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Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative
The growth of the 65 and older population in the Traverse City area is happening at a rate three times faster than the rest of the state and the nation. Consequently, the region is experiencing in some sense today what other communities around the state and nation might experience 5-10 years from now as older adult & boomer population growth continues to escalate. This accelerated growth pattern puts the Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative, based on the AARP Livable Communities model, in the position of learning more about how certain changes in increased livability features may impact a high senior and boomer growth area such as ours.
The purpose of the Traverse City Livable Communities Survey was to provide an evaluation tool that encouraged local participants to take a new look at our community and neighborhoods. Although the evaluation was written from the perspective of older persons, the features and services addressed promote livability for persons of all ages and abilities. The intent was not to "grade" or rank our community, but rather to help residents increase their community awareness and identify areas where energies can be directed toward making our community more livable. “Livability will only become a reality in our community and neighborhoods if citizens actively take charge and move to bring about key changes,” says Mary Doezema, Project Coordinator. We all want to live in a livable community. Each of us has his or her own image of what such a community should look like. For older residents, a livable community would include elements that help them to maintain independence and quality of life while remaining connected and engaged to family, friends and the larger community in which they live.
To learn more about how those who live and work in the Traverse City area felt about livability issues, an online community assessment tool was launched in August 2006 with the support of the Traverse City Record Eagle (TLC Survey Web Site). Additional information was also gathered from surveys conducted at the May 2006 Senior Expo hosted by the Bay Area Senior Advocates. Over 300 surveys were completed by local individuals covering a broad range of livability features in our community including: Transportation, Walkability, Safety and Security, Housing, Senior-Sensitive Marketplace, Recreational and Social Activities, Health Care, Arts, Culture and Education, and Volunteerism and Civic Engagement. A series of prizes were offered to those completing all sections of the online survey. The three area winners and their personal comments best express the
values that guided and supported the Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative.
Third place winner of a $50.00 Amazon Gift Certificate, Hugh Munro, age 75, comments, “I took your survey because I approve the concept -- more communities ought to ask questions of their citizens instead of pretending to know it all!” Although an expert team of community leaders were consulted to provide a benchmark for each individual survey section, a strong person-centered approach was also championed. By conducting the in-person and on-line Livable Communities surveys with seniors (and boomers and young adults on-line) we were able to run a parallel questioning process with Traverse City residents. This allowed us to be able to compare the general congruity or disparity between the community residents’ responses with the experts’ responses on livability. These surveys with area residents were not conducted to represent a scientific and comprehensive instrument to measure the overall community needs of boomers and seniors. They were meant to be used as a soft evaluation process, however, to help inform and shape the Traverse City livability improvement planning process by providing some baseline general perceptual trends on area livability as defined by the ten-section, online Traverse Livable Community Survey.
Second prize winner of an Apple Nano was Barbara Lemcool. Barb said, "Creating Livable Communities is an investment in the future of Traverse City and a legacy for all generations." Legacy is at the heart of Traverse City’s strong commitment to preserving our local history, culture and environment. The Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative seeks to strengthen this commitment by supporting a healthy, vibrant community where people can experience a quality of life that meets both their present interests and their future needs. By choosing to embrace livability as a core community value, we hoped to compliment and complete the generational circle toward improved livability for all ages and abilities thereby helping to guarantee these features and assets will be available at a time when we need them the most.
First prize winner of an Apple 12” iBook, Jennifer Julin, comments, “Growing though it may be, Traverse City continues to be full of people and organizations intent on making it remain an incredible community in which to live.” Traverse City is a highly engaged community with a track record of creating opportunities that offer individuals a more shared and inclusive community experience through volunteer and civic engagement. Identifying and empowering this potential is the work of many local organizations that are helping to put their time, talent and experience to good use in our community. This is a true dividend to our community and central to the Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative. So much so, that survey sections were modified and expanded to address these special social engagement issues.
The entire Traverse City: Aging in Community Assessment report is available online at www.tlcsurvey.org/report.php along with individual survey results for each section. Generally, survey participants covered the entire spectrum of age ranges with the majority being adults 51-60 and 61-70. Roughly 2/3 of respondents were female and 1/3 male. Over half were living with a spouse or partner and 1/4 reported living alone. Over 80% of participants were homeowners. The majority of adult children reported living less than 20 minutes away or living greater than 2 hours away from their aging parents or relatives. Over 70% of survey respondents report having degrees or advance degrees with another 25% reporting some college education. Roughly 60% of respondents were still working full-time and mostly (74%) for income purposes, but some (10%) worked mainly for benefits, and others (9%) reported that they will ‘Never Retire.” About 10% of respondents are currently involved in family caregiving for family members or for spouses. The reported length of time for providing caregiving was reported as four years. Most current needs listed for Traverse City focused on Affordable Housing and Transportation needs. Out of a total asset base of 320 indicators, Traverse City shined by meeting or partially meeting 90% of the criteria across ten survey sections assessed. A detailed list by category of Opportunities for Areas of Improvement in Traverse City is also included in the online community assessment report.
The final assessment accessed over 50 resource documents to complete the report and conducted several local site-surveys on bench locations, availability and condition of transit stops, pedestrian crosswalk conditions, as well as an inventory of local grocery store amenities. An extensive listing of local Good Examples of Livability is included in the final assessment. However, new assets are being identified and added every day, such as the new heated side-walk system just installed by Mary’s Kitchen Port on East Front Street and the Hull Park accessibility project being headed by Makayla Vitrous, Assistant to the City Manager and the Disabilities Network. New projects are being added daily and your comments and always welcome. A series of community forums is being planned for 2007, hosted by AIM at the Traverse Area District Library, to engage residents in specific conversations related to livability in Traverse City neighborhoods.
The National Grantmakers in Aging Host Committee in Wisconsin just gave Traverse City: Aging in Community Initiative special recognition as Best in the Great Lakes Region (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, & Illinois) for the Traverse City livable communities project. The Traverse City project will be showcased at the Grantmakers in Aging national conference later this month. Grantmakers in Aging is a national affinity group of private, corporate, and community grantmakers whose giving is focused on aging issues. The Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference is being held in Wisconsin October 24 - 27. The Host Selection Committee for this special recognition is comprised of the Faye McBeath Foundation, The Helen Bader Foundation, The Retirement Research Foundation and the Wisconsin Engagement Initiative. This will not only give Traverse City great visibility but also help to establish a national leadership role in creating livable communities for all generations based the Traverse City: Aging in Community efforts.
The Traverse City: Aging in Community Assessment was produced by the Aging Institute of Michigan on behalf of the Traverse City leadership team that includes the City of Traverse City, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, Traverse City Visitors and Convention Bureau, Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, Catholic Human Services, Michigan State University, Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan, the Disabilities Network, Port of Old Mission Associates along with community advisors from Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA), Bay Area Senior Advocates (BASA), Grand Traverse Community Collaborative, Grand Traverse Pavilions, Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging, the Traverse City Senior Center, Munson Home Health, United Way RSVP, Northwest Michigan College Extended Education, Traverse Arts Council, Traverse City State Bank, Comfort Keepers, Inc., and many others.
Funding for this project, and the MI Home Town website showcasing all of Michigan’s current livable community projects, was generously provided by AARP Michigan. For more information contact Mary Doezema, Project Coordinator, at (231) 941-1905. |