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By: EYA Homes on July 11th, 2022
If you're over 50 and wondering whether a change to a more active urban lifestyle is right for you, consider this: studies often find that living in a walkable neighborhood may slow down aging and promote both health and happiness.
Living in a walkable neighborhood where you are able to do your grocery shopping and other errands on foot makes it easier to squeeze in the CDC's recommended 30 minutes of daily walking. And walking can have many health benefits for people over 50, from reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease to building bone density and protecting joint mobility. Walking briskly for an hour a day promotes weight loss and studies show that people who live in walkable neighborhoods are less likely to be obese.
Learn about EYA's walkable neighborhoods
One of the biggest benefits of living in a walkable neighborhood may be the mental health boost it provides. On the one hand, walking every day has been shown to strengthen brain function to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other age-related forms of dementia and memory loss. But walking may also make people happier and reduce their risk for depression. These mental effects are partly due to their impact on our body’s improved functioning (walking can make us more alert and fit), but also because walking often increases social interactions with other people.
In fact, there’s a lot of evidence that people who walk in their neighborhoods feel more connected to their community, and being connected to a community is known to make people mentally more resilient and better able to cope with adverse events such as illness or job loss. And even if you don’t meet anyone in particular during these walks, routine encounters with “familiar strangers,” such as neighbors who are out walking their dog in the morning when you are headed to the Metro, can turn into stronger neighborly bonds over time, or even friendships.
While these are some of the many benefits of an urban lifestyle, not all walkable neighborhoods are the same. In order to realize some of these advantages, urban designers say neighborhoods should have plenty of access to green spaces, common-use areas and safe pedestrian crossings. Finally, a walkable neighborhood should promote enjoyment – with the opportunity to engage with neighbors, have easy access to shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation, as well as meaningful destinations.
Choosing a neighborhood that meets your particular needs is perhaps the most important thing of all. If you’re over 50 and recently gained back some time after the kids moved out, you might want to live in an area where you can walk to a diverse selection of restaurants or entertainment venues with live music or a museum. Some neighborhoods offer a wide variety of learning options like yoga or art classes, or volunteering opportunities.
At EYA, we appreciate that walkability offers important benefits to individuals as well as to entire communities — so much so, that we’ve designed all our new neighborhoods to deliver “life within walking distance®.” To find a walkable EYA neighborhood that's right for you, take our Neighborhood Quiz.
March 8, 2023
If you are considering an elevator townhome, you may have questions such as what are the benefits of an in-home elevator and what type of maintenance is needed. In this brand new guide, we'll walk you through frequently asked questions and provide a Q&A with industry professionals. Plus, you can hear directly from EYA homeowners about why having an in-home elevator is important to them. Click here to view the guide.
December 20, 2022
As we welcome a New Year at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, many of us see the calendar starting again as a chance to instill our own new beginnings. An annual time to reassess and realign our goals, it’s also a chance to recharge, reset, and reflect on our habits, mindsets, and lifestyle. At the heart of most resolutions lists is a hope to find an overall healthier and happier lifestyle. Often this can be achieved by incorporating and practicing wellness in our daily lives. Hygge (pronounced hue-gah), a Danish inspired design trend, aims to do just that. This 18th century concept focuses on enjoying life’s simplest pleasures through contentment, warmth, and togetherness.
November 30, 2022
When searching for a new home, many factors influence where and how you want to live—from location and price, to choosing the features that are important to you now, and in the future. One feature that can truly transform a home and elevate your lifestyle (pun intended!) is an in-home private elevator, offering added convenience, safety, and more years to enjoy your home. Watch the video below to hear EYA homeowners explain why an in-home elevator is important for them and learn more about the benefits this feature can offer.
October 17, 2022
People who are exploring a new place to live often focus on tangible, measurable considerations: The size of their desired home and the cost of their rent or mortgage; the school choices for their children; or the availability of particular amenities like Metro access. That makes sense, of course, since these factors are often non-negotiable items that affect our bottom line. A far less tangible factor that’s just as important for wellbeing and happiness is the community we become part of: The people we see every day or even a few times a month, the shops and restaurants we regularly frequent, and the essential workers who keep our neighborhoods safe and running smoothly.