Partners for Livable Communities will honor eight individuals, organizations and communities for stewardship and innovation in the improvement of communities worldwide. These prestigious awards will be presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its “Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit” formal dinner and awards program on December 15th, 2011 at The Fairfax Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The “Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit” awards honor both innovative projects in communities and lifetimes of achievement for individuals that have made a true difference in their respective fields of activity. The honorees represent lifetimes of cultivating the arts, historic preservation, regionalism, smart planning practices and neighborhood development that bring life to struggling communities. All of the honorees have sought to build on their assets and improve the communities around them, an effort which Partners believes deserves to be lauded, with individual stories spread far and wide.

Honorees and Awards listed here (COMING SOON!)

Partners for Livable Communities will honor eight individuals and organizations for stewardship and innovation in the improvement of communities worldwide. These prestigious awards will be presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit.

The “Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit” awards honor both innovative projects in communities and lifetimes of achievement for individuals that have made a true difference in their respective fields of activity. The honorees represent lifetimes of cultivating the arts, historic preservation, regionalism, smart planning practices and neighborhood development that bring life to struggling communities. All of the honorees have sought to build on their assets and improve the communities around them, an effort which Partners believes deserves to be lauded, with individual stories spread far and wide.

Register Now for the 11th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

February 2-4, 2012 in San Diego, CA. 
 

This conference is the premier smart growth event held in the U.S. each year. The multi-disciplinary program includes over 100 sessions and will feature cutting-edge policies, programs and projects, best practices, and the latest strategies and implementation tools that address the challenges of making communities more sustainable and equitable. Lots of “extras” are included such as; coordinated networking activities, continuing education credits, on-site Internet café, and so much more!

Get connected! “Like” the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference on Facebook and “Follow”  the program on Twitter at @NewPartnersConf

Register now at www.NewPartners.org

In the recent online poll, conducted by Outdoor Magazine, Chattanooga was recently voted by readers as the top choice in the “Best Town Ever” contest of 2011.

The Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Awards 2011: Recognizing Sustainability Today

Building a Green economy is critical to our future—sustainability is imperative. The 2011 Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Awards announce the winners of its annual Green Plus Community and Green Plus Chambers from throughout the United States, that are leading in sustainable economic development practices. This event took place on June 16, 2011...click here to read about the awardees

Culture Connects All:

A Report from Partners for Livable Communities

Funded by MetLife Foundation

Culture Connects All, a benchmark report by Partners for Livable communities funded by MetLife Foundation, offers new audience-building opportunities for arts and cultural organizations to engage two of America’s fastest growing populations: immigrant and older adult populations. 

The 2010 census confirms what many have observed over the past decade—the population is growing older, and in many areas more diverse.  And this change is happening across the face of the nation. Two rapidly expanding population groups present a timely opportunity for communities and their arts and cultural institutions to rethink and retool their outreach.

Download your free copy of Culture Connects All, and free copies translated in both Chinese and Spanish available on May 15.

Click Here to Read More>>

Eight partnerships in San Diego County were each awarded a "JumpStart the Conversation" grant on June 26, 2008.

The winning projects exemplify the use of innovative ideas focused on creating livable communities for all ages and the theme of "lifelong learning for older adults." These strategies, especially those aimed at the more than 11 percent of the San Diego County's population who are 65 years old and over, help strengthen "aging in place" services and help to create opportunities for older adults to acquire new knowledge and skills. Click here to view the grants below. 

The grants were introduced after a workshop, titled Enhancing Lifelong Learning: Developing a Livable San Diego County for All Ages, which took place in March at the San Diego Health Services Complex. The workshop was one of a series of regional workshops focused on creating livable communities for all ages. The workshops and grants are part of a national Aging in Place Initiative undertaken by Partners for Livable Communities (Partners) and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), with funding provided by MetLife Foundation. 

The workshop was hosted by the County of San Diego Aging & Independence Services (AIS) department. Grantees were announced at Aging Summit 2008, held at Town and Country Resort on June 26.One grant recipient, Peninsula Shepherd Senior Center, will use the award to partner with Sharp HealthCare to create an Older Adult Healthy Lifestyle workshop, focusing on the theme of lifelong learning for older adults.The workshop will be presented at local senior centers, churches and libraries. 

"With the aging of the baby boomers, it will be important to develop an educational tool for helping people stay healthy," said Jean Durgan, director of Peninsula Shepherd Senior Center. "Through this workshop, we're hoping that older adults can make changes that can possibly extend their life expectancy and help people experience a better quality of life, while remaining in their own local community."

