City Hall Essay - 1192 Words

Sparks in the City Hall Born and raised in a city where the public awareness of politics is lacking in every aspects except economy, I have always heard people around me talking about how policies affected them, but I have never seen any one of them participated in any kind of public consultation. Having this never-complain mindset rooted in my mind, I thought the public hearing in the United States may be similar, or a bit better. It turns out that, first time in my life, I saw how people were engaging into the planning of their neighborhood, and witnessed the spark between stakeholders in the San Francisco City Hall. The level of public participation in the two and a half hour amused me. My classmate, Iyan, and I went to the†¦show more content†¦There were about 40 people from the public attended the hearing, and more than half of them expressed their support and concern about the proposed projects. Among the 39 items on the agenda, only 7 of them were discussed on that day, and therefore I am no t sure whether the 32 items were problematic or not. There was a proposed project to establish stop signs on Cortland Avenue at Nevada Street, all 5 residents who made their testimony were in favor of the proposed project, because accidents happened frequently in the slope when people did not control their speed properly. Mr. Romagnola, a resident in that area, said that he was hit at the intersection and the insurance company still has not paid the 2000 dollars he spent for his treatment. I was surprised that even for the projects that has the unanimous support from the neighborhood, people will still attend the hour-long meeting to express their words. These proposals were definitely worth to be implemented, and although the cost is not discussed, I believe the paint and the physical standing signage would not be a burden to the city. The residents will potentially feel more secure to walk around their household thereafter. Controversial proposals are unavoidable knowing that plan ners sometimes are not the actual users, and they may have ignored some needs of the neighborhood. A representative of a bike-sharingShow MoreRelated Native Son Essay: Bigger as a Reflection of Society1433 Words   |  6 Pageseffect, a quest for a soul. He desires an identity that is his alone. Both the white and the black communities have robbed him of dignity, identity, and individuality. The human side of the city is closed to him, and for the most part Bigger relates more to the faceless mass of the buildings and the mute body of the city than to another human being. 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