As a senior, I'm tired of real estate developers, banks, and policymakers telling me how and where I should live. Too often, decisions about housing are driven by economics rather than by the everyday needs and aspirations of the people who actually inhabit these places.
I have been fortunate to spend decades living in many different communities—from Tokyo to Vicenza, Italy, and many places in between. Each place has offered its own lessons about how people age, build relationships, and create meaningful lives. Some communities make it easy to walk to daily needs, know your neighbors, and remain connected. Others encourage inter-generational living, vibrant public spaces, or compact homes that prioritize quality of life over square footage.
These experiences have taught me that there is no single model for aging in place. Around the world, communities have developed countless ways to support older adults with dignity, independence, and connection.
SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, July 29, from 5pm to 7pm
Rockridge Library, Upstairs Meeting Room, 5366 College Avenue
RSVP: jamestrojas@gmail.com
The interactive, hands-on Place It! workshop invites Rockridge residents to explore what it means to age well in their community. I plan to give participants the opportunity to draw from their own experiences and imagine the kinds of homes, streets, and neighborhoods they want—not the ones others have decided for them.
Rather than asking what the market will build, we will ask a more important question: What kind of places help us live healthy, connected, and meaningful lives as we grow older?
Using simple art materials and model-making, participants will design homes, streets, neighborhoods, and gathering places that support healthy, active, and connected lives.
Participants in Oregon, Colorado, Seattle, and Oakland discover new ideas through hands-on play. Photos: Place It!
Together, we will imagine environments that foster social networks, walkability, accessibility, safety, and opportunities for inter-generational interaction. Through storytelling, memory, and creative design, residents will share their experiences and envision a community where people can thrive and remain connected throughout their lives.
No design experience is necessary—just bring your ideas, experiences, and imagination.
The workshop is more than a design exercise. Together, we will identify the values, places, and relationships that make it possible to age with dignity and purpose.
The ideas generated through this collective process can become a community vision and a set of principles that residents can share with city leaders, architects, developers, and policymakers. Instead of reacting to proposals created by others, we will articulate our own vision for what it means to age in place in Rockridge.
To register for the workshop, send your RSVP to: jamestrojas@gmail.com