San Diego Jumpstart Grants 

• Alzheimer's Association 
  To expand the Memories in the Making Art Program to provide an art and brain health educational program that will target: 1) older adults who are interested in embracing their creative energies through art; and 2) caregivers seeking creative activities to enjoy with older adults they care for at home via an all-inclusive art kit.
• Bayside Community Center in partnership with San Diego Community College Continuing Education Department, San Diego Futures Foundation, and Temecula Valley Bank's Risk Management Department 
  To teach Linda Vista's diverse older adult population computer skills and financial basics in various native languages. This program aims to increase confidence in computer technology and independence for older adults in the community, which includes Pan Asian, African American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Latino and Caucasian populations. Instruction will highlight: financial scams targeting the senior population, Microsoft Office, financial literacy, online banking and bill paying. Local college students and professionals in the banking community will be engaged as well.
• Friends of Adults Day Health Care Centers in partnership with St. Paul's Senior Homes & Services 
  To launch a "JumpStart the Conversation Through a Language Curriculum" that will address the needs of non-native English speaking older adults. Older adults who attend adult day programs, specifically the program "This Day in History," will learn English through a curriculum customized to their language learning ability; become knowledgeable about events in U.S. history; enhance the health of their brains; and diminish their isolation from the majority population.
• Heritage Clinic 
  To develop a program for  clinicians and peer counselors to assist older adult clients in exploring their individual talents through conversation and  support groups; and to encourage clients to express their thoughts, ideas and expectations though a diversity of medium: painting, textile and photography and other art forms. This program aims to increase self-esteem and community awareness about older adults and their valuable contributions to the local community, and to decrease mental health symptoms. As part of this program, the clinic proposes to develop a multi-media exhibit of artwork that clients have produced. The clinic will widely promote this art exhibit at a local museum and/or a downtown San Diego venue that is well frequented.
• La Mesa Park and Recreation Foundation in partnership with the City of La Mesa and RhythmWorx
  To implement "Rhythm for the Ages," a weekly exercise and educational program utilizing a variety of percussion instruments to create rhythm and movement in educational, recreational, and entertainment venues for any age. The program is designed to reinforce the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle and engage older adult participants in an enjoyable activity that stimulates cognitive processes and encourages social interaction. As a highly visible project, "Rhythm for the Ages" will also introduce area older adults to the existing variety of instructional, recreational, and volunteer opportunities available in their community.
• Peninsula Shepherd Senior Center in partnership with Sharp HealthCare
  To create an Older Adult Healthy Lifestyle Workshop, focusing on the theme of Lifelong Learning for older adults. Coordinating with Sharp HealthCare, this workshop will be presented as a one-day conference or as a five-part series, each part a stand alone class.  This workshop will be presented multiple times at local senior centers, churches and libraries.  
• San Diego State University Research Foundation 
  To develop and pilot a university-based intercultural, intergenerational learning experience for older adults, called the Intercultural Conversation Partners Project (ICPP). This project will bring together a cohort of older adults and international students from the American Language Institute at SDSU for a semester of lunch programs that foster language acquisition; cultural exchange; and intergenerational learning.
• The Arc of San Diego 
  To pay for members of the Senior Program of The Arc of San Diego - Starlight Center to enroll in community art classes. This would enable these senior individuals to: develop creative art skills in a variety of media; connect with community art resources, studios, individuals and galleries; and place finished art works in these venues, at juried art shows and at retail sites

Eight organizations and partnerships in the St. Louis Region were each awarded a "JumpStart the Conversation" grant in July 2009. Click here to view the jumpstart grants below. 

The winning projects exemplify the use of innovative ideas focused on creating livable communities for all ages and the theme of Universal Design and Accessibility. As part of the Aging in Place Initiative, the St. Louis Metro Region was selected by MetLife Foundation, Partners for Livable Communities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging to host one of a series of dynamic national workshops highlighting the opportunity to improve livability for persons of all ages. 

Held on April 28, 2009, Designing Places and Spaces for Now and in the Future: Creating a Livable St. Louis Region for All Ages gathered key innovators and representatives from across the Region to help identify strategies to improve homes that are universally designed and communities that are welcoming for all. Attendees learned how to JumpStart the Conversation on aging and apply for a special grant given to unique partnerships taking action on Aging in Place. The grants are intended to stimulate innovative action at the local level. As a result of the workshops and grant opportunities, communities will have a renewed sense of urgency on approaching community livability for all as well as an energized group of organizations and individuals collaborating to face the challenges that accompany this time of change.

