The KC Communities for All Ages Recognition Program was created by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to recognize communities that take steps to improve quality of life for residents of all ages while becoming more vibrant, healthy, and prosperous. Through this program, city and civic leaders will identify and act upon issues and opportunities concerning the aging adult population. We recognize the intrinsic value of the older generation, respect their wisdom and insight, and look to involve them in creating a high standard of living in the community they live. The City of Westwood is proud to have worked with KC Communities for All Ages to achieve:
- Bronze level recognition in Fall 2022;
- Silver level recognition in Spring 2023; and
- Gold level recognition in Fall 2023.
Information regarding the recognition program is available in this Fact Sheet on MARC's website.
An age-friendly community is a great place to grow up and grow old. As America’s population ages, experts believe the most successful and vibrant communities will be those that are age-friendly. These communities allow for greater mobility, productivity, and optimal health and well-being. For more information about how a community can be one for all ages, check out the following resources provided by MARC:
Gold Recognition - Implementation (Fall 2023)
Gold, the highest level of the CFAA program, recognizes communities that formally adopt a major City plan based on the assessment completed at the Silver level. Communities can maintain their recognition status by continuing to implement new elements of their plans. The program encourages communities to respond positively to changing demographics and adopt policy and program approaches that make the region a great place to live and age well.
To achieve these goals - and based on the findings and recommendations of the CFAA Bronze and Silver level activities - the City of Westwood:
- Created a Communications Strategic Plan, to be ready for formal adoption upon creation and adoption of the Governing Body Strategic Plan (read more here about this Summer 2024 process)
- Appointed to the Park Planning Steering Committee multiple CFAA task force members (read more here about the New Feature Park here)
- Incorporated CFAA principles in the Rainbow Blvd. Complete Streets and Traffic Management Plan Study process
- Will keep Westwood's Communities for All Ages goals as a priority during the redevelopment of City Hall (read more here about that active project here)
Silver Recognition - Assessment (Spring 2023)
In early 2023, following recognition at the Bronze level, the City worked with MARC to create a plan of action for assessing existing conditions and implementing a strategic action plan based upon the work performed.
The Silver Level recognition involved conducting a self-assessment of Westwood's existing conditions on a variety of measures relating to our City’s friendliness to the very young, very old, and everyone in between. To do this work, MARC and Westwood staff convened a task force of Westwood residents to review and evaluate the community's current levels of age-friendliness. Task force meetings took place from January - March 2023 and covered the following topics:
- Public outdoor spaces and buildings;
- Housing and commercial development;
- Transportation and mobility;
- Social inclusion, communication, and participation & civic participation and employment; and
- Community and health services.
Following the task force's assessment, MARC created a report to be shared with the task force and community at-large.
To read the CFAA Summary of Recommendations, Suggestions, and Actions, click here.
Bronze Recognition - Awareness (2022)
During this work, the City of Westwood:
• Informed residents about our work toward becoming a Community for All Ages by:
» Making available information on this webpage;
» and making available written materials at City Hall
• Surveyed residents to gather baseline information on the community's perceptions about how age-friendly Westwood is currently. The survey closed Friday, August 5, 2022 and results were presented on August 11th in the presentation linked below.
• Hosted a presentation by MARC on the Communities for All Ages program and discussed the findings of the community survey. This presentation took place at the regular August City Council meeting, on August 11th.
• Hosted a community meeting on October 8, 2022 to discuss the age-friendliness of Westwood.
• Adopted a resolution of the Governing Body to be a community for all ages. This action took place at the regular October City Council meeting, on October 13th. Council Resolution 111-2022
The City of Westwood was officially awarded our Certificate of Recognition as a Bronze Level Community for All Ages at the January 12, 2023 regular City Council meeting.