Proposal for a Vibrant Community

Introduction
Positive psychology deals with the study of what makes life meaningful and worth living.
The main focus is on human thoughts, feelings and behavior. In this school of thought,
psychologists aim to enhance the quality of life and help people build a good life. The focus is to
ensure that people’s lives are continually improved. Instead of waiting until people experience
the dark side of life for interventions to be applied, interventions are applied to people living
normal lives and helped to improve the quality of their lives. Although the school of thought of
positive psychology has been criticized and openly opposed, there are changes in society that are
founded on its tenets. Communities are now being developed in light of positive living and with
positive aging in mind. Communities are increasingly striving to become livable by embracing
designs in which every member can age successfully, positive, and has the opportunity to
flourish. Communities are enhancing the living experiences of their members by providing
supportive and healthy relationships among community members, proving optimal physical and
mental health, also by providing new learning experiences, community involvement, and a sense
of purpose and meaning of life among the members. Communities such as the Serenbe
Community in Atlanta and Carefree Cove community in North Carolina have provided an
environment for positive living and aging. This proposal explains the importance of adopting a
positive framework for building a vibrant community, how such a community increases the
members positive aging and living experiences, and the elements needed to create the
community.
Positive living and aging in a community

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Populations are increasingly advancing in age, and successful aging is becoming a very
important concept. Older adults in today’s generation expect to live well and age positively.
Aging successfully is only possible if their physical and mental wellbeing is well maintained and
the quality of life enhanced (Musich et al., 2018). in today’s society, the drivers of positive living
and aging are not completely understood. However, the benefits of aging well in the community
are recognizable. There exist a few communities that support positive living and aging, and the
larger population has experienced firsthand how positive living contributes to positive aging.
Most importantly, successful and positive aging is more than the absence of disease and
disability and longevity. Positive aging is a broad concept that includes psychological wellbeing,
physical functionality, as well as a person’s overall health.
Positive living largely entails having goals, a feeling that life has meaning and a sense of
direction. It is about being able to experience positive subjective experiences. According to Park
& Peterson (2008), positive subjective experiences include fulfilment and satisfaction, flow and
happiness in life. When a person is in an environment or space where their wants and needs are
being fulfilled, then they achieve happiness. Additionally, a meaningful life is characterized by
an ability to achieve a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. Happiness in positive
psychology is seen as an emotion that is rooted at the moment. Thus, positive living entails being
able to experience happiness in the present. It is a present-oriented experience. Meaningfulness,
on the other hand, is more complex. It entails being able to focus on the future and the past and
see how the two connect to the present. Thus, when it comes to positive living and aging, a
person needs to look at themselves a few years in the future and see that what they are doing in
the present connects with the future. This helps give a person a sense of direction.

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 4
Further, the ultimate goal of positive living is to achieve positive states. It is about
achieving positive states and consequently satisfying lives in the presence or absence of
challenges. People are able to live and age positively when positive states and subjective positive
experiences align (Scott et al., 2020). The alignment is made possible in the presence of positive
institutions. Communities for positive living and aging are effective in creating spaces where
people experience positive states and subjective positive experiences. Positive living entails
experiencing a quality life.
Positive aging is achieved through engaging in active and continued engagement in
productive and social life. In most cases, aging comes with retirement and reduced activity.
When one is deprived of the opportunity to be actively engaged in productive work or in social
activities, their chances of aging positively are reduced (Scott et al., 2020). The assumption that
older adults have reduced energy and capacity to function optimally is flawed and is a threat to
positive aging. Studies show that older adults have huge capacity reserves, and their functionality
and productivity does not reduce simply because of aging. In fact, aging is another stage of
development. The Selection, optimization and compensation theory holds that aging presents
some losses and some gains (Scott et al., 2020). Positive aging occurs when older adults are able
to successfully compensate losses with gains. Gains are usually evidenced through the
development of tangible skills and by being placed in a supportive environment that does not
hinder their productivity. Tangible support in some instances may even include technological or
social support being made available to older adults.
Positive aging is a reflection of an individual’s ability to maintain and cultivate wellbeing
throughout different stages in life. Positive aging is thus a psychological mindset whereby an
individual is able to develop a positive attitude towards a decline in functionality. A person is

