Today we went to Barrio Logan to engage in age-friendliness mapping. As we walked around we asked ourselves if there were ample spaces for rest, if the condition of the pavement was accessible to the older population, if the environment felt secure, etc. As we walked around I noticed that there were not many places for rest, that the sidewalks were not consistent in being accessible, and that there was not much green infrastructure. It was amazing to see that in Chicano Park there were a lot of places to sit, some green infrastructure for shade, and a playground to bring both youth and older adults together in one recreational space. It was difficult to hear my classmates because of the freeways directly above us in the park. It was very frustrating to think about how this beautiful community park is disrupted by noise and air pollution. It is also upsetting to know that the community really didn’t have much say in these freeways being developed. I admire the strength of the community in fighting against these developments, but am outraged that they had to put up the fight.
Today we went to Casa De Manana in La Jolla. It was a beautiful stormy day and the waves were fighting each other in the ocean! We toured this beautiful housing and I was in awe the whole time. It had beautiful tiles all across the campus and smelled lovely everywhere. People had the most amazing views and opportunities. If I was living there I would love to swim in their saltwater pool and go to the classes and socials that they have. It is so cool that they do chair yoga! It was really amazing to meet some of the older adults who were 103 or 104. I have never met anyone at that age, so it was exciting to meet them and chat a bit. I think that it is cool that they also go on field trips to places like Barrio Logan and practice community outreach. Everyone who I spoke with felt very kind and engaged in conversation. I spent the majority of my time speaking with Tom. Tom was a pianist in his career and still plays piano at his grand piano. He was a great conversationalist as he kept asking us questions about our own life and was happy to speak about his life. He asked us things like, “what music do you like to listen to”, or “if you could live anywhere in the world that is not the US, where would you live?”. It seems like the people who live there receive wonderful social support and basic needs support. While I understand that money is an important part of who can live there, I wonder if they ever considered making part of the campus affordable housing for older adults. I would be curious to discuss and learn more about the complexities of trying to make that happen.
Today in class we worked on our HAP projects. I am excited to share with the class what I learned about designing urban spaces that are both age-friendly and climate resilient. One interesting thing that I took away from my research is that some things that might be climate resilient are not necessarily age friendly. For instance, permeable pavement is not age friendly because it is bumpy pavement with cracks. However, this kind of pavement is extremely beneficial for reducing runoff and capturing precipitation. Thankfully, a lot of these factors align, however as people in the design world work to create spaces that are climate resilient and age accessible, there will be some discussions to be had about the conflicting benefits.
Today we went to Casa De Manana in La Jolla. It was a beautiful stormy day and the waves were fighting each other in the ocean! We toured this beautiful housing and I was in awe the whole time. It had beautiful tiles all across the campus and smelled lovely everywhere. People had the most amazing views and opportunities. If I was living there I would love to swim in their saltwater pool and go to the classes and socials that they have. It is so cool that they do chair yoga! It was really amazing to meet some of the older adults who were 103 or 104. I have never met anyone at that age, so it was exciting to meet them and chat a bit. I think that it is cool that they also go on field trips to places like Barrio Logan and practice community outreach. Everyone who I spoke with felt very kind and engaged in conversation. I spent the majority of my time speaking with Tom. Tom was a pianist in his career and still plays piano at his grand piano. He was a great conversationalist as he kept asking us questions about our own life and was happy to speak about his life. He asked us things like, “what music do you like to listen to”, or “if you could live anywhere in the world that is not the US, where would you live?”. It seems like the people who live there receive wonderful social support and basic needs support. While I understand that money is an important part of who can live there, I wonder if they ever considered making part of the campus affordable housing for older adults. I would be curious to discuss and learn more about the complexities of trying to make that happen.
Today in class we worked on our HAP projects. I am excited to share with the class what I learned about designing urban spaces that are both age-friendly and climate resilient. One interesting thing that I took away from my research is that some things that might be climate resilient are not necessarily age friendly. For instance, permeable pavement is not age friendly because it is bumpy pavement with cracks. However, this kind of pavement is extremely beneficial for reducing runoff and capturing precipitation. Thankfully, a lot of these factors align, however as people in the design world work to create spaces that are climate resilient and age accessible, there will be some discussions to be had about the conflicting benefits.