Week 1

Welcome back to my blog. My onsite placement was pushed back to week 2, so I decided to spend more time securing placements and preparing for the ones I’ve already secured. Since I will be shadowing upcoming hearings and visiting members of the City Council and the planning commission it oversees, my research this week surrounded the content of the current projects that are being discussed and worked on, as well as insight into what information my future interviewees would be able to give me. Additionally, I began creating relevant and effective questions for my upcoming meetings and interviews. In week 2, I will speak with City Planning Commission Chair Daniel Garodnick and shadow the agency for a day. In speaking with Garodnick, I hope to gain some more perspective on the actual process of land use policy being written and approved, including how the different groups within the department interact with one another and what role Garodnick plays in legislation. The notes and information I extract from this experience will be in my post for week 2.