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 5
able to counter age-related declines by developing psychological declines and looking for new
ways to remain productive and compensate for lost capabilities and potentials. Theories of
successful aging hold that activity engagement increases wellbeing later in life (Scott et al.,
2020). this occurs despite declines in a person’s functionality. Attending to different daily tasks
is one way of ensuring that one has an outlet for purposeful activity. The activities that one
engages in during old age do not have to be complicated. However, they should enhance their
productivity and be meaningful to ensure that they do not lose their sense of direction in life.
Positive aging is made possible by engaging in purposeful activity, which is directly
associated with mental stimulation, self-esteem, and a person’s self-esteem. Thus, it is important
to establish activities that stimulate people. Mental stimulation helps develop interest. It helps
ensure that a person can attach meaning to the activity that they are engaging in, as this also
helps ensure that they look forward to taking part in activities. Based on this, it is imperative to
have communities that offer programs and support for activities that enhance positive living and
aging (Scott et al., 2020). Such communities may have gardens, fields for horse riding, spaces for
bicycle riding, fitness centres, and spaces where members meet and interact with one another.
Depending on the individual needs of the community, available space and interests of members,
more activities can be introduced within these communities. The aim is to ensure that people live
and work in positive institutions where they are supported in experiencing positive states and
positive subjective experiences.
Living and Aging Fashionably within Intergenerational Communities
Intergenerational communities are age-friendly communities whose main emphasis is on
physical and social environments that support social and physical activities among individuals of
all ages (Buffel et al., 2014). These communities promote social integration, cooperation, and

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 6
interaction among community members of all age groups. The main focus is on the individual
needs of all residents with a particular interest in children and older adults. It is a place-based
approach to building a community that focuses on a distinct geographical area such as a town,
neighbourhood, or county. Further, intergenerational communities have been proven to be an
effective strategy through which social cohesion, social connectedness, and civic participation
can be achieved (Buffel et al., 2014). When older adults have increased opportunities for civic
participation, their overall emotional and physical health may be improved. Different
organizations have identified the benefits of intergenerational communities and have initiatives
to construct such communities that are widely being adopted. For example, Generations of Hope
is an intergenerational community model. One is already in place in Portland, and the model is
designed to support vulnerable families.
Intergenerational communities are structured in such a way that people from different
generations take part in an intergenerational practice where activities are designed with the goal
of benefiting everyone across different ages. Relations among members living within
intergenerational communities are based on sharing (Buffel et al., 2014). They are designed to
address intergenerational learning practice and may, for example, provide learning opportunities
with educational outcomes to young people. They may also include care and support initiatives
for the elderly, which are designed in such a way that they help meet specific mental and
physical health needs of the older population. Additionally, they may include community-based
programs that will help address certain issues such as social exclusion and neighbourhood
regeneration. Given these features, intergenerational communities provide an environment that
supports positive living and aging. The diverse needs of members across various age groups and
generations are met. Members learn to share their time and resources and enjoy different

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 7
activities together. The environment nurtures the experience of positive states as well as positive
subjective experiences.
Intergenerational communities provide an opportunity for tended support exchanges.
People are able to experience positive states because they have the support they need. Also,
feelings of loneliness often associated with living in isolated neighborhoods, especially among
older adults, are eliminated (Silverstein et al., 2006). People have the company of their children,
parents, grandparents, grandchildren and the feeling of connectedness enhances positive living
and aging. Emotional cohesion is achieved. People have an opportunity to experience social
cohesion and emotional cohesion through close interactions with family members as well as with
other members of the community. Thus, intergenerational communities allow for emotional
cohesion, and this is necessary for close family interactions where positive states are shared and
experienced together.
However, some scholars have argued that intergenerational communities may not be all
that effective when it comes to creating an environment for positive living and aging.
Intergenerational ambivalence has identified certain forces that shape family life (Silverstein et
al., 2006). for example, there are institutional pressures such as work demands that compete for a
person’s resources and time, thus causing stress. Ambivalence has negative consequences in
intergenerational relationships (Silverstein et al., 2006). Besides, sibling ties tend to be stronger
than many other relationships among family members and are thus subject to feelings of
inconsistency. Further, in terms of relational perspectives, some members of the family may
view themselves as altruistic providers of support where they give more support to other family
members and receive or depend less on the support from the family members. Additionally,
emotional ties between people who are married do not remain the same over the course of their

