Spring 2024 Urban Governance Workshop Series

With Part 1 of the series (State of the City Viewing and Discussion) behind us, this page will walk you through Parts 2 and 3, both of which are self-guided and asynchronous, allowing you to go at your own pace and timeline.

Part 2: Democracy in Action

Assignment: Complete the reflection prompts below and then observe – live or archived, in-person or remotely – one civic meeting (e.g., city council hearing, state-level legislative hearing, community meeting, etc.) in February or March. We recommend attending a meeting for our local region (i.e., Greater Boston if municipal, Massachusetts if state-level), though you are welcome to attend any civic meeting with relevance to your study system.

Observing a civic meeting will help you to become familiar with the mechanics of urban governance, by observing politics in real life, and learn more about your region of interest. You may wish to attend a meeting that elevates an issue you care about – although you may also use this to learn about a subject about which you know very little. Both can be useful!

Please complete the reflection prompts below as you begin planning your civic meeting observation. They are designed to help you narrow down your options and plan your observation!

Name
First Last
Email
Ask yourself and share below: What type of urban environmental challenge do you wish to learn more about, and in what context?*
This might be as general as "climate change in New England" or as specific as "chemical pollution in the Boston Harbor."
Ask yourself and share below: What type of governance structure might be most relevant to the challenge you're interested in?*
For example, if you're interested in "climate change in New England" you might consider state legislatures or regional partnerships. If you're interested in "chemical pollution in the Boston Harbor" you might consider the Boston City Council.
Look through the instructions below (click to expand) and do some googling about upcoming public meetings in February or March. If you found a specific meeting you'd like to attend, please share the details below. If not, share a bit about your search process and what you're looking for. If you are open to attending any civic meeting on any topic, state that below.*
Note that you may not find a civic meeting that perfectly aligns with your interests. At the very least, deciding on the level of government, type of meeting, and geography of interest, will help with next steps.

Click for Detailed Instructions about Observing a Civic Meeting

Determine which upcoming civic meeting or hearing you will attend.
- Boston Schedule – Boston City Council meetings are Wednesdays at noon. Hearings will be posted as they are scheduled.
- Cambridge Schedule – Cambridge City Council meetings are Monday evenings at 5:30 PM. Committee hearing day/times vary and will be posted at the same link.
- You can also check out the Somerville City Council Schedule or the Brookline Select Board Schedule.
- In general, hearings will be more in-depth and potentially rowdier than full council meetings, but we’re too early in the year for all the schedules to be posted. Also consider whether you’d like events with public comment or not.
- If you’re interested in state-level hearings for Massachusetts, click here.
- Again, you are welcome to attend any type of civic meeting that interests you.
Before you go, read up!
- For any meeting, learn about the individuals involved in the governing body in advance. For city council meetings, learn here: Boston or Cambridge. If of interest, you can also:
  - Learn more about how the Boston City Council enacts laws
- Read the agenda!
  - For Boston, Click on the City Council meeting link for that day. Agenda will be posted a couple days in advance. For Cambridge, agendas are posted on their open meeting portal.
Attend: Observe how the meeting was conducted – you may wish to jot down some observations or questions. Here are some things to consider:

Issues: What are the issues before the City Council?

For those of you from outside Boston, would these same issues come up at a City/Town Council/Selectboard meeting in your community?

Stakeholders: Who are the identifiable actors and what interests are they representing?

Who does the governing body seem to represent?
Who do the attendees/speakers seem to represent?
What interests are not being represented?
Who seems to be influential? Why do you think that?

Goals: What are the various parties trying to accomplish?

What sorts of points are being raised? Who is making them and why?
What actions are needed? Are the decision-makers: putting forward on a resolution, requesting a hearing, voting on an ordinance, putting forward a home rule petition, etc?

Part 3: Stakeholder Meetings

After you attend your civic meeting, complete the reflection prompts below to help you prepare for your stakeholder meeting.

Name
First Last
Email
What civic meeting did you observe?
Please share the meeting name/type and date.
Please share brief reflections on the three questions below:*
1. Issues: What issues were discussed?
2. Stakeholders: Who were the identifiable actors and what interests were they representing?
3. Goals: What are the various parties trying to accomplish?
What interested you most about the meeting and what did it leave you wanting to learn or explore next?*
For Part 3 of our Urban Governance Series, we will facilitate informational meetings between you and a relevant stakeholder or decision-maker, for you to learn more about what they do and for you to share your research. Who would you like to speak with?*
If you have a specific person in mind, please share their name below. You are also welcome to share a type of person or role and we can help identify someone in the URBAN network.

Once you’ve been matched with a stakeholder, decision-maker, or expert of interest, please review the Discussion Guide (download here). Next, find a 45-minute window for a phone or zoom conversation and suggest a few topics you’d like to discuss, for example, to hear more about their leadership role tackling an urban environmental challenge, their career pathway, or their perspectives on your research and where the field is heading.

At the start of your conversation, we suggest taking the lead by proposing where to start (“I thought I’d start by telling you a bit about my program and my research”) and where the conversation might go (“and then I’d love to ask you some questions about your job and your field, and any advice you have for me”). It is also always a good practice to double-check their availability (“But first, are you still available until X time?”).

Here are some additional questions you might consider asking during the conversation:

How did you get where you are?
How have you been able to use your role to make a difference?
What do you love most about your job?
When you think about the future of your field, what do you think will change in the next five years?
What advice do you have for me, as I think about [how to get the most about of my program, how to plan for diverse career paths, including in <<insert whatever sector they are in>>, how best to support decision-makers from inside a university?]
When you think about my research skills and interests – what are some questions you wish I would help answer?
As a final question, what recommendations do you have for other people I should speak with, or resources to look into?

After the conversation, be sure to follow-up with a thank you email. It helps to mention at least one specific thing you appreciated about the interaction and/or what you plan to do for next steps. Most importantly, have fun!

When you’ve completed your conversation, please return to this page to complete the final reflection prompts.

Name
First Last
Email
I spoke with
Who did you speak with and when?
Please share the name of your stakeholder/decision-maker/expert and the meeting date.
Please share brief reflections on the three questions below:*
1. Overall: How did it go? What did you discuss?
2. Learning: What is one thing you learned or a perspective you gained during the conversation?
3. Sharing: What is one thing you shared that your conversation partner found interesting?
What energized you most about the conversation and what did it leave you wanting to learn or do next?*
Did you send a follow-up email?*
- Yes
- Not yet
What are you waiting for??!!

Spring 2024 Urban Governance Workshop Series

Click for Detailed Instructions about Observing a Civic Meeting

What are you waiting for??!!

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