EPA Recognizes Philadelphia Corporation for Aging with Age-Friendly Commitment Award

EPA Recognizes Four Communities’ Efforts to Improve Seniors’ Health Through Sustainability

Commitment Award Winner:

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, Pennsylvania

PCA received this award as a result of its leadership in bringing together city planners, public health experts, and nonprofit leaders to collaboratively create the Age-friendly Philadelphia agenda, which is based upon EPA’s Aging Initiative model.

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Philadelphia has the highest proportion of older persons (age 60+) of any of the ten largest cities in the United States. To meet the needs of Philadelphia's elders, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA), the Area Agency on Aging, developed an integrated research, planning and policy agenda called Age-friendly Philadelphia, based on the U. S. EPA's Aging Initiative model. Researchers determined that the four EPA model principles (Staying Active connected and Engaged; Development and Housing; Transportation and Mobility; and Staying Healthy) were related to positive health and quality of life outcomes among older Philadelphians.

With this information in hand, a wide array of private, not-for-profit, and government agencies has committed to creating an Age-friendly Philadelphia focusing on five target areas: government policies that provide a high quality of life for persons of all ages; a built environment that facilitates safety and social connectedness; an aging network that considers the effect of the environment on the well-being of their consumers; universities that partner with the community to create cutting edge research; and emerging leaders from all fields who incorporate older adults in their work (www.genphilly.org).  Examples of collaborative projects include: the Age-friendly Parks Checklist, promoting accessory dwelling units in the new zoning code, developing age-friendly bus shelters, and increasing access to community gardens and urban farms.

 "This is an exciting time in Philadelphia. Organizations that haven't usually worked together are finding common purpose around aging issues. I'm proud to be a part of this movement that addresses issues such as community planning and greening the urban environment, which support people of all ages."
-- Skip Voluntad, age 80, Chair of the PCA Asian Advisory Committee.

Special thanks go to the many GenPhilly members leading some of these award winning initiatives.