Saving People’s Park!

According to a court decision in California, The University of California, Berkeley has been denied permission to proceed with its plans to erect student housing on the historically significant location known as People's Park. The university failed to fully consider other locations for the accommodation when it approved the project, the court found, and did not follow the correct procedures. Activists who have long pushed to protect the park have applauded the decision, but it is unclear what the university's next moves will be.

UC Berkeley is facing an affordable housing crisis, not a housing shortage crisis. Berkeley's iconic People's Park exists in the wider anti-gentrification movement that's threatening the university's future. The campus is charging exorbitant rents for dismal living quarters while cramming in more students, leaving them to bear the brunt of the institution's poor planning. This isn't sustainable. The administration needs to prioritize the welfare of its students and offer them affordable, equitable housing options immediately in order to effectively  alleviate their financial burden. 

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Court ruling halts UC Berkeley from building student housing at People’s Park

By Teresa Watanabe | February 24, 2023