On Wednesday, May 2, 2018, the Life Course Scholars Cohort had its second site visit of the quarter to Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista. During this visit, the cohort performed another LEG exercise, as we had previously done with the residents of Casa de Manana. In addition, we participated in Zumba as we had done during our previous visit to Bayside.
During the LEG exercise, I was paired with a woman named Jacqueline, a woman named Tammie, as well as Jackie from our cohort. We also were paired with a man, but I did not manage to learn his name. As we had done previously, a large paper was laid out on the table, and the elders were given markers to list components of an age-friendly community. However, while the residents of Casa de Manana used the exercise as an opportunity to design their own age-friendly community, this group had their own unique approach. They utilized the opportunity to teach Jackie and I about the history of Linda Vista, as many of them had lived in the community for decades.
The elders described Linda Vista as being perfect for families and providing a high quality of life for its residents that lasts to this day. According to the elders, during the 1940s, several thousand houses were built in Linda Vista over the course of a few months to provide quick and affordable housing for soldiers and their families during World War II. This rapid urban sprawl led to the development of Linda Vista and its public amenities. The elders appreciated that Linda Vista was close to Downtown San Diego, freeways, amenities such as grocery stores, and public transport, and these conveniences motivated their decision to continue to live in their community for so many decades. Jacqueline drew a rainbow, which I felt was representative of the beauty of the community she held dear to her heart. Tammie described the close-knit nature of Linda Vista as a factor in her love for the area, as many of the residents who frequent Bayside Community Center and were participating in the program attend the same Catholic church nearby.
Although this group of elders veered away from imagining a hypothetical age-friendly community, my interactions with them had its own unique value, in that it shows that, although we must work towards creating more age-friendly communities, some communities, such as Linda Vista, already provide residents with a high quality of life despite any issues that may be present within the city or community. Perhaps instead of starting from scratch with an age-friendly community, there is a way to create an age-friendly community by enhancing the components of a city that create a strong sense of kinship and solidarity among the people in that given area.
During the LEG exercise, I was paired with a woman named Jacqueline, a woman named Tammie, as well as Jackie from our cohort. We also were paired with a man, but I did not manage to learn his name. As we had done previously, a large paper was laid out on the table, and the elders were given markers to list components of an age-friendly community. However, while the residents of Casa de Manana used the exercise as an opportunity to design their own age-friendly community, this group had their own unique approach. They utilized the opportunity to teach Jackie and I about the history of Linda Vista, as many of them had lived in the community for decades.
The elders described Linda Vista as being perfect for families and providing a high quality of life for its residents that lasts to this day. According to the elders, during the 1940s, several thousand houses were built in Linda Vista over the course of a few months to provide quick and affordable housing for soldiers and their families during World War II. This rapid urban sprawl led to the development of Linda Vista and its public amenities. The elders appreciated that Linda Vista was close to Downtown San Diego, freeways, amenities such as grocery stores, and public transport, and these conveniences motivated their decision to continue to live in their community for so many decades. Jacqueline drew a rainbow, which I felt was representative of the beauty of the community she held dear to her heart. Tammie described the close-knit nature of Linda Vista as a factor in her love for the area, as many of the residents who frequent Bayside Community Center and were participating in the program attend the same Catholic church nearby.
Although this group of elders veered away from imagining a hypothetical age-friendly community, my interactions with them had its own unique value, in that it shows that, although we must work towards creating more age-friendly communities, some communities, such as Linda Vista, already provide residents with a high quality of life despite any issues that may be present within the city or community. Perhaps instead of starting from scratch with an age-friendly community, there is a way to create an age-friendly community by enhancing the components of a city that create a strong sense of kinship and solidarity among the people in that given area.