Milwaukee, best city for boomers—because of you!

Atlanta; Portland (Oregon); Chandler, AZ; Boston; Milwaukee. . .to people who don’t live here, there’s one surprise in AARP’s list of best cities for Boomers to live—and retire-- published this week.


Milwaukee’s “vibe” is listed as “urban renewal at its best.” Director of the Department of City Development Rocky Marcoux said the city is making sure it stays appealing. “We think sustainability has a lot to do with accessibility. It’s what will make it possible for future generations to age in place. People shouldn’t have to leave their home because it’s badly designed.”

If that all sounds like a page from the Expanding Housing Options Summit we held in January, there’s a reason.

Members of the Milwaukee Aging Consortium have a lot to do with the quality of life for seniors cited in the article. The five free “fitness centers” mentioned are really Milwaukee’s acclaimed Senior Centers,managed by Interfaith Older Adult Programs and funded by the Milwaukee County Department on Aging (Clinton Rose; Kelly; and in the parks, McGovern, Washington, and Wilson).

And as an example of what can be done for lower income seniors, the article cites Lapham Park—a partnership venture that includes Community Care, Inc. and SET Ministry, along with the Department and our friends at the Housing Authority City of Milwaukee and others.

But there’s much work left to be done in neighborhoods that aren’t part of the waterfront boom. There’s much work to be done for housing-and-services for those who are frail or the “older old,” people in their 80s and beyond. And we’re going to be an important part of that.

On Thursday, August 30, the Consortium and the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning, along with Connecting Caring Communities, will host two neighborhood meetings presenting exciting ideas from the school’s senior housing ideas competition last winter. The plans we’ll showcase focus on creating senior housing and communities that keep older adults vital in those neighborhoods. While the ideas developed for the sites in the competition may not be the plans that will eventually be developed there, they present a great starting point for thinking and future planning.

The Walnut Street neighborhood meeting will be held 11:30-2:00, United Way, 225 W. Vine Street. The Sherman Park meeting will be held 6:30 – 8 pm, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-St. Joseph’s Hospital, Klieger Auditorium (M1010 in the Marquette Building) 5000 W. Chambers Street. While meetings are geared to neighborhood members, if you serve people in the area or have a special interest, call 414-289-0890 to register.

Stay tuned for more about the Consortium’s housing interest groups and carrying on the work of designing Milwaukee for aging in community.