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AARP-NAHB Awards Honor ‘Livable’ Community Design
 Co-sponsored by AARP and NAHB, the new Livable Communities Awards have been created to shine a spotlight on builders, remodelers and developers who build homes and communities with features that improve everyday comfort, safety and personal independence for those who live in them.
The award program was announced Feb. 9 by AARP CEO Bill Novelli during an address to NAHB’s Board of Directors in Orlando, Fla.
Novelli celebrated the multi-generational benefits of a design-for-all approach to home and community development. “Whether you’re a toddler, a teen with a backpack, a dad cooking dinner or a great grandparent using a walker, insightful home and community design can greatly improve your day. We hope this award will give building professionals an incentive to explore and employ new design approaches.”
The award will be presented annually for projects that incorporate such aspects as:
- Design elements that accommodate the needs of all residents, with all levels of physical ability — from children through grandparents
- Easy access to community services and features such as retail, restaurants, medical, social and cultural activities, as well as viable transportation options
- Improved energy efficiency and enhanced site design
- Better communication with key stakeholders
“I expect NAHB members to respond very enthusiastically to this award, which is backed by two strong organizations,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. “For those who are building a leading-edge home or community, this is an opportunity to show the world that your product is the best in the business.”
The Livable Communities Awards will honor winners in each of the three industry sectors — builders, developers and remodelers — for small and large projects.
Sponsors are seeking applicants that reflect the full diversity of the home building industry: single- and multifamily builders and remodelers, developers of large and small communities, for-profit and nonprofit, and family-run and corporate entities. Winning projects must have been completed and opened or eligible for occupancy between Jan. 1, 2005 and June 1, 2007.
A panel of expert judges appointed by NAHB and AARP will review the applications and select the finalists. Judging criteria vary from category to category, but points will be awarded based on: universal design features, ease of maintenance and energy efficiency, exterior design and landscaping/site design, incorporation of livable community design features, and stakeholder involvement. Winners will be reviewed to determine that they are good corporate citizens and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations at the federal, state and local level.
Applications for the first Livable Communities Awards are due by June 1. Winners will be announced in the 2008 January-February issue of AARP The Magazine, the largest circulation magazine in America.
For more information, e-mail Blake Smith, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8583; or click here (nahb.org/livablecommunities).
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