AARP Livability IndexTM Platform 

Hosted by the Design for Aging Knowledge Community on November 13, 2023.

Description 

The AARP Livability Index platform scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. for the services and amenities that impact people’s quality of life, now and into the future. When we design and develop communities with aging in mind, they work for everyone, including older adults. AARP intentionally designed its scoring criteria to draw on multiple, interconnected points to capture the complexity of what produces a high quality of life for a diverse population across many ages. Each neighborhood, city, county, or state is scored on a scale from 0 to 100. Those places that have a unique combination of livability friendly qualities, features, policies and programs practices in place, earn above a 50. However, all communities, even high performers, have work to do to become more livable to ensure that all community members have access to a better quality of life at every age. 

The AARP Livability Index platform draws from more than 50 different publicly available data sources. The tool includes metrics and policies, that best measure the key aspects of livability, in each category. These measures were selected based on input from a technical advisory committee, policy analysis and relevant research on livability. 

The category metrics measure how livable communities are in the present, while category policies measure how communities might become more livable over time based on actions taken now. 
  

Learning objectives 

• Learn what the AARP Livability Index platform is and how it scores communities 
• Discuss the seven categories of the AARP Livability Index and how each contributes to community livability 
• Learn about AARP national perspective on housing policy 
• Discuss the housing challenges of older adults and promising solutions to address their needs  

Presenter

Shannon Guzman, MA, MCP  

Shannon Guzman, MA, MCP is the director, housing and livable communities with the AARP Public Policy Institute, where she is also the deputy of the enterprise Housing Issue Area, and works on housing and livable communities policy as well as building innovative partnerships in the Housing space. She provides policy analysis and guidance and develops resources to inform community members and assist local decision makers in their efforts to support residents who want to age in place. Shannon has presented on livable communities and housing policy solutions to various audiences across the country, testified before Congress about the housing challenges of older adults, and has been quoted in local and national media. She has co-authored publications on housing, community livability, and transportation. Before joining AARP, Shannon was a senior planner in county government in Maryland. She has experience in international development, film and television and the 401(k) industry. She holds a master’s degree in community planning, a master’s degree in communications, culture and technology and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish.