The central plaza of Los Santos is the heart of the city, it is where there festivals are held and families come together to mingle and connect. Several cafes line the area around and the park in the middle has one gazebo that is the focus. Music can be heard at different times of the day, especially on the weekends and any festival, from children playing wind instruments to adults playing percussion and guitars. Political ideals are displayed on signs around the plaza and politicians both nationally and locally come to make sure their campaign is heard. Political offices also touch the square and provide a central sounding board for the members of the city to have their grievances or requests heard. People from several cities come to Los Santos because on the northern end of the square there is a cathedral that is the largest in the area. It was built by the Spanish in the early 1700s to awe native Panamanians with the splendor of Catholicism. Also, there is a huge police station that is the main police station for Los Santos. As for the connection with technology all buildings have electricity and most have air conditioning. There is free Wi-Fi available in the square for those who have laptops or PDAs and for those who do not there are two internet cafes as well. All the buildings have connection to local water and sewer supplies. The restaurants and buildings also have inside kitchens with stoves that are either gas or electric. Ventilation works through fans, AC or both and is usually good. There is minimal trash in the square and on the streets in comparison to Panama City and certain areas of the USA. The trash is collected by a public service every few days. Families come in groups to the square but mostly men of all ages congregate in the city square and gazebo during the weekends and evenings to talk, to play music and to play games. During the daytime, it is also a hangout for local students after school. The buildings are built of block with stucco, the walls are made of cement or paneling and the roofs are made of zinc. As for insects there are several flies, mosquitos and spiders. There are also several stray dogs with ticks and fleas that wander the streets. There are no rats in the city that we have observed. Health education is prominent with posters displayed and flyers available in local restaurants and at the government offices ranging from HIV to HTN to breast feeding. There are no medical clinics within the square itself. We would improve the square by working with the stray dogs by encouraging the ministry of health to remove stray dogs and cats from within the area. Also, we would promote garbage cans that lock down so that the dogs cannot get into and it would also help with the fly situation because most garbage cans are open or old oil barrels. We also could encourage the homeowners to have screen doors and screened windows to tackled part of the fly and mosquito situations in the restaurants. Also, we could encourage the use of insect replants such as bug lights, citronella and fly tape for those that get past the screens. One other safety issue is the uneven sidewalks that encourage people to walk in the streets, if they were repaved and conformed to the local square instead of individual buildings it would be beneficial to preventing sprained ankles and decrease the risk of getting hit by a car.
No comments:
Post a Comment