Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard was part of a panel discussion on age-friendly communities at the U.S. Mayors Conference this week in Washington D.C.

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Ballard says the discussion focused on the aging population of the country and the challenges many communities face. The nation's older populations will more than double by 2050 and Ballard says the needs of neighborhoods and communities will change.

Ballard says one of the key discussions was on the mobility: how to allow for seniors to move freely about the community as easily as possible. The two-term Republican says he touted the Cultural Trail and new sidewalks recently completed across the city as ways Indianapolis is helping seniors move around the community.

He says many cities are struggling with the issue of mass transit, he says many grew up in the car-centric suburbs, but now the trend is urban density. He says groups are working together across the country to find ways to make the amenities of cities available to seniors.