My favorite of our classroom experiences week 7-9 was our outing to Barrio Logan. Our other outing took us to established organizations and curated tours which had their own intrigue and set of meaningful experiences. Particularly the interpersonal aspect of being welcomed into another’s home and getting a glimpse into how policy and advocacy for wellness later in life has affected their day to day experience living in San Diego and their quality of life at an advanced age. This outing, however, brought a level of autonomy and application of the course content and readings I deeply enjoyed. From the beginning of our excursion meeting at the trolley to surveying the neighborhood by foot it felt fantastic to connect with the concepts of neighborhood and urban development in terms of our own city.
Additionally, walking through the neighborhood not only during this assignment but in the rest of San Diego after this experience I found myself watching the city with a new set of eyes. For me, an unkept sidewalk littered with debris barely registered but during this experience I saw them entirely differently. Looking at cracked sidewalks or a lack of grocery stores or parks as a passing thought but as defining issues of accessibility and life quality. Especially for the elderly and physically disabled. Another interesting change in perspective was the application of casual gathering spaces and their importance to a neighborhood culture and supporting the interconnectedness of a community and intergenerational connection which- as we learned in class- lead to a plethora of health and emotional benefits for all involved. Finally, I really appreciated Jon’s knowledge of ADA requirements and inner workings of transit which I knew nothing about.
Additionally, walking through the neighborhood not only during this assignment but in the rest of San Diego after this experience I found myself watching the city with a new set of eyes. For me, an unkept sidewalk littered with debris barely registered but during this experience I saw them entirely differently. Looking at cracked sidewalks or a lack of grocery stores or parks as a passing thought but as defining issues of accessibility and life quality. Especially for the elderly and physically disabled. Another interesting change in perspective was the application of casual gathering spaces and their importance to a neighborhood culture and supporting the interconnectedness of a community and intergenerational connection which- as we learned in class- lead to a plethora of health and emotional benefits for all involved. Finally, I really appreciated Jon’s knowledge of ADA requirements and inner workings of transit which I knew nothing about.