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 8
union or marriage. Studies show that marital happiness declines after the first few years of
marriage (Silverstein et al., 2006). When people have already been married for twenty years, the
level of happiness is relatively low compared to when they first got married. The belief that
marital quality tends to rebound in later stages of life is not based on empirical evidence. Thus,
when such changes occur, the ties within intergenerational communities are affected. It is even
worse when the couple decides to divorce as the family is disintegrated and some members have
to leave the community.
However, despite the few challenges that may face the success of intergenerational
communities, these communities have many advantages that by far outweigh the few
disadvantages. Older adults depend heavily on intergenerational transfer. They thrive in the
company of their children and grandchildren. The community feeling gives them a sense of
security and purpose in life. Older adults also facilitate intergenerational transfers (Zeldin et al.,
2015). They offer support in raising their grandchildren and help in the payment of taxes. They
provide spaces where children, young adults, and older adults have an opportunity to form
meaningful relationships and sustain them. They allow for interpersonal processes through which
individuals are able to form sustained and close emotional and instrumental relationships (Zeldin
et al., 2015). The positive outcomes associated with being a member of an intergenerational
community include positive states. People find a sense of direction and meaning in their lives,
and this contributes to positive living and aging.
Recommendations
The organizations should aim at creating a biophilic community. A community that
supports positive living and aging should enhance wellness by ensuring that members are
connected to nature. If possible, the community should be established within an originally green

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 9
and forested area. If not possible, the aim should be to create a green community, preserve the
natural landscape and work towards making the community as natural as possible. Thus, the
community should provide proximity to urban amenities and services. The creation of the
community should adopt a biophilic architectural design to enhance easy access to the natural
world (Gorman, 2020). As part of preserving nature, rues should be implemented to help ensure
that the unique ecological element of nature is preserved. For example, community members
should not have green lawns that are dependent on large amounts of agrochemicals or even large
amounts of water through irrigation. Instead, the members should focus on having water-smart
landscapes that enhance the conservation of water resources. Also, options of having edible and
native vegetation should be made viable so as to maximize vegetation uses. Nature provides an
opportunity for people to interact as they consume edible vegetation (Gorman, 2020). Children
also have ample space to play together. People can bask outside and take strolls in the small
forests within the neighborhood. As they enjoy nature, they also get an opportunity to create
social bonds, and these are necessary for positive living and aging.
Based on the Serenbe model, nature is an asset that can be used to enhance wellness. The
community should comprise complementary commercial centres whose main focus should be
ensuring members live well (Krieger, 2020). the community should include arts for inspiration.
Arts help showcase the creative side of people. They also help inspire creativity by encouraging
people to come up with creative and original pieces. Art also provides entertainment to other
members of the community. Further, when there is room for the development of culinary, visual,
and performing arts, members of the community will have various avenues to showcase their
talents, stimulate themselves and even enjoy the creativity of others. Art also creates avenues
where people come together to do and enjoy an activity that they live. This enhances interaction.

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Further, the conservation of resources should be prioritized. Homes should include
greywater recycling systems or other systems that help recycle water for home use. Thus, water
wastage is reduced. Additionally, the community should include a blackwater recycling system.
Instead of storing waste in septic tanks or connecting their sewer lines to those managed by the
municipal councils, the community should have a system that recycles waste through a unique
vegetated wetland ecosystem. Additionally, heating and cooling systems in homes account for
huge amounts of carbon iv dioxide released into the atmosphere. To reduce pollution,
homeowners should be encouraged to reduce overreliance on HAC units as they are energy-
intensive. Instead, the homes should b fitted with ground source heat pumps to facilitate heating
and cooling when the need arises. Such a system would help ensure that homes within the
wellness community will be energy efficient, and this is necessary when establishing green and
sustainable communities (Krieger, 2020). When homes rely on heat pumps, there will be a
significant reduction in the carbon footprint of individuals living with the community.
Create walkable and livable communities and reduce overreliance on city commutes and
cars. The community should incorporate walking trails that are easily accessible by all members
of the community, including those living with a disability. The health of the community is their
happiness (Krieger, 2020). Walkable neighborhoods reduce the risk of lifestyle illnesses such as
diabetes, heart disease and reduces the risk of developing obesity (Krieger, 2020). Walkable
communities incentivize walking as opposed to the use of cars. Walking has health benefits.
Walking is thus a great ingredient to positive living and aging as it helps individuals remain
physically active. Also, it becomes possible to incorporate physical exercises into one’s daily
routine. It is possible, for example, to exercise on the way to work or to drop children to school.

