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To the Editor: 

Having recently had the good fortune to vacation in Italy, I feel compelled to weigh in on Measure P, the height initiative. In Italy, I was amazed by how beautiful the cities and towns were. The buildings formed stunning outdoor rooms and corridors where people were out walking, sitting and interacting with one another. The architecture was interesting and the spaces were well laid out. Markets and cafes at the street level were bustling with people, and the food was fresh and delicious. And guess what folks – the buildings were five to seven stories tall, even in the small towns. Sometimes the walkways between buildings were only eight feet wide. Despite the height, these places were gorgeous! 

These cities and towns were not full of wind tunnels and tragically cold shadow zones, as the Measure P proponents would have you believe is the inevitable result of taller buildings. Was there an occasional breeze or shady side of the street? Of course there was. The sun moves across the sky, the wind blows – this is planet Earth after all.  

I would never presume that, if Measure P is defeated, Berkeley would suddenly turn into an Italian hill town. However, I can hope that someday, with the help of talented city staff members, tireless commissioners, board members, council members, skilled designers, concerned citizens and creative developers, Berkeley can take on the characteristics of the Italian towns I visited. 

Berkeley residents want and deserve a city that is oriented toward pedestrians, filled with beautiful buildings, capable of housing its working people, and served by efficient public transportation. Development of these features will require a great deal of cooperation, flexibility, creativity and patience.  

In contrast, Measure P’s divisive, reactionary, and restrictive height limits will effectively freeze Berkeley in two-story limbo, never letting us out of our plywood and stucco boxes to shape a city with the elements that make Italian cities beautiful and livable. 

Aran Kaufer 

Berkeley