Something must have gone haywire, because UCLA does not have a park-like atmosphere. UCLA has concrete courtyards, monolithic parking structures, rapidly expanding office buildings, and a student store that resembles a shopping mall. Within UCLA's mythical garden setting, the walkways are cluttered with heavy equipment and debris, and the air is filled with construction-related dust and noise. Worst of all, there is no end in sight. Whenever a major project is completed and students, faculty and local residents breathe a sigh of relief, a massive new project begins.
Central campus is a perfect example.
Following the relocation of the water main, officials at Capital Programs hope to demolish the existing Athletics Hall of Fame building and expand the Morgan Intercollegiate Athletics Center into Bruin Plaza Park. A loss of more campus green space and the continuation of major construction in central campus for at least another year. The LRDP was established in 1990 to regulate UCLA's physical development. The LRDP is worthless if this abusive technique succeeds and the Morgan Center project is approved. As Capital Programs' proposed amendment demonstrates, UCLA has lost sight of long-term environmental integration or conservation.