Summary
Town Hall Meeting on the Lower Sproul Revitalization Project
November 9, 1999

The first town hall meeting had three parts: an overview; feedback from participants about what they liked and didn't like about the Lower Sproul area; and an opportunity for participants to envision the Lower Sproul of the future.

Overview

Consultant Mary Ann Lasch gave an overview of HLW Strategies' work on the campus' New Century facilities planning initiative, while David Duncan and Heather Hood from UC Berkeley's Physical and Environmental Planning gave a brief overview of the history of the Berkeley and the Lower Sproul revitalization project.

The Lower Sproul area has been under discussion for a number of years but the primary impetus for the current project is the fact that Eshleman Hall is rated seismically poor and that the area has millions of dollars of deferred maintenance needs. This gives the campus an opportunity to look at the whole Lower Sproul precinct and what changes could be made to improve the area.

Positive and Negative Attributes of the Area

Participants were asked to describe in a couple of words what they did and didn't like about the Lower Sproul area and provided the following comments:

Pros:

• sunny
• music
• open
• performances
• food
• good time
• cultural
• visibility
• good shape
• active passageway
• useful activities
• a lot of space
• hardworking people
• good public forum
• elevation (the area is lower than Upper Sproul)
• large space
• good hideaway
• potential for activity
• good proximity to surrounding buildings, Haas Pavilion, Upper Sproul
• sitting above and people-watching
• intensity of proximate uses
• well-defined space

Cons:

• unwelcoming
• cold
• antiquated design
• no place to hang out
• shabby
• dead
• many barriers (creek, Bancroft, Haas, Upper Sproul)
• lack of critical mass
• concrete jungle
• unfriendly for people with disabilities
• underutilized
• poorly maintained
• Eshleman too high
• loss of "Chavez bridge" between Chavez and student union
• no events want to "go" there
• no good human conveniences such as rest rooms
• remote and disconnected from Upper Sproul
• canyon-like
• barren space
• lack of intimacy
• no variety
• boring

Postcards from the Plaza

Participants were then asked to envision the Lower Sproul five to ten years from now and draw a postcard reflecting their vision. You can see a sampling of their efforts.

 

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