Abstract

Many US baby boomers have lived most of their lives in the suburbs, but few suburbs are conducive to the typical needs of retirees. With baby boomers increasing the number of retirees, urban planners have proposed a timely social innovation to transform former industrial cities into walkable residential centers that attract lifelong suburban retirees alongside young professionals. However, such inclusive residential development requires large-scale infrastructure changes in advance of corresponding consumer demand, given that many suburbanites have been conditioned to perceive city residences as undesirable. This chapter argues that management research offers important insights for implementing this type of inclusive social innovation due to the importance of extensive stakeholder coordination and a need for changes in the mindset of suburban baby boomers.