What Kind of Places Do We Want to Live In?
This interactive Place It! hands-on workshop invites Rockridge residents to explore what it means to age well in their community. Using simple art materials and model-making, participants will design homes, streets, neighborhoods, and gathering places that support healthy, active, and connected lives.
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 visions for creating a community where people can thrive and remain connected as they age.
SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, July 29, from 5pm to 7pm
Rockridge Library, Upstairs Meeting Room, 5366 College Avenue
RSVP: jamestrojas@gmail.com
No design experience is necessary—just bring your ideas, experiences, and imagination. This workshop is an opportunity to shape a collective vision for aging in place in Rockridge and to identify the places, relationships, and amenities that contribute to a healthy and fulfilling life.
Participants in Oregon, Colorado, Seattle, and Oakland discover new ideas through hands-on play. Photos: Place It!
Through this creative process, led by James Rojas and John Kamp, participants reflect on their personal strengths, their deep knowledge of Oakland’s neighborhoods, and their community's needs. By constructing tangible models, we explore how imagination, environment, and lived experience shape real economic opportunities.
James Rojas is an urban planner, community activist, and founder of Place It!, a nonprofit that uses participatory design to help people reimagine public spaces. Through hands-on workshops with simple materials, he empowers communities to share stories, shape neighborhoods, and influence planning decisions toward more inclusive, people-centered environments.
John Kamp is a landscape and urban designer and licensed landscape contractor who runs the firm Prairieform. He is the co-author of the book “Dream Play Build: Hands-on Community Engagement for Enduring Spaces and Places” (Island Press 2022).
