persons age 50 and older, as well as other population groups.

AARP Livable Communities View More

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Susan Reinhard is senior vice president and director of AARP Public Policy Institute. Read her latest blogs on family caregiving, healthy living, nursing and more. Read Susan's Blogs