The USC masterplan is a great idea that I believe overall is a very beneficial adjustment that would improve the school. Currently, USC is a very prestigious school located in an area that is not as "nice" as the school itself. USC is located in an inner city where there are a lot of homeless people and poverty. Many excellent students choose other schools over USC because they do not like the area that USC is located in. I know for a fact that many of my friends chose other schools merely because the location of USC was not what they were looking for in a college. This master plan is a great idea because it strives to develop the area around USC to make it a nicer place. The council plans to make the surrounding area more aesthetically pleasing and also bringing in more store, restaurants, etc. that will be more appealing to those attending USC. Another positive element of this master plan is that it will open up many new job opportunities for the locals who are struggling financially. We are in an economic crisis, and with more job opportunities, more people will be able to make money.
The one thing that may be more of an ideal goal is the Jefferson Avenue plan. It appears they want to create a "Third Street Promenade" feel to it, but they must take into account the only people who will be utilizing this area would be USC students and faculty-- the stores they plan on putting in are probably fairly pricey and would not appeal at all to the locals who live around USC. The council may be putting in too much money to redo Jefferson Blvd because that area will not be used by all of the people around it, only USC students in which case it may actually LOSE some money.
I completely agree, the University Park plan really only benefits the USC community. I think it'll help getting USC more connected with the community and people around us, but it's important to remember that while these new areas will affect the USC community, it's the residents of University Park that will be using these areas for generations to come. I just feel like they were a little forgotten when writing up this plan.
ReplyDeleteI also agree. It seems as though members of the community are being left out because they don't have very much economic power.I believe that university needs to step back and consider how the project will effect the surrounding community and what can be done to get them more involved. Residents need to feel as though they are a part of the community rather than constantly be reminded that their community is not as visually appealing as others or wealthy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the USC master plan will be very beneficial in that it create more job opportunities. The unemployment rate in Los Angeles has to decrease. I also agree that USC should look at the redevelopment of Jefferson Boulevard at a later time. There are much more important matters to handle prior to working on Jefferson Boulevard.
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