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Students taking a UCLA Extension class will make recommendations on how Westwood can become more aesthetically pleasing.

For those who think the northern section of Westwood is turning into a dump, one long-time resident wants help to find solutions and clean it up.

UCLA Extension is offering a landscape architecture course called “Landscapes of Greater Los Angeles,” which is more like a group project than a class. Participants, with the help of the Los Angeles City Planning Department, will look closely at the Village’s many aesthetic and structural problems and find solutions.

The course is being promoted by Shelley Taylor, a Village resident for over 50 years and president of the North Village Improvement Committee, a neighborhood advocacy group committed to addressing “quality of life” issues and other problems unique to a college town.

In particular, Taylor would like to see something done about the “bulky items” and trash left on sidewalks, such as discarded couches. Taylor also hopes to address other Village issues, such as low parking availability and noise pollution.

The course begins today at 7 p.m., costs $470, and requires a background in landscape architecture or a related field. But since enrollment at present is low, the instructor, David Solaiman-Tehrani of the planning department, might be willing to make exceptions for those with a high interest in and commitment to participation.

“It’s a rather involved course,” Solaiman-Tehrani said.

Participants will examine a host of issues related to urban design, ranging from land use and density issues to vehicular and pedestrian traffic problems.

The course will also focus on problems unique to the north Village, such as trash cans left in streets which limit parking, and various issues directly involving the student population’s impact on quality of life in the area.

Solaiman-Tehrani said he believes the study will last three quarters, as the first quarter will likely be devoted to research. Subsequent quarters will be devoted to design solutions, coordination with various city agencies and feedback from the public.

When the study is completed, the findings produced will be published and submitted to the city council and shared with other interested parties. If approved, the plan will then go through the planning department and other city agencies for implementation.

Taylor would like to see UCLA students get interested in the course and more interested in the maintenance of their neighborhood – even if they only see themselves as temporary residents.

“People say the neighborhood looks trashy or tired,” Taylor said.

But Taylor maintains she doesn’t want to point fingers at students but rather have them involved in a dialogue.

“We need young minds who can think outside the box,” Taylor said, adding that, “It’s easy to turn something into a bitchfest session.”

For the past couple of years, Taylor has worked with UCLA and the city of Los Angeles in order to get more attention to the neglected north Village.

Some UCLA students are sympathetic to Taylor’s cause.

“For the amount of money that you pay to live there you expect to live somewhere nice, but the area is just horrible,” said Niyosha Vazirzadeh, a fourth-year psychology student.

Alexis Slafer, program director of the Landscape Architecture Program, said she would discuss lowering the course fee for UCLA students interested in participating.

“Landscapes of Greater Los Angeles” meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Math Sciences 3915A.