As part of the national movement to promote the “Aging in Place” Initiative, which is aimed at helping older Americans remain in their communities, the St. Louis metropolitan region was selected to host one in a series of national workshops sponsored by MetLife Foundation, Partners for Livable Communities (Partners), and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). The workshop was co-hosted by the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois, and Mid-East Area Agency on Aging.

The local discussion complemented the dynamic national conversation taking place on aging and will highlight the creative work already occurring in the region to make it a first-rate place for all age groups. This workshop was a unique opportunity for local leaders to begin looking at the region and to hear how other communities have begun to create livable communities. 

Missouri is consistently ranked as one of the states in the country with the oldest population—it’s expected that 15 percent of all Missouri residents will be aged 65 and older by 2015. The number of persons 60 and older in Illinois is projected to increase by 77% from 2 million in 2006 to 3.6 million in 2030.  One in every five Illinoisans will be 60 years of age and older by 2030.In preparation for this, local leaders are calling for strategies to help strengthen “Aging in Place” services.

Workshop speakers and panelists focused on strategies for buildings that are universally designed and communities that are welcoming for all. Following the discussion, participants are invited to learn about a new Community Assessment Tool devised to measure the readiness of places and spaces. The conversation continued by through the following Jumpstart the Conversation Grants. 

St. Louis Jumpstart Grants

• Bi-Lingual International Assistant Services in partnership with Delta Medical and JAD Housing LLC
  To retrofit an apartment with grab bars and handrails to serve as a model for an awareness campaign aimed at encouraging landlords to make these same small changes to all their apartment units so they are accessible for those who are aging in place.  
• Mid-East Area Agency on Aging Foundation with the City of O’Fallon
  To conduct a comprehensive livable community assessment of the City of O’Fallon which will encourage awareness of the resources available, identify new resources that can meet the needs of older adults, and encourage community leadership to act on these issues. Local highs schools, community colleges, and universities will be involved in conducting the assessments and writing the final report thus becoming involved with the community needs and issues and interacting positively with older adults in the process.  
• Main Street Community Center with Faith in Action Edwardsville
  To create a resource guide for Edwardsville's older adults, their families and their caregivers, and to ensure its widespread distribution.
• Concern Citizen Group of Illinois with Lutheran Child and Family Services (for Fathers) of Illinois
  To strategize on intergenerational programs that suit community needs for the new Recreation Center currently being built. Strategizing sessions will include community forums and neighborhood meetings.
• Bond County Senior Citizens Center, Inc.
  To perform a community assessment that will 1) assess currently available assets available to serve the existing and future older adult populations; 2) determine the additional assets needed to meet their needs; 3) develop a plan to address unmet needs; 4) communicate findings and plans to leaders and decision makers; 5) launch a relevant and exciting initial project; and 6) serve in an advisory capacity to assist in the implementation and monitoring of future activity.   
• University of Missouri Extension Gerontology Program in partnership with South Grand Senior Ministries
  To provide an opportunity for a Gerontology social work practicum student to perform focused interview sessions with neighborhood residents, cost analyses, and execution of a project that will improve safety and accessibility features and help ensure successful aging-in-place for older residents. Principles from the Gerontology course, “Successful Aging in the Built Environment” will be explored and implemented.
• The Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois with the American Institute of Architects (St. Louis)
  To plan and execute a design charette for the community of New Baden, IL with the goal of producing a series of feasible strategies to address accessibility concerns identified by the community.
• The Starkloff Disability Institute
  To produce a white paper on universal design that 1) outlines key challenges of universal housing that must be addressed for it to proliferate; and 2) outlines a national campaign to promote universal housing features to industry leaders and consumers.

As part of the Aging in Place Initiative, the San Antonio Region was selected by MetLife Foundation, Partners for Livable Communities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) to host one of a series of dynamic national workshops highlighting the opportunity to improve livability for persons of all ages. The Jumpstart the Conversation Grantees followed the workshop held on June 11, 2009; titled Redesigning Communities for Aging in Place: Developing a Livable San Antonio Metro Region for All Ages.

Redesigning Communities for Aging in Place gathered key innovators and representatives from across the region to discuss a topic of great importance to San Antonio. Workshop speakers and panelists focused on assets already in place and how they can be improved, particularly health and wellness, social integration, planning and mobility. Attendees learned how to JumpStart the Conversation on aging and apply for a special grant given to unique partnerships taking action on Aging in Place.

The local discussion at the workshop, and continued in the grants, complemented the dynamic national conversation taking place on aging and will highlight the creative work already occurring in the region to make it a first-rate place for all age groups. This workshop is a unique opportunity for local leaders to begin looking at the region and to hear how other communities have begun to create livable communities. The Alamo Area Council of Governments’ region is home to over 345,000 residents who are aged 60 and over. In 2020, this number is projected to increase to almost 500,000 residents.  The demographics of this group are also becoming increasingly diverse.

