UMass Boston

The Age-Friendly Community movement has emerged in recent years in an effort to describe ways in which communities and cities may create environments that support their aging populations and promote quality of life, independence, wellness, and active participation throughout the life course. Eight domains are used to identify features of communities that promote active, involved aging and quality of life. They address aspects of community infrastructure, the social environment, and features of the built environment.

The Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging brings rigor and objectivity to the Age Friendly process. Center staff and students employ multiple sources of data to generate reports, recommendations, and action plans for communities of varying sizes and composition.Through this information gathering and needs assessment, we inform both the planning and evaluation phases of the Age-Friendly process. To date, we have conducted needs assessments and participated in the development of action plans in a number of Massachusetts communities and work with the City of Boston on the Age-Friendly Boston project.