Event to activate Le Conte plaza
By Keldine Hull
On Wednesday, June 5, students walking in Westwood will have the opportunity to take a break and grab some refreshments at the corner of Le Conte Avenue and Westwood Boulevard. Places for the People, hosted by the North Westwood Neighborhood Council (NWWNC) and Graduate Student Association (GSA), aims to repurpose the underutilized grassy area into a community space where students can have a bite to eat, sit down, and even play a game of Jenga or two.
Organized in partnership with Associated Students of UCLA, Bruins for Urban Design and Development and BEWell, part of the Healthy Campus Initiative, the event runs from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. According to Mara Braciszewski, GSA community relations director who helped organize the event, “The purpose of Places for the People is to activate the underutilized plaza on Le Conte and Westwood by providing … a place for the people. The whole concept of the event is that people deserve a place of respite and refreshment, especially considering that there aren’t many public places today that provide that.”
With a $1,500 grant from the North Westwood Neighborhood Council (NWWNC) to support the event, GSA and other organizers behind Places for the People hope that the unique event will signify a step towards a more permanent installation. According to Michael Skiles, NWWNC and GSA President, “We want to enliven the space and get people who are just walking from one place to another to instead have a sense that they are part of the Westwood community, and have this town square in the middle where the people of Westwood can come together and relax and enjoy food and talk.”
