Like many other aspects of mid-life, Boomers are redefining what community means to them as they age. Gone are the years of moving to 'retirement communities' and exclusive, age-restricted housing developments. For the most part, mid-life adults don’t want to be segregated into 'senior-only' environments. Instead, they tend to prefer intergenerational surroundings, close to family, where they can also stay active and engaged with their lives.  Gone too is the traditional migration to more removed suburban areas and warmer climates. More and more demographers are seeing older Americans moving into cities and town centers where they are within walking distance of shops, entertainment and public transportation, which will most likely result in a very large upsurge of older urban Americans.  This demographic shift is already challenging the conventional thinking of urban developers, architects, and designers who are having to find new ways of organizing neighborhoods, retail services, recreation, parks and transportation infrastructures.  The future of our communities is, as a result, being re-shaped.  The common denominator in existing and yet-to-be-created models is, however, the desire to be part of a community that shares common interests, values or resources, and enables independence for as long as possible.

One such trend is ‘niche communities’ – where folks come together around shared lifestyles, backgrounds or interests.  There are currently about 100 such communities across the country.  These communities are geared to healthy adults but often have an assisted care component.  Models include the Charter House in Rochester, MN which provides a home for former Mayo Clinic staffers; the Burbank Senior Arts Colony in Los Angeles which attracts retired or aspiring artists, musicians, actors and writers; Aegis Gardens in Fremont, CA which caters to older Asians; and Rainbow Vision in Santa Fe, NM which serves primarily gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients. University-based communities located on or near such college campuses as Dartmouth, Cornell, Penn State, Oberlin and Denison University are fast becoming the most popular type of niche community. Residents can take classes and attend athletic or cultural events at the nearby college campus.

Another trend that started back in 1960s Denmark – ‘cohousing’ – is also making a comeback among mid-life adults.  Cohousing is an intentional community where a group, usually composed of strangers at the start, comes together and creates a communal-type housing arrangement.   Members live in private, fully equipped attached or clustered homes which are supplemented by extensive common grounds and facilities like a community garden, kitchen and dining room, laundry, gym and tool room. A cohousing community is planned, owned and managed by the residents themselves. While cohousing used to be a fringe movement, it is now resonating with both mid-life as well as younger adults who are searching for community and also looking to pool resources.  Glacier Circle in Davis, CA was the first such self-planned, cooperative-style housing community for the elderly in the country.  There are now more than 112 such communities, both intergenerational and elder, with more than 50 others in the planning stages.

An aging in place model that is on the rise is the ‘village model’ where individuals live in their own home or apartment but receive discounted, vetted services and social engagement opportunities. The first village was established in 2002 at Beacon Hill in Boston and has grown to include 56 such ‘villages’ throughout the country with 120 more in development.  Village members call a central number for help of any kind – from transportation to the grocery store or doctor, to the name of a plumber, computer tutor or dog walker.  The group purchases theater tickets in bulk, for example, or contracts with service providers to consolidate services while also saving members money. 

A new type of nursing home created by gerontologist William Thomas has inspired the ‘Green House’ idea – facilities that look, feel and operate more like a cozy house than an institution.  Ten or so residents live together, each with private bedrooms and bathrooms, but clustered around communal areas like an open, country-style kitchen and dining room and outdoor spaces.  Residents receive individualized care from nursing staff but are enabled to make their own decisions as much as possible.  There are currently 87 such Green House projects serving 1,000 residents with 120 more such facilities in development.

There’s also the Golden Girls Housing agency in Minneapolis that helps divorced, widowed or never-married older women find joint living arrangements.  It's predicted that such agencies – designed to help individuals find ‘community living arrangements’ along a wide spectrum of criteria – will spread across the country.  Within the next 20 years, experts predict there will be virtually unlimited options for mid-life adults seeking communities that enable individuals to stay active, keep learning, maintain and develop relationships, and remain contributing members of society for as long as possible.