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Comprehensive Age-Friendly Community Planning Framework

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Comprehensive Age-Friendly Community Planning Framework Comprehensive Age-Friendly Community Planning Framework by Catherine McLean A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Planning Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2017 ©Catherine McLean 2017 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Planners, urban designers and policy-makers are continuously shifting their planning approach to accommodate the latest planning lens. Each approach addresses different planning issues, presents new concepts and sets new priorities; however, little attention is given to determine whether these ideas overlap and whether there are efficiencies in tying these concepts together. This study sought to determine to what extent age-friendly community planning overlaps or is similar to established planning frameworks and evaluate whether there is merit in developing joint policies. Age-friendly communities (AFC) have become particularly important today with the aging baby-boom generation and the resulting increase in demand for supportive and enabling physical and social environments that help compensate for the physical and cognitive changes associated with ageing (World Health Organization, 2007). Despite the growth of this movement, planners and policy makers have been faced with a number of challenges with integrating age-friendly initiatives into mainstream planning due to the lack of differentiation from other well-known planning frameworks and the competing demands for financial resources and human capital (Miller et al., 2011; Cerda & Bernier, 2013; Golant, 2014). These challenges raise the following research questions: 1) To what extent do established planning principles overlap with age-friendly community planning principles? 2) Is there value in working towards a unified planning framework that incorporates age-friendly community planning principles and established planning principles? These research questions were addressed using a multi-phased qualitative approach, which entailed: a policy document analysis using the City of Waterloo as a case study and in-depth interviews with planning professionals from across Ontario. This study revealed that there is an overlap and similarities between age-friendly community planning and established planning frameworks, specifically: accessibility planning, Smart Growth, transit-oriented development, universal design, healthy communities, sustainable communities, New Urbanism and complete communities. The planning professionals viewed this overlap as policy alignment as these policies support and reinforce each other. Alternatively, several planners suggested that AFC should be regarded as a subset of other planning frameworks, rather than its own distinct planning approach. As such, planners would look at all their planning decisions, regardless of the planning framework, through an age- friendly lens. Despite the overlap, most planning professionals were cautious about creating a comprehensive planning approach due to the: sheer size of the approach, diversity of community contexts, challenges associated with public participation and difficulties coordinating the various stakeholders and jurisdictions. A number of supplementary findings were uncovered through the in-depth interviews that provided key insight into the strengths and weaknesses of current age-friendly community planning initiatives across Ontario and lay the foundation for this study’s policy recommendations. This study recommends: 1) providing additional funding for the implementation of AFC plans; 2) offering additional resources for small and remote communities; 3) expanding existing AFC resources; 4) mandating AFC policies into provincial legislation; 5) facilitating communication and coordination between the lower tier and upper tier municipalities; and 6) seeking greater involvement from planners in AFC initiatives. iii Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported me throughout my Masters. This thesis would not have been possible without the continued support and encouragement from a number of individuals who were there for me every step of the way. I would like to thank my academic supervisor, Dr. John Lewis, for your critical insight and valuable feedback throughout my thesis research. I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge and expertise on age-friendly community planning. Thank you to my committee member, Dr. Jennifer Dean, and reader, Dr. Mark Seasons, for your participation on my thesis committee and all your feedback and invaluable critique. A special thank you to Brandon McCarroll for supporting my decision to continue my education and encouraging me during the difficult times. I especially appreciate your understanding when I had tight deadlines and could not spend time with you. Thank you for being there for me throughout the entire process and helping me balance work and my Masters, among others. I could not have done it without you. A heartfelt thank you to my parents, Charlotte and David McLean, who have always supported and encouraged me throughout my academic endeavours. Thanks for your continuous understanding when I had to do school work and always believing in me. To my brother, Paul McLean, thank you for checking up on me and reminding me to take time to myself. I would like to say a special thank you to my co-workers at the Township of Oro-Medonte for your keen interest in my progress and your kind words of encouragement along the way. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the planning professionals who took time out of their busy schedules to share their knowledge and passion for age-friendly community planning with me. This study would not have been possible without your valuable insights which lay the foundation for the recommendations put forward in this study. I am sincerely grateful. Thank you! iv Table of Contents Author’s Declaration ................................................................................................................. ii Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. ix List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter ............................................................................................. 1 1.1: Study Context .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2: Age-Friendly Communities ............................................................................................... 1 1.3: Research Problem.............................................................................................................. 4 1.4: Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 7 1.5: Research Objectives .......................................................................................................... 8 1.6: Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.7: Structure of the Thesis ...................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter.................................................................................. 11 2.1: Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 11 2.2: Background and Rational for this Study’s Research Questions ..................................... 12 2.3: Planning Framework Selection ....................................................................................... 18 2.4: Smart Growth .................................................................................................................. 19 2.5: Sustainable Communities ................................................................................................ 23 2.6: New Urbanism ................................................................................................................ 26 2.7: Healthy Communities...................................................................................................... 31 2.8: Universal Design ............................................................................................................. 35 2.9: Accessibility Planning ..................................................................................................... 40 2.10: Transit-Oriented Development...................................................................................... 44 2.11: Age-Friendly Communities ........................................................................................... 49 2.12: Conclusion....................................................................................................................
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