I recently visited Newport Beach in Southern California to see whether entrepreneurial heritage, tempered exclusivity and resilience can be successfully coupled in order to establish a unique urban brand.

New research data such as this from the Sapienza University of Rome shows that due to demographic changes, the new accessibility design codes are out of date by the time the ink has dried. We are living for longer, re-entering the work force after retirement, setting up new businesses in our sixties, doing post graduate studies in our seventies, and so on. Today we are “actively ageing”.  The data on the needs of our changing population is clear. In the next 10 years the New Zealand population over the age of 65 will increase from 16% to 20%. Therefore, the provision of accessible assets in our urban environments will need to increase. Here I recommend five ways we can improve accessibility in the built environment, so we are future-ready.