Planning for the Future: The Role of Mobility in Residential and Lifestyle Choices of Baby Boomers and Older Adults

US Transportation Collection2013PDFTech ReportD'Ambrosio, LisaMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States. Department of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationNew England University Transportation CenterUnited StatesAdultsAgedMobilityResidential locationLife stylesRetirementQuality of lifeDecision makingResearch HubMITR22-4This study explores the extent to which Baby Boomers and older adults take mobility and transportation issues into consideration as they make individual residential and lifestyle plans for their future older years. While transportation and urban planners may be aware of what has been called a gray tsunami, little attention has been paid to how individuals weigh mobility in their decisions about living, working and playing in their older years. Yet because mobility is so crucial for continued quality of life, it seems as if it should be a prime factor in decision making for one\u2019s older years \u2013 transportation should be central to questions about whether to age in place, part of a choice to relocate to anTech Report community, and a consideration in decisions about future work and medical issues. This project focuses on the extent to which mobility and transportation issues play into Baby Boomers\u2019 and older adults\u2019 decisions about future residence and lifestyle, and why such issues may be often overlooked rather than explicitly considered.120