UI Forum: From Generation to Generation: The Past, Present, and Future of National Investments

Video of an Urban Institute forum from May. I was a respondent to Janice Eberly of the Treasury Department, who spoke about inter-generational transfers. I was joined by Leticia Miranda from the National Council of La Raza, and Rolf Pendall, the director of the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, moderated. It was a fun conversation, even though I was a little jet-lagged that day.

Video streaming by Ustream

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Efficiency and Affordability: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

I haven't been posting often lately, as things have been pretty hectic. I did receive a question the other day about topic that I haven't spoken about here: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and it inspired me to write a quick post. These are sometimes known as "accessory apartments," "mother-in-law suites" or "granny flats" - they are ways to provide more housing options in existing neighborhoods by allowing homeowners to build additional units on their lots. ADU is a catch-all term for all of these situations - either units attached to existing homes or placed somewhere else on the property, say over a garage or a stand-alone in the backyard.

They are part of the range of housing options that help to ensure that people of all ages, including older adults, can meet their needs. AARP's model ordinance on ADUs was written by staff at the American Planning Association and was an attempt to find a set of regulations that would meet livabili…

AARP's Media Release for "What Is Livable? Community Preferences of Older Adults"

The AARP media release for one of my most recent reports, "What is Livable? Community Preferences of Older Adults":

April 25, 2014 Media Contact: Nancy Thompson media@aarp.org (202) 434-2506

NEW AARP REPORT OUTLINES WHAT OLDER AMERICANS WANT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, HOW MANY ARE THINKING OF MOVING
Washington, D.C. – The vast majority of people age 50 and older plan to remain living independently in their communities, a new report from the AARP Public PolicyInstitute concludes. The report which surveyed boomers and older adults found that both value secure neighborhoods, safety, good schools, safe streets for walking, access to transportation, parks and affordable housing as community qualities. With these resources in place, communities enhance personal independence and foster resident engagement in community civic, economic and social life, qualities that AARP has traditionally used to describe the livability of a community. Most importantly, these resources allow re…

The "Boom" in Golden Girls-Style Shared Housing: Where’s the Beef?

NBC, Touchstone Television and their partners should be proud– it has been 22 years since the final episode aired, yet the influence of The Golden Girlsmeans that every year reporters ask about the boom in “Golden Girls Housing.” This form of shared housing receives a great amount of attention, but we'll miss the big picture if we look for big numbers.
For the last few years, I have looked at data from the Current Population Survey (analyzed by the AARP Public Policy Institute) to count households that are all female (or all male) with at least one non-related housemate or roommate, no spouses, and no one under 50 in the home. This is the classic “Golden Girls” formula.
The result has become familiar: a very small portion of the population lives in a “golden” situation, around one percent. The small numbers of people in those situations means that it’s hard to figure out whether it has become more popular. Though the percentage appears to be holding steady, the number of golden…

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