Houston proclaims Age-Friendly Livable Community Network Day, reaffirms 2019 plan

On Oct. 28, 2025, Councilmember Twyla Carter, acting on behalf of Mayor John Whitmire, presented a city proclamation declaring Oct. 28, 2025, Age Friendly Livable Community Network Day and reaffirming Houston’s commitment to its Age-Friendly Livable Community (AFLC) plan adopted in 2019.

Rosalina Martinez, director of community strategy for AARP Texas, said the AFLC network is a global effort to create communities where people of all ages can thrive and noted demographic trends that by 2030 one in five Americans will be 65 or older. “Houston’s recommitment to the age friendly initiative ensures the city continues to prioritize accessibility, intergenerational connection, and inclusion,” Martinez said.

The proclamation presented at the event states that Houston has been a member of AARP’s AFLC network since 2014, that the city’s AFLC plan (adopted in 2019) covers nine domains of livability and includes recommendations developed with more than 100 community stakeholders, and that the city recognizes policies that promote public safety, mobility options and the ability to age in place. Councilmember Carter read the proclamation aloud during the event and formally presented it on behalf of the mayor.

Councilmember Joaquin Martinez reiterated the connection between services for older adults and benefits to the wider community, highlighting park-based initiatives such as a planned fit station at Mason Park and ongoing walkability work. “Initiatives that promote walkability, parks, and livability aren’t just good urban planning. They’re investments in well-being and dignity of our residents,” Martinez said.

Councilmember Julian Ramirez, who chairs the City Council’s Quality of Life Committee, said the committee takes up issues affecting livability for all Houstonians, including seniors, and referenced recent state legislation he said would help protect older residents. Paula Johnson, chief of the Harris County Area Agency on Aging (AAA), described AAA’s work to help older adults remain in their communities, to integrate aging services into emergency planning and to support in-home services such as vaccine delivery during the pandemic.

Event organizers and city officials emphasized voluntary partnerships among city departments, nonprofits and volunteers as the mechanism for implementing many AFLC recommendations. The proclamation and remarks at the event do not, by themselves, change city regulations or budgets; they record the city’s stated intentions and signal continued collaboration with AARP and local partners.

Event hosts closed by thanking volunteers and community partners and encouraging continued collaboration to implement AFLC priorities such as accessible housing, safer streets, and transportation options.