Great communities do not happen by accident. They are shaped by deliberate decisions, and when communities get these things right, the benefits extend across generations.
Utah is at a moment when these decisions carry particular weight. The state’s population of aging adults is growing at an accelerating rate. But communities have the opportunity now to prepare for this increase in their older populations.
One approach is through their general plans. Municipal and county general plans establish a framework for a community’s future by identifying a shared vision among its residents.
They don’t all do this. Only about one-third of counties and about one in five municipalities have general plans that include concrete aging strategies. Furthermore, some plans may be outdated. However, about half of Utah’s county general plans and nearly three-quarters of municipal ones were created or updated in the last decade.
Report Highlights
- Utah’s communities are aging, and they have the opportunity to prepare for this increase in their older populations.
- In Utah, the counties with the highest percentage of older residents tend to be those with the smallest populations, or those in rural and frontier areas.
- Municipal general plans establish a framework for a community’s future by identifying a shared vision among its residents, and should be revisited at least every 10 years.
- Nearly one-third of counties and about one in five municipalities have general plans that include concrete aging strategies.
- About half of Utah’s county general plans and nearly three-quarters of municipal ones were created or updated in the last decade.
Read more in Part I, Preparing for Utah’s Aging Population: A General Plan Inventory.
Part II examines the specific policies included in Utah’s general plans that support aging populations. That report highlights approaches already in use across Utah communities and identifies strategies that may be useful for other cities and towns as they plan for an aging population.