Age-Friendly Communities

Design for everyone.

With the North American population getting older, urban design needs to shift as well. In this course we will investigate and discuss ways to improve design for aging people starting with the foundations of age-friendly design, what makes age-friendly communities successful, and what it takes to advocate for your community. The course will consist of 4 weekly live streamed sessions on September 15, 22, 29 and October 6 at 7pm EDT. All live streams will be recorded for easy access if you cannot attend the class.

Who is this course for?

The Age-Friendly Communities course will increase your knowledge and deepen your understanding on a variety of topics related to design for older people. You will be joining learners from all walks of life, including older adults, healthcare professionals, caregivers, university students, and life-long learners. Join us as we learn from Glenn Miller as well as those with lived experience. This course is for people who:

  • Want to help design inclusive communities.

  • Learning the challenges and benefits of designing age-friendly communities.

  • Want to examine world leaders in age-friendly design.

  • Learn how to advocate for age-friendly design in your community.

Instructor

Senior Associate

Glenn Miller

Glenn Miller is now a Senior Associate with the Canadian Urban Institute, researching the impact of aging and mobility in relation to the built environment. In this role, Glenn builds on work undertaken for the Public Health Agency of Canada (Taking Age Friendly Communities Mainstream), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Housing Older Canadians – with SHS Consulting), and the Region of Waterloo (Supporting the Big Shift with Age-Friendly Development). Glenn holds a masters in urban planning from McGill’s School of Urban Planning and an Honours B.A. in Urban Studies from Concordia University. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners and for 25 years was editor of the Ontario Planning Journal (1986-2011), the professional practice magazine of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

We are N.I.C.E!

The National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly

NICE is an international network of researchers, practitioners, students and seniors dedicated to improving the care of older adults, both in Canada and abroad.   Our members represent a broad spectrum of disciplines and professions, including geriatric medicine, gerontological nursing, gerontological social work, gerontology, rehabilitation science, sociology, psychology, policy and law.   Through our international arm, the International Collaboration for the Care of the Elderly (ICCE), we have researcher and student partners in nine countries: Australia, China, England, Germany, India, Israel, Scotland, South Africa and Switzerland. Find out more at www.nicenet.ca 

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • How this course will work...

    • Before we beging may we ask some questions?

    • Survey Section – Knowledge

    • Survey Section - CONCEPTUAL IMPACT

    • Survey Section - Demographics

    • Glenn Miller's Book List
  • 2

    Session 1: Defining The Age-Friendly Concept

    • SESSION ONE Slides: Defining the Age-Friendly Concept

    • Session One Replay Introduction

    • Session One Replay Instructor Start

    • Session One Replay Questions 1

    • Session One Replay Instruction Continues

    • Session One Replay Questions 2

    • Session One Replay Questions 3

    • Session One Replay Questions 4

    • Session One Replay Questions 5

    • Session One Replay Assignment

    • Assignment 1 - Your Own Community

    • Session One Replay Conclusion

    • Session 1 Survey

    • Understanding the potential of age-friendly communities in the decade of the old BY GLENN MILLER, RPP

    • No Place to Grow Old: How Canadian Suburbs Can Become Age-Friendly by Glenn Miller

    • Links Mentioned In Session 1

    • Session One Replay Questions 1
  • 3

    Session 2: Canada’s Role In The Development Of The Age-Friendly Idea

    • Session 2 Slides PDF

    • Session 2 - Part 1

    • Session 2 - Part 2

    • Session 2 - Part 3

    • Session 2 - Part 4

    • Session 2 - Part 5

    • Housing for Older Canadians Designing the Project

    • HOUSING FOR OLDER CANADIANS: The Definitive Guide to the Over-55 Market

    • District of Saanich, British Columbia, Canada World Health Organization’s Global Age-Friendly Cities Project

    • Supporting The Big Shift With Age Friendly Development

    • Links and Notes

    • Session 2 Survey
  • 4

    Session 3: Canada In Comparison With Other Nations

    • Session 3 Slides PDF

    • Session 3 - Part 1

    • Session 3 - Part 2

    • Session 3 - Part 3

    • Session 3 - Part 4

    • Session 3 - Part 5

    • Session 3 - Part 6

    • Session 3 - Part 7

    • Session 3 - Part 8

    • Re‐Positioning Age Friendly Communities: Opportunities to Take AFC Mainstream

    • TORONTO SENIORS STRATEGY 2.0

    • Toronto Seniors Strategy Continued

    • Age-Friendly NYC

    • NGO Committee on Ageing NYC

    • Additional Links

    • Assignment 2
  • 5

    Sessions 4: Reality Check - What has Age-Friendly achieved in the past decade?

    • Session 4 - Part 1

    • Session 4 - Part 2

    • Session 4 - Part 3

    • Session 4 - Part 4

    • Session 4 - Part 5

    • MEASURING THE AGE-FRIENDLINESS OF CITIES

    • Session 4 Slides PDF

    • UN Decade of Healthy Ageing

    • Age-friendly environments in Europe: Indicators, monitoring and assessments

    • World report on Ageing And Health

    • COVID Version Age Friendly Glenn Miller

    • Session 4 Links

    • Active Transportation for Seniors
  • 6

    Next steps

    • Post Course Survey

    • Section 1: KNOWLEDGE

    • Section 2: CONCEPTUAL IMPACT

    • Section 3: INSTRUCTOR EVALUATION

    • Final Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who teaches this course?

    Glenn Miller, FCIP, RPP. After 20 years leading the Canadian Urban Institute’s research and education programming, Glenn Miller is now a Senior Associate with the CUI, researching the impact of aging and mobility in relation to the built environment. In this role, Glenn builds on work undertaken for the Public Health Agency of Canada (Taking Age Friendly Communities Mainstream), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Housing Older Canadians – with SHS Consulting), and the Region of Waterloo (Supporting the Big Shift with Age-Friendly Development). Glenn has advised the Ontario Seniors Secretariat, the Toronto Seniors Strategy and UBC’s Centre for Hip Health and Mobility (Walk the Talk). He has collaborated with the International Federation of Aging, and presented on aging issues to the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Institute for Research and Public Policy, the Conference Board of Canada, the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging at McMaster University and the Urban Land Institute (B.C.). Glenn holds a masters in urban planning from McGill’s School of Urban Planning and an Honours B.A. in Urban Studies from Concordia University. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners and for 25 years was editor of the Ontario Planning Journal (1986-2011), the professional practice magazine of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. He has taught at Seneca College’s Centre for the Built Environment, Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning and in 2012 was Planner in Residence at the University of Waterloo. Glenn is currently on the Editorial Committee of Plan Canada, the professional practice magazine of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

  • What is the goal of the course?

    Students will learn how to improve the aging experience in the digital age. In our upcoming age-friendly communities course, Students will learn to advocate for inclusive design and how to build age-friendly communities.

  • How will this course be taught?

    Expect a mix of recorded lessons and live classes taught by the instructor. Miss a livestream? No problem. All livestreams are recorded and available on demand. You’ll also participate in animated online discussions and be able to work on assignments to increase your knowledge retention.

  • What are the dates and times of the courses?

    The workshops will be held on September 15, 22, 29 and October 6 at 7pm EDT.

  • What is the cost of this course?

    This introductory course is offered free of charge.

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