What a week! Between the District 13 Special Election primary, the controversy over the newly painted road markings for bikes on Broadway in Newport, and protests in Providence outside the meeting of the National Governors Association encouraging Governor Raimondo to take action on climate… things have been heating up!

Today we’re taking a step back from the busy news week to shift our focus to another area we are working on here at AIPC; Aging in Community. As we explore this topic and the issues faced by our aging population on Aquidneck Island- and what it means for planning- we’d like to start the conversation by highlighting a recent article in the Torontoist. “How Urban Parks Keep Seniors Healthy and Living Longer” shares how the City of Toronto is looking at what they can do to identify and incorporate the needs of their own aging population – in this case, specifically around one of our other favorite topics; Open Space! Have a read and let us know what you think. How can we learn from this kind of research and apply it here on Aquidneck Island? What are some of the things you would like us to be thinking about as we engage our community on this topic?

We look forward to working with our friends at the Edward King House in Newport, and at the Senior Centers in Middletown and Portsmouth as we engage in this critical island-wide area of planning.