{"id":6531,"date":"2025-08-06T12:55:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T16:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/?page_id=6531"},"modified":"2026-02-13T11:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T16:18:26","slug":"urban-governance-series-democracy-in-action","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/academics\/current-students\/urban-governance-series\/urban-governance-series-democracy-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"URBAN Governance Series &#8211; Democracy in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>All URBAN Trainees should observe \u2013 live or archived, in-person or remotely \u2013 one civic meeting (e.g., city council hearing, state-level legislative hearing, community meeting, etc.) during the spring semester.<\/p>\n<p>Observing a civic meeting will help you\u00a0learn more about your area of interest and become familiar with the mechanics of urban governance by observing politics in real life. You may wish to attend a meeting that elevates an issue you care about \u2013 although you may also use this to learn about a subject about which you know very little. Both can be useful!<\/p>\n<h3>Finding a Meeting<\/h3>\n<p>When planning which civic meeting would be helpful, consider the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>What type of urban environmental challenge do you hope to learn more about and in what context?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>What type of governance structure might be most relevant to the challenge you&#8217;re interested in?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Who is advancing the conversation or the policies related to your work?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7034\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7034\" style=\"width: 646px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-636x362.jpg\" alt=\"Boston City Hall building\" width=\"636\" height=\"362\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-636x362.jpg 636w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-1024x582.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-768x437.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-1536x873.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-2048x1165.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/files\/2025\/12\/Cityhall_stock-1-800x455.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7034\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boston City Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Detailed Instructions about Observing a Civic Meeting<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Determine which upcoming civic meeting or hearing you will attend.\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/public-notices?title=&amp;field_contact_target_id%5b441%5d=441\">Boston Schedule<\/a> \u2013 Boston City Council meetings are Wednesdays at noon. Hearings will be posted as they are scheduled.\n<ul>\n<li>You can expand the list of all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/departments\/city-council#committees\">City Council Committees here<\/a>, and click into individual committees to see their hearing schedules.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/departments\/city-council\/ways-and-means#upcoming-hearings-\">Ways &amp; Means Committee<\/a> has hearings and makes recommendations on the city budget, which often demonstrates the administration&#8217;s priorities.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/departments\/city-council\/environmental-justice-resiliency-and-parks#upcoming-hearings-\">Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks Committee<\/a> may also be relevant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cambridgema.iqm2.com\/citizens\/default.aspx?\">Cambridge Schedule<\/a> &#8211; Cambridge City Council meetings are Monday evenings at 5:30 PM. Committee hearing day\/times vary and will be posted at the same link.<\/li>\n<li>You can also check out the <a href=\"http:\/\/somervillecityma.iqm2.com\/Citizens\/calendar.aspx\">Somerville City Council Schedule<\/a> or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brooklinema.gov\/343\/Select-Board\">Brookline Select Board Schedule<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>In general, hearings will be more in-depth and potentially rowdier than full council meetings, but we\u2019re too early in the year for all the schedules to be posted. Also consider whether you\u2019d like events with public comment or not.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re interested in state-level hearings for Massachusetts, click <a href=\"https:\/\/malegislature.gov\/Events\/Hearings\/Calendar\/\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Again, you are welcome to attend any type of civic meeting that interests you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Before you go, read up!\n<ul>\n<li>For any meeting, learn about the individuals involved in the governing body in advance. For city council meetings, learn here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/departments\/city-council\">Boston<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridgema.gov\/Departments\/citycouncil\/members\">Cambridge<\/a>. If of interest, you can also:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/metro\/2020\/01\/06\/boston-ushers-historic-diversity-with-new-city-council-leadership\/aqiFXusPSmHDnAmNXyJf8N\/story.html\"><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn more about how the Boston City Council <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.gov\/departments\/city-council\/how-city-council-enacts-laws\">enacts laws<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Read the agenda!\n<ul>\n<li>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 <a href=\"http:\/\/cambridgema.iqm2.com\/citizens\/default.aspx?