Like most peer regions, metropolitan Chicago is aging. Today, more than 1 million area residents are age 65 and older, a number that is growing as baby boomers become seniors. By 2050, that number will increase by 80 percent as people live longer. ON TO 2050 will plan for this shift in many ways, including how the region can meet boomers' and millennials' stated preferences to live in walkable communities where owning a car is optional.