Participating in Zumba once again with the seniors was a blast! These have actually been my only experiences doing Zumba, but I always find myself having a fun time and really getting a good workout at the same time. After the session, I had the opportunity to speak with Sue who had been coming to the Bayside Community Center for Zumba for quite some time. She told me about how the ladies loved it so much that they requested to have the instructor host the class three times a week instead of just two. Sue told me about how she lived very close to the center, so it was convenient for her to come by and that she really enjoys it when we are able to join in on the fun too. During the lunch portion of the day, my group spoke to Sue and Fernando about community characteristics in Linda Vista and utilized these quirks to come up with an ideal city. We discussed various topics such as how vital it is that crossing times are sufficient enough for elders with walkers and canes to get across the road in time and that it is important to incorporate affordable housing. Fernando tied in his own experiences witnessing the dramatic increase in rent prices within his neighborhood and how he tries to offset this by renting out his condominiums at an extremely affordable rate. As a group, we utilized this background information to come up with our ideal community. We decided to incorporate green space, wide sidewalks, longer crossing times, benches and trees near walkways, community engagement, effective transportation, and quality infrastructure. It was eye-opening and wonderful to be able to see the love Fernando and Sue had for their community. They truly believe it’s an amazing place to live and that there are definitely improvements that can be made.
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Monique SimArchives
June 2018
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