“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kala
Charlotte is a friendly, fast growing city. By 2040 we will add 400,000 new neighbors. Today, our leaders are hyper-focused on the 25-34 year olds. At 19% of the population, this younger group drives the increase in high-end apartments, brew pubs, shops, entertainment, and storage lockers stacked eight floors high.
But a Grey Tsunami is fast approaching. The 55 and over age group will move into the lead spot and the focus will need to shift to making Charlotte not only friendly, but age-friendly. The good news is that my 55 and up group have needs that even the 25-34 year olds will appreciate.
As everything changes, everyone from elected leaders, to power brokers, to developers, and merchants need to make adjustments. The movers and shakers need to remember how the friendliness that attracted us MUST be part of the new friendliness that let’s us all live our dreams – together.
Here are seven things I want for our future
I want residential options
- I want us 55 and up folks to stay independent and in our homes as long as possible.
- If we need or want to move, I want us to be able to find walkable urban locations.
- I want my community to become “age-friendly.” My sidewalks and cross walks need to be safe for me and my neighbors. This will not only make it better for my 55+ friends, but also for kids and families, and keep everyone committed to supporting our livable city culture.
- Our Urban Forrest experience needs to be supported and maintained.
I want to stay connected
I want our faith, educational and neighborhood communities to include intergenerational opportunities for service, community and faith development. I want these groups to support our ideas and volunteerism.- I want nearby community centers to support this connectivity.
I want healthy options for living
- I want my community to have easy access to gyms and local parks.
- I want safe cycling and walking trails to connect me with my activities and my community.
I want great public transportation
I want my friendly Charlotte neighbors to join me on the bus, trolley and train. I want us to embrace mass transportation and reduce our reliance on the car culture. I want to be able to rely on alternative forms of transportation as a safe and convenient options, for young inexperienced drivers as well as more seasoned, and tired drivers.- I want public transportation to increase travel across the city and make it easier to enjoy all corners of our community.
I want experiences
- I want our leaders to create opportunities for us to enjoy more experiences together as a city. I want us to invest in more musical, dramatic and movement performances, parades and ball-games, rather than relying on shopping as our entertainment.
I want to eat right
I want to be able to buy healthy foods, both for home and when dining out.- I want to support locally sourced, sustainable food, from people who love this community. I want it served in a relaxed atmosphere.
I want to Simplify … everything
- I want us to consume less so we can enjoy more.
- I want to attract and support retailers who appreciate the value of durable offerings with many uses rather than trendy and flashy sale items.
- I want us to develop a culture where we can wear the same thing no matter where we go and be treated with respect and dignity whether it’s our house of worship, the park or the city bus.
These are my seven, what are yours? What do you see for our city?
We are doing some of this now, but is it enough? Will the current changes get in front of the Grey Tsunami?
Some say, “Just give us wider roads and larger parking lots,” but I disagree. That would not be right for our city, our environment, or our children.
Are there other things you would add to my list? How will everyone adjust as our city adds 400,000 more people by 2040?
As always, the conversation starts here.
“In the ordinary choices of every day we begin to change the direction of our lives.” – Eknath Easwaran
Epilogue
Have you visited the city of Hull, on the east coast of England? Hull is the sister city of Raleigh. Hull is also a city with a bright future, thanks to the vision of it’s leaders. Can Charlotte do this?
I want a community where cultural diversity is as important as age diversity. I want integrated neighborhoods, integrated communities, leading to an outcome of naturally integrated schools. I want there to be a central square where spontaneous happenings can occur (musicians, zumba, African drumming, poetry readings, mime). I want open space and green space and parks and food trucks. I want to be able to walk and bike everywhere. I want another central location, closed — preferably the library with open terraces, small meeting places, gathering places for conversation, meetings, coffee, wine and an ongoing curriculum of classes, films, lectures,… Read more »
Barbara –
The community you are looking for can be here in Charlotte if we all begin the conversation. You are not being idealistic, you are looking for a city our children and grandchildren will enjoy calling home. If we don’t build it, someone else will, and our friends and family will move.
Share the story, share your view, and let’s expand the circle of discussion..
The “only shame will be low aim.”
– Bruce
I’m glad you are embracing the “age-friendly” concept for Charlotte. Might I also suggest that you consider another phrase to substitute for “Grey Tsunami”? I suggest this in a ChangingAging.org blog post:
http://changingaging.org/blog/turning-the-tide-on-the-silver-tsunami/.
Jeanette –
Thanks for reading Keep Charlotte Friendly. I like your idea of a Silver Reservoir.
You write: “Imagine opening up to elders the floodgates of opportunity so wide that the energy and power of all that pent-up wisdom and experience inundate society, creating new businesses that hire millions of young people; offering innovative, multi-perspective solutions to longstanding social problems; and providing multitudes of volunteers for nonprofit causes.” Brava, well said.
Thanks for joining the discussion.
– Bruce
I know how lucky I am living in Dilworth, a great spot for me as I age! Good thoughts Bruce!
Suzi – Thanks for the comment. Yes, Dilworth is a wonderful neighborhood. We are fortunate in Charlotte to have so many neighborhoods with nearby parks, shopping, public transportation and opportunities for everyone. The challenge will be for all of our neighbors to enjoy the Charlotte we love – to connect us in ways that unite us as we continue to Keep Charlotte Friendly. Then we can be “age-friendly” … together. It’s the right thing to do! – Bruce P.S. There is an image in the story above of age-friendly people supporting each other with healthy activity. They have a wonderful… Read more »
Thanks for creating and engaging conversation around important issues. Your blog title assumes that Charlotte is friendly. There are certainly friendly people in Charlotte, but in a broad sense, I would beg to differ. My hopes and dreams for our community are similar to the one’s Barbara listed, but it is important to acknowledge where our community stands today. We have been shown to rank terribly low on racial trust and social mobility. One only has to attend a school board meeting or the non discrimination ordinance meeting to see a fractured community. There is so much emotion and vitriol… Read more »
Tracy – Thank you for joining the discussion. Of course you are right. I am sick of turning on my TV to be blasted with the division you speak of. But as I say in my Meet Bruce section on this site, “We need to talk to each other more. Not to shout, but to sit down over a virtual cup of tea or coffee for a meaningful conversation, first to understand – and to smile and laugh with each other more.” That is the friendly Charlotte I want, and I can tell by your comment, along with Barbara’s and… Read more »
I agree and identify with so many of the comments and examples above. Building healthy community with one another may be the way we achieve success in most all of these areas. It becomes increasingly difficult to be optimistic, however, when one looks around at the ways we are dividing ourselves. Fear is growing toward people who don’t look like we do, or dress like us or eat the same foods, or speak the same language or worship in the same way. It can be downright depressing! It’s a challenge to be deliberate in looking for ways to get to… Read more »
Linda – Thank you for joining the discussion. “… moving outside our comfort zone is daunting. How do I start?” is the key question you have identified, “…Working to build community and extending hospitality may be the most important first steps.” Choices Do Matter. Making the choice to try a different restaurant in a different neighborhood, visit a different public park, even occasionally attend a different worship experience with a different faith. I am reminded of Mark Twain’s quote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…” We need to travel more, even if it is only out of our… Read more »