Mayors' Strategies for Cities With Growing Senior Populations

A roundtable at the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors offered approaches to deal with the growth of older metropolitan populations, reports Axios . Participants cited affordable housing and access to transportation as critical issues affecting seniors. Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills, Mich., said some older adults may think driverless vehicles are "'Jetsons'-type stuff." But when so many seniors are likely to live at least a decade or more beyond driving age, self-driving autos could improve their quality of life. Meanwhile, Mayor Quinton Lucas of Kansas City, Mo., noted his city offers some public bus rides for free, and most riders are seniors. Fort Worth, Texas, Mayor Betsy Price said the implementation of new technologies like cashless parking meters is underway, and her city hosts classes at local libraries to help seniors acclimate. In the meantime, CityLab says cities in the Midwest and Appalachia are graying faster as younger people relocate to the coasts. As a result, managing aging populations will be even more challenging in those areas.