In preparation for this, local leaders are calling for strategies to help strengthen “Aging in Place” services. Workshop speakers and panelists focused on assets already in place and how they can be improved, particularly health and wellness, social integration, planning and mobility. "San Antonio has always been a caring community, and as our Baby Boomer population increases, that will become even more important," said Mayor Phil Hardberger. "We must continue to cultivate a senior-friendly environment - with improvements in infrastructure, for example - so our seniors can continue living full lives. They have much to contribute, and we have much to learn from them." 

The grants are intended to stimulate innovative action at the local level. As a result of the workshops and grant opportunities, communities in San Antonio will have a renewed sense of urgency on approaching community livability for all as well as an energized group of organizations and individuals collaborating to face the challenges that accompany this time of change.

 San Antonio Jumpstart Grants

• The Alamo Area Council of Governments in partnership with the Alamo and Bexar Area Agencies on Aging
  To bring Asset-Based Community Development training to stakeholders on the Aging issue in the San Antonio region. The training will enable the organizations and partner agencies to conduct targeted planning activities in local communities in the regions to assist in identifying the already existing assets that can be utilized to enhance the Aging in Place planning process for the area. 
• Education lnvestment Foundation (EIF), the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) and MedTeam, Inc. 
  To develop a positive media outreach program to assist elderly and disabled citizens with information on housing opportunities, and needed services in San Antonio, Texas.
• Greater Randolph Area Services Program, Inc. (GRASP) in partnership with the City of Live Oak 
  To begin a program to help seniors who are unable to handle the normal maintenance and care of their homes, for either physical or financial reasons. This program will help seniors with small home maintenance, lawn care, and landscaping issues. The program will be called “Our Community Cares in Live Oak” and will recruit volunteers with experience in home repair and maintenance to carry out the jobs. 
• Jefferson Outreach
  To provide a special type of transportation service to seniors in their community that will even further improve their quality of life by recruiting young volunteers to provide transportation for “extra services” such as salons, banks, malls and other places which will enhance their lives and allow them to remain part of their community.
• Northeast Senior Assistance
  To create a return visit program by nurses to re-evaluate clients whose health or living condition may have changed over time. The return visit will be scheduled for clients during their five year anniversary and every five years thereafter. This additional initiative will help identify potential issues before they become problems impacting clients’ ability to remain in their own homes.
• San Antonio Time Dollar Community Connections
  To start a CareBank service for mainly Spanish speaking seniors on the Westside of San Antonio that will provide an affordable transportation system and a social network of people who can rely on each other. Members who join the Care Bank will have the opportunity to socialize with other seniors and members and utilize flexible, affordable, accessible transportation and replace social isolation with a social network providing a sense of community and extended family.

Four organizations and partnerships in the Richmond Region were each awarded a "JumpStart the Conversation" grant in August 2009. The winning projects exemplify the use of innovative ideas focused on creating livable communities for all ages and the theme of engaging community leaders for improving the livability of Richmond for all ages.

The Richmond grants followed the Aging in Place workshop held on June 17, 2009; titled Engaging Community Leaders in the Process: Creating a Livable Richmond Area for All Ages. 

Richmond Jumpstart Grants 

• Richmond Public Schools Educational Foundation, Inc. in partnership with Thomas H. Henderson Middle School and the Education Subcommittee of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce
  To develop mentoring and enrichment relationships between students from Henderson Middle School and senior citizens from the surrounding neighborhood. As part of an expanding relationship between the school and its neighborhood, Henderson also wants to open its doors to the senior community in expanded venues for direct student contact, as well as, making school facilities available to senior citizens for evening events. 
• ElderHomes Corporation in partnership with Richmond Community Development Alliance
  To plan a one day bus tour of area housing for the purpose of educating community leaders about residential needs and housing issues that affect seniors. The tour will feature stops at various housing alternatives and focus on senior friendly community development.
• Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging in partnership with United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, AARP Virginia, the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, the Greater Richmond Chamber, A Community Partnership 
  To develop a 2030 Age Wave Plan for the Richmond Metropolitan Region that will focus on the areas of Economic Development, Built Environment and Long-Term Care. The project will involve a year long process to identify ways to enhance livable communities, promote strategies for aging in place advocacy, increase community awareness, agree on ways to increase access to resource and determine action steps/time table for the development of the comprehensive 2030 Plan. The outcome will be a Toolkit for creating livable communities for all ages.
• Family Lifeline
  To host a series of Aging Education Seminars hosted by Richmond’s ElderFriends program that will help to decrease social isolation of seniors enrolled in program and increase knowledge of and access to community-based resources. Participants will include ElderFriends volunteers, elder citizens, and community partners. Each seminar will focus on a topic relevant to aging—Healthy Aging In Place, the Changing Community Demographic, Livable Communities for All Ages, etc.

