Atlanta Not Ready For Pending 'Senior Boom'

With Metro Atlanta's senior population set to mushroom, the region's planning agency says that area communities are not prepared to deal with the consequences of an aging population.

1 minute read

February 20, 2007, 7:00 AM PST

By Alex Pearlstein


"The number of metro Atlantans over the age of 55 will more than double by the year 2030, rapidly increasing needs for transportation, housing and health care for these people, the head of the region's planning agency said Saturday. Sam Olens, chairman of the Atlanta Region Commission, said the 10-county metro area is not ready for the senior growth, and it's time for a major shift in thinking."

"He pointed to a draft of an ARC study that said by 2030, the region will see a 127 percent increase in the number of people 55 and over... Older adults want to live near their families, the study said, noting that preference raises some concern about the housing construction for seniors on the outer edge of the region, removed from communities where their children and grandchildren live."

"Stressing that transportation in metro Atlanta continues to be a challenge for seniors, the survey found many people worry about how they will get around once they can no longer drive."

Sunday, February 18, 2007 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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