Safe Routes to Age in Place
Summary
A contributing factor in keeping older adults healthy is the physical characteristic of their environment. A growing number of studies reveal the integral relationship between seniors and their physical environment in fostering mobility. One key component of the Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative is The Safe Routes to Age in Place (SRTAP) program what has focused on fostering local, accessible, safe, comfortable, and convenient transportation options across all adult age groups and abilities in a diverse community. SRTAP was designed with a 5 “E” model that incorporates a multisectorial approach utilizing: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation. The program involved community engagement as well a Virtual Advisory Committee, a CDC-HAN Environmental Audit, and meetings and review of findings with key agencies to review findings with local older adults. This program was piloted in the predominantly Cuban populated neighborhood of Little Havana. Little Havana was selected through a criteria analysis based on three primary factors: Safety (determined by elderly pedestrian crash density), Density (determined by elderly population density), and Need (determined by percentage of households with no vehicles available). Additionally, a confirmation factor of readiness was used to narrow down the pilot location for Safe Routes to Age in Place. Little Havana has a large number of adults 65 and older do not own a car and their pedestrian crash rate was more than five pedestrian crashes per square mile per year. As a follow up to this initial project, an Age-Friendly Business District was developed within the same area to encourage older adults to walk to resources they need and increase physical activity.
Website: http://saferoutestoageinplace.org
Key facts
Main target group: Older people in general
Other target group(s): Older adults living in Little Havana at the Vista Alegre building, we focused on the area surrounding their home.
Sector(s): Transportation
Desired outcome for older people:
Be mobile
- Accessibility
Other Issues: Ensure safe mobility and safe routes for older adults to age in place and reach the things they need daily. Making the area more walkable would also help increase potential for active transportation and physical activity.
Contact details
Name: Rovira, Isabel
Email address: isabel@urbanhs.com
Preferred language(s): English