Just a number?: Aging demographics and the development review process

Abstract

With every year the demographic profile of Canada grows older and, with this, our approach to planning age-friendly communities must grow wiser. Planning initiatives exist for improving communities to serve the needs of older adults, particularly persons 65+. While older adults are much like any other citizen, differences exist in the areas of disability, health, independence, diversity, inequality, mobility and economics. Many of these considerations become especially pressing over 85. By 2050, Canada is projected to experience a tripling of persons 85+, the cohort with the most specific housing and health needs. The scope of this research is the planning processes of small (<15,000 population) incorporated municipalities in British Columbia (BC), governed by the Local Government Act (LGA). In the context of the housing crisis and changing legislation, this thesis recommends strategies for incorporating age-friendly goals into community building through the development review process (DRP) to maximize implementation.