Sarah Susanka, FAIA

Presentation and Discussion “Reinventing our Homes and Communities for Aging Independence”

(Registration required) http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ethics/conferences/index.html

It takes the presence of every generation to create a balanced environment in which to live—a place where everyone has a purpose and a value, no matter their age.  In this presentation, Sarah Susanka describes a new vision for creating environments that promote a greater sense of well-being for all generations, by designing intergenerational urban environments, neighborhoods, and communities that provide for the needs of everyone, including older adults.  By identifying the needs and wants of the oldest generations within our society, and by planning and designing for aging independence, we can reverse the current process of segregating the older generations from everyone else. And in this reversal, we will be improving not only their quality of life, but the quality of life of every generation.

Susanka will discuss the potential that arises when there’s an integration of newer technologies that allow for greater independence as we age, as well as some basic but largely forgotten social connections that happen when we live in walkable, less automobile-dependent neighborhoods. She’ll make the case that it is the combination of both the old and the new that will help us to craft a future in which we can actually look forward to the process of aging, rather than our current approach, which induces significant fear and trepidation in many.