Currently, the City of Knoxville is engaged in the following activities which are geared towards becoming more age-friendly: CODI is conducting a Disability-Friendly City survey which is based on the eight domains of Livability; the Office of Neighborhoods offers community grants that increase social participation by providing funds for neighborhoods initiatives such as planting community gardens for access to healthy food; the Office of Neighbhorhoods also provides information to neighborhoods about emergency preparedness on the personal as well as community level, encourageing neighbors to be involved and watch out for each other—a tremendously important thing for anyone who may be living alone with few supports outside the home. The City’s sidewalk repair program focuses on connectivity to other pedestrian facilities and public transit stops as well as puts priority on any area needing accessibility. When a citizen contacts 311 with a sidewalk access problem, Engineering puts the work order at the top of the list for implementation, to ensure access is provided. The Disability Services Office provides information and referral to anyone needing information about agencies, programs or resources to improve access to their community, transportation, housing, employment or independent living.

Knoxville Area Transit provides free travel training to anyone needing help learning how to use public transit. We know that almost half of Knoxvillians live within ¼ mile of a fixed route, and are working toward ensuring that bus stops and shelters provide the access needed for people of all ages and abilities to confidently rely on public transit. Our Parks and Recreation Department offers “Dynamic Sports” and Pickleball tournaments. Pickleball is a sport that has grown in popularity across the U.S., particularly with older people. Our Dynamic Sports program is geared towards inclusive recreational opportunities for people with disabilities, which in turn has the effect of making all programs more inclusive, as staff work more and more with people of various ages and abilities. The Metropolitan Planning Commission is performing a massive overhaul of our zoning regulations, and are considering the use of Accessory Dwelling Units and how to allow them in order to meet the needs of families to keep members near them, rather than put into an institutional setting. The O’Connor Senior Center offers numerous programs, activities, and classes for people over age 55 and provides a low cost nutritious meal each day. Finally, the City has a current long-term project to renovate City facilities to make them accessible to people with disabilities, which will in turn make them more accessible to all people, promoting more civic and social engagement.

The City of Knoxville is an amazing city. In the last five years, Knoxville has received numerous titles of distinction such as “best place to retire early” by Magnify Money; one of the 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. by U.S. News.com; a top retirement destination by WhereToRetire.com; one of “The 10 Best Cities to Relocate to in the U.S.” by Huffington Post; second in “Most Affordable Cities” by Forbes; and has been deemed a “Top 10 Best Place to Retire” by Livability.com.