\">open meeting portal<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Attend: Observe how the meeting was conducted \u2013 you may wish to jot down some observations or questions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>What to Pay Attention To<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Issues: What are the <em>issues<\/em> before the City Council?<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For those of you from outside Boston, would these same issues come up at a City\/Town Council\/Selectboard meeting in your community?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Stakeholders<\/strong>: Who are the identifiable actors and what interests are they representing?<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who does the governing body seem to represent?<\/li>\n<li>Who do the attendees\/speakers seem to represent?<\/li>\n<li>What interests are <em>not<\/em> being represented?<\/li>\n<li>Who seems to be influential? Why do you think that?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Goals<\/strong>: What are the various parties trying to accomplish?<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What sorts of points are being raised? Who is making them and why?<\/li>\n<li>What actions are needed? Are the decision-makers: putting forward on a resolution, requesting a hearing, voting on an ordinance, putting forward a <a href=\"http:\/\/somervillecdc.org\/news\/what-home-rule-petition\">home rule<\/a> petition, etc?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Post-Civic Meeting Reflection Assignment<\/h3>\n<p>After you attend your civic meeting, complete the reflection prompts below to help you prepare for your stakeholder meeting.<\/p>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">var gform;gform||(document.addEventListener(\"gform_main_scripts_loaded\",function(){gform.scriptsLoaded=!0}),window.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){gform.domLoaded=!0}),gform={domLoaded:!1,scriptsLoaded:!1,initializeOnLoaded:function(o){gform.domLoaded&&gform.scriptsLoaded?o():!gform.domLoaded&&gform.scriptsLoaded?window.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",o):document.addEventListener(\"gform_main_scripts_loaded\",o)},hooks:{action:{},filter:{}},addAction:function(o,n,r,t){gform.addHook(\"action\",o,n,r,t)},addFilter:function(o,n,r,t){gform.addHook(\"filter\",o,n,r,t)},doAction:function(o){gform.doHook(\"action\",o,arguments)},applyFilters:function(o){return gform.doHook(\"filter\",o,arguments)},removeAction:function(o,n){gform.removeHook(\"action\",o,n)},removeFilter:function(o,n,r){gform.removeHook(\"filter\",o,n,r)},addHook:function(o,n,r,t,i){null==gform.hooks[o][n]&&(gform.hooks[o][n]=[]);var 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class='gform-body gform_body'><ul id='gform_fields_41' class='gform_fields top_label form_sublabel_below description_above'><li id=\"field_41_1\"  class=\"gfield gfield--type-name field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_above gfield_visibility_visible\"  data-js-reload=\"field_41_1\"><label class='gfield_label gform-field-label gfield_label_before_complex'  >Name<\/label><div class='ginput_complex ginput_container ginput_container--name no_prefix has_first_name no_middle_name has_last_name no_suffix gf_name_has_2 ginput_container_name gform-grid-row' id='input_41_1'>\n                            \n                            <span id='input_41_1_3_container' class='name_first gform-grid-col gform-grid-col--size-auto' >\n                                                    <input type='text' name='input_1.3' id='input_41_1_3' value=''   aria-required='false'     \/>\n                                                    <label for='input_41_1_3' 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Goals: What are the various parties trying to accomplish? <\/div><div class='ginput_container ginput_container_textarea'><textarea name='input_13' id='input_41_13' class='textarea medium'  aria-describedby=\"gfield_description_41_13\"   aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\"   rows='10' cols='50'><\/textarea><\/div><\/li><li id=\"field_41_15\"  class=\"gfield gfield--type-textarea gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_above gfield_visibility_visible\"  data-js-reload=\"field_41_15\"><label class='gfield_label gform-field-label' for='input_41_15' >What interested you most about the meeting and what did it leave you wanting to learn or explore next?<span class=\"gfield_required\"><span class=\"gfield_required gfield_required_asterisk\">*<\/span><\/span><\/label><div class='ginput_container ginput_container_textarea'><textarea name='input_15' id='input_41_15' class='textarea medium'     aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\"   rows='10' cols='50'><\/textarea><\/div><\/li><li id=\"field_41_16\"  class=\"gfield gfield--type-textarea gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_below gfield--has-description field_description_above gfield_visibility_visible\"  data-js-reload=\"field_41_16\"><label class='gfield_label gform-field-label' for='input_41_16' >The next part of the Urban Governance Series involves an informational interview with a relevant stakeholder or decision-maker, for you to learn more about what they do and for you to share your research. 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Observing a civic meeting will help you\u00a0learn more about your area of interest and become familiar with the mechanics of urban governance by observing politics [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24039,"featured_media":0,"parent":2773,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24039"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6531"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7388,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6531\/revisions\/7388"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/urban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}