Rebuilding in Riot Areas

There is a great irony in two separate articles that appeared on June 14. The first article was by Joseph Giovannini, “Raising Barcelona,” in the Times Magazine. The second was in Opinion by Prof. Harry Edwards (“It’s Just Peter, Not Saint Peter,” Commentary).

Peter Ueberroth and the Los Angeles Olympic Committee had similar goals and were highly successful. However, as we all now know, and as Edwards points out in his article, satisfying the human elements of an internationalized city is more difficult to accomplish than Olympic planning. Herein lies a message which Ueberroth understands very well. He has said time and time again that it takes the cooperative effort of the community to bring together the human elements of an international city.

The challenge is clear. Let us hope Los Angeles responds and sets the model for for other international cities.

JOSEPH D. VACCARO, Los Angeles