Westwood and Liberty become Gold Level Communities for All Ages

To achieve Gold Level status, Westwood applied an age-inclusive lens to their recently adopted communications plan. The goal of the communications plan is to build awareness of city programs and initiatives, transparently tell the story of the city’s plans, and be the leading source of information for residents, including Communities for All Ages programming.

To achieve Gold Level status, Liberty applied an age-inclusive lens to their recently adopted Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Imagine Liberty 2032. “Net inclusivity” was a guiding principle for parks, greenways and trails rejuvenation, and the city implemented a “Liberty for All” community-guided visioning process.

To date, 23 jurisdictions in the Kansas City metro area have achieved distinction as Communities for All Ages: seven Bronze, three Silver and 13 Gold.

The Communities for All Ages recognition program was developed by the First Suburbs Coalition and KC Communities for All Ages — two groups convened by MARC to develop programs and tools to help communities respond to a rapid increase in the older adult population and make communities more welcoming for all age groups. The program is available to all cities and counties in the nine-county MARC region.