A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES PROGRAM; APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO THE AARP AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE; AND FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATION TO PROCEED WITH THE REQUIRED PLANNING PHASE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

Data suggests that if an individual reaches 65 years of age, it is likely this individual will live until 85. Miami-Dade County has the largest number of older adult residents in Florida (nearly half a million are age 60 or older), and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years. How well Miami-Dade responds to the aging phenomenon will depend on how well we prepare our communities to do so.

The AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities encourages states, cities, towns and rural areas to prepare for the rapid aging of the American population by paying increased attention to the environmental, economic and social factors that influence the health and well-being of older adults. This network is part of the larger World Health Organization (WHO) Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. The WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (the Network) was established to foster the exchange of experience and mutual learning between cities and communities worldwide.

The Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative launched its Action Plan for an Age-Friendly Miami-Dade. The overarching goal of this plan and for the Initiative is to create a community for all ages, where older adults in Miami-Dade can stay active and healthy with dignity and enjoyment. The Action Plan was developed using a results-based accountability framework to guide the collaboration among the Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative partner organizations, which include the AARP Florida, Alliance for Aging, Miami-Dade County, Health Foundation of South Florida, United Way of Miami-Dade and Urban Health Partnerships.

Currently, there are more than 200 cities and counties in the United States that are listed as part of the network. Miami-Dade County joined the network in November 2016. The following Miami-Dade County communities are members of the network:

    ? Coral Gables (May 2018)

    ? Cutler Bay (March 2016)

    ? Miami (August 2018)

    ? Miami-Dade County (November 2016)

    ? Miami Lakes (June 2018)

    ? Miami Shores (November 2018)

    ? Palmetto Bay (March 2017)

    ? Pinecrest (July 2016)

Across the globe, people are living longer and populations are growing older. Miami-Dade has the largest population of older adults in the State of Florida with more than half a million older adults age 60 and over. This population is expected to continue to grow to more than 800,000 people by 2040, representing 25% of the County’s total population (Source: Florida Population Studies: Population Projections by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin for Florida and Its Counties 2015-2040 with Estimates for 2013, University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research).

Unfortunately, most communities were not built for this shift in demographics. Our economies, policies, and communities were not designed to accommodate an aging population of this size or prepare it to age in place. Our response to this significant population shift will rely heavily on how well we prepare and engage all segments of our community including government, businesses and residents. Members of the Age-Friendly Communities Initiative commit to making their community more age-friendly by taking the following steps:

Step 1: Entering the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities by submitting an application and a corresponding letter of commitment to the initiative’s goals.

Step 2: Conducting a planning phase that has four elements:

1. Identifying the mechanisms to involve older people throughout the City’s Age-Friendly effort;

2. Conducting a baseline assessment of the City’s age-friendliness;

3. Developing a 3-year citywide plan of action based on the assessment findings; and

4. Identifying progress indicators to enable the monitoring of the initiative’s progress.

Step 3: Implementing our community’s action plan within two years of joining the network and submitting it to WHO for review and endorsement. Upon endorsement by WHO, our community would have three years to implement the action plan and submit a progress report to WHO.

Step 4: Continuously seeking ways to stay connected to the network and build upon efforts.

The plan will have eight domains of focus with the overarching goal of involving a series of policy, systems and environment changes and actions that ultimate ensure our community is inclusive and accessible to adults of all ages. The domains include:

1. Outdoor spaces and buildings

2. Transportation

3. Housing

4. Social participation

5. Respect and social inclusion

6. Civic participation and employment

7. Communication and information

8. Community and health system

The Age-Friendly Communities Initiative aligns with Objective 7: Advance Public Health Priorities, Action 29: Respect Our Elders of the Resilient 305 Plan.

The Age-Friendly Communities Initiative provides a framework that prepares our community to best serve its aging citizenry and institutionalizes these efforts across service domains while aligning with and reinforcing its commitment to resiliency and the Resilient 305 Plan.