Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan gave his third State of the City address today, and touted a new partnership between the city and AARP to examine economic and social factors that affect seniors in the city.
The mayor said Akron is going to be part of the AARP “Age-Friendly Communities” initiative. It’s a five-year plan to examine city policies to ensure they’re helpful for seniors. Horrigan says an assessment should be completed this year.
“They do a scorecard. How people can get around? What are the entrances like? How many events are [in] neighborhoods? And then they score that and say, ‘if you’re going to do some things different, here’s the way you need to do them.’ And then it’s an actionable plan.”
Horrigan says the city’s Senior Citizens Commission was already working on looking at safer mobility and quality housing issues in Akron, and the new AARP partnership will allow more people to stay in their homes and age-in-place.