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 11
Additionally, more amenities within the neighborhood become easily accessible to pedestrians. It
is also a way of reducing traffic congestion as there are many travel alternatives.
Additionally, walkable neighborhoods are sustainable and help reduce pollution. Walking
and cycling do not emit any amount of carbon iv oxide. Fossil fuels which help run vehicles,
account for the largest percentage of emissions (Krieger, 2020). Thus, walkable neighborhoods
allow residents to reduce emitting pollutant gas by opting to walk. There are double benefits. The
environment is conserved, and at the same time, one is able to maintain good health. Besides,
walking is economical. Cars are a very expensive asset and very demanding when it comes to
maintenance. When the neighborhood is walkable, the need to have a car will be reduced.
Residents will have alternative options to travel ad this will significantly reduce the cost incurred
in purchasing and maintaining a car. An added advantage of living in walkable neighborhoods is
that the opportunity for interactions is increased (Krieger, 2020). As people walk to the grocery
store or walk for leisure, they interact with their neighbors, and this helps enhance social
interaction and engagement. These are necessary when it comes to positive living and aging as it
becomes possible to establish and maintain a strong social network.
Importance of Creating a Vibrant Community
Vibrancy within a community largely depends on the health and wellbeing of its
members. A vibrant community is a healthy community. A healthy community is one where
members have numerous readily available and accessible opportunities to make healthy choices;
they live in a safe environment that is free from violence, one whose design is in such a way that
it promotes health (Ford et al., 2020). Creating a vibrant community is important. The place
where people live, play and work matters a lot to their overall well-being. According to a report
by the Vitalyst Health Foundation, there are fourteen elements of a vibrant community (Ford et

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 12
al., 2020). When society cultivates, coordinates, and aligns all the elements with intention, then
communities prosper and thrive. The elements include access to health care, safety, quality,
affordable housing, economic and educational opportunities, quality healthy affordable food,
environmental quality, social justice, space for parks and recreation, travel and transportation
options, resiliency, health equity, social and cultural cohesion and community design.
Elements of a healthy community

Source; (Ford et al., 2020).
It is important to build vibrant communities because it becomes easy to cultivate positive
living when children are still young. As a child grows their ability and willingness to make

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 13
healthy life choices depends on both the accessibility as well as the availability of the healthy
choices (Ford et al., 2020). A vibrant community nurtures vibrancy in children. They grow
knowing what it takes to achieve positive living and use available resources to enhance the
quality of their lives. Vibrancy is achieved when communities have diverse kinds of autonomy,
development, and mobility available (Ford et al., 2020). These include supportive spaces for
personal and community development. For example, the availability of a field where different
kinds of sports are held allows individuals within a community to nurture their talents. They
achieve personal development because the community within which they live support them fully.
The presence of a diverse array of quality, healthy, and affordable foods enhance autonomy and
development. In today’s society, fast and unhealthy foods are readily available and very
affordable (Ford et al., 2020). However, healthy foods are quite pricy. A vibrant community is a
healthy community, and health starts from the food that people eat. Thus, the availability of food
is important, but the food should also be healthy and of different kinds to enhance autonomy.
Thus, a vibrant community should embrace agriculture so that the members consume the foods
that they have produced.
Overall, there are crucial building blocks necessary in establishing a vibrant community
that allows for positive living and aging. The blocks include civic engagement, equity,
community safety, and social cohesion. Social support enhances positive living. Life is
meaningful when one achieves the satisfaction they yearn for both at a personal and social level.
Another crucial block is community safety. Safety starts with having livable and affordable
housing. Also, a secure neighborhood is necessary for positive living and aging because one is
able to experience positive states. A vibrant community allows for positive living and aging

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 14
because the infrastructure within is planned for social connections, sustainability as well as the
wellbeing of the residents.
Conclusion
Overall, vibrant communities are crucial for positive living and aging. It is important to
note that vibrant communities are a product of many components. They are tasking and
demanding to create. The creation of such communities requires adequate planning and
resources. The presence of several vibrant communities shows that it is possible to create many
more and ensure that people live in livable homes where their health and wellbeing are enhanced.
Also, it is a way of enhancing positive living and aging. Organizations should support
communities in creating neighborhoods within which they will thrive. With adequate support,
vibrant communities can be a reality in society.

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Appendix
The community will comprise of the following extra amenities, activities, and resources.
(1) A walkable neighbourhood

(2) Edible vegetation

(3) A Variety of healthy food

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(4) Quality and affordable education

(5) Parks and Recreation

PROPOSAL FOR A VIBRANT COMMUNITY 17

(6)

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