Two major programs and partnerships in the Chattanooga Region were each awarded a "JumpStart the Conversation" grant in September 2009. The winning projects exemplify the use of innovative ideas focused on creating livable communities for all ages and the theme of Building Partnerships. Click here to view the grants below. 

As part of the national movement to promote the “Aging in Place” Initiative, which is aimed at helping older Americans remain in their communities, the Chattanooga Metro Area has been selected to host one in a series of national workshops to consider creating livable communities for all ages.  These workshops are being sponsored by MetLife Foundation, Partners for Livable Communities (Partners), and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).

The Chattanooga workshop, titled Building Partnerships: Creating a Livable Community for All Ages (Choose Chattanooga: Come Live with Us),  was held on 30, 2009.  The event was be co-hosted by the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability, Choose Chattanooga, the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Morning Pointe, the Greater Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, and the Tennessee Multicultural Chamber of Commerce.

Steve Witt, Director of the Southeast Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability, stated that “Community leaders have already seen enormous goals met that contribute to Chattanooga being a place that appeals to people of all ages.  It is exciting to be part of an initiative that can help us continue to move forward.”

Chattanooga Jumpstart Grants 

• Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga and Active Living and Transportation Network
  To explore new partnerships within the senior community and be able to expand programming to better reach the older adult demographic and promote active transportation through bicycling. Two workshops will be held for active seniors and related agencies to develop opportunities to promote the safe use of bicycling for transportation and recreation, especially in the urban core area. 
• Get Online Event: A community-wide, multi-generational interactive opportunity
  The following organizations will be working together for the first time ever through a brand new partnership formed to improve community-wide communication and civic involvement by teaching basic, practical computer skills at the “Get OnLine” Event. This “learning event” will be a community-wide, multi-generational interactive opportunity. Continued partner efforts will help members adapt to what older adult learners want and need to know to thrive in a livable community, as well as how to engage additional partners to further collaborative efforts.
• "Choose Chattanooga" and The Chattanooga Health and Performance Institute
  To coordinate marketing, promotion and continued collaboration among partners for the “Get OnLine” event which will improve communication between service providers and the citizens they serve, with a special emphasis on the older adult citizens.
• Friends of the Library
  To host several computer technology training events at area branches using existing computers with internet access and to educate technically illiterate and disenfranchised older adult members of the community. 
• Senior Neighbors
  To host several computer technology training events at area senior centers using existing computers with internet access.  Senior Neighbors is the area’s largest outreach organization reaching senior citizens in often underserved locations across Hamilton County. Recently added new computers and internet access, but instruction resources are limited and services are underutilized. Through partnership support — Senior Neighbors’ will reach a larger portion of the older demographic. 
• Alton Park Development Corporation
  To host older adult computer classes at Alton Park area community centers, one of Chattanooga’s most economically distressed and impoverished areas.  
• Southeast Development Foundation 
  To coordinate and establish a mature workers job club and provide technology and computer training to members of that community as more people in this age group struggle to gain the latest job skills to find second careers in their later years. 
• City of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture
  To provide computer training to senior citizens through workshops, instruction and access to computers and internet at the Senior Activity Center, located at Eastgate Town Center. Due to underfunding there is currently a waiting list of more than 300 Senior Citizens waiting to learn basic computer skills. They are currently not being served at all because there are no instructors to meet the demand. Grant monies will fund instruction otherwise unavailable.
• City of Chattanooga Department of Parks and Recreation
  To provide computer training to disenfranchised citizens through workshops, instruction and access to computers and internet at the Brainerd Recreation Center. Computers and internet access was recently installed at the rec centers—however these new services are not utilized because of a lack of education and available training. This event will allow them to reach the older adult population served by this rec-center.
• Chattanooga State Technical Community College
  To host classes at its campus and provide school trained instructors and educational materials. Classes will be available to older adult members of the public who would otherwise be unable to afford such instruction.
• Association of Visual Arts
  To serve as a centrally located learning facility and resource center for digital content development and creative self expression and to offer technology and photography training classes at the Chattanooga media center to older adults who would be otherwise unable to afford such instruction. AVA will target lifelong learners who seek customized training instruction for their careers or personal development.