Urban Planet: The lobbying force?

[reverbandwhiskey]

I was thinking about how those of us on this board have a real passion for wanting Charlotte to be a better place to live and it dawned on me: We need to organize and lobby the city/county on matters we find important.

Take the pedestrian bridge that was removed from the Blue Line. How many phone calls, letters, and meetings do you think it would take to get that changed?

We should start meeting up before/after important Council meetings for drinks as well.

Most of my efforts are currently aimed at cycling improvements, but I am always willing to help out other causes.

Would anyone be interested in trying to take some of our energies from the virtual realm into City Hall?

[redbaron702]

With the current people in power, it would take a miracle to get some things changed. With the Mayor and his want for Charlotte to be a "World Class City" (aka tidy town), unless you are willing to pay a lot more in taxes, I don't see much changing.

[reverbandwhiskey]

With the current people in power, it would take a miracle to get some things changed. With the Mayor and his want for Charlotte to be a "World Class City" (aka tidy town), unless you are willing to pay a lot more in taxes, I don't see much changing.

Not true. We have had many small victories in the cycling community over the last few years with just a handful of dedicated people. Those bike racks on the front of every bus, the bike lanes on East Blvd, the share the road stickers on the back of every bus, etc

This was done with maybe 10 people lobbying.

We have to remain optimistic about the our ability to create change.

[nmcheese]

This is not a bad idea - I alluded to something like an Urban Planet lobby in my thread about the Archdale condo development - http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...c=26828&hl= while it is too late in the process to get a lobby together to fix that project, would there be a way for 10-20 people complaining to the right people to affect the decisions made for new development?

It sounds good in theory at least.

[appatone]

If the forum links you to a few people that agree with you on a certain topic then I would think that would be fine except I would hesitate to attribute any sort of opinion to UrbanPlanet itself. UrbanPlanet is after all a forum for opinions. If 20 people hold one opinion and want to take it to a public meeting that is of course their right and if a forum brings them together great. I think the forum itself though should really stay separate of any sort of affiliation with one opinion or another so as to remain a place of discussion.

[voyager12]

I would be excited to get together and work towards improving the many issues facing Charlotte that we care about. The power of concerned citizens working together for change should never be doubted. I am all about activism I do think we would have to keep in mind that UP may be the genesis of where some of the concerns are raised but its not run as a site with one specific viewpoint and agenda and we can't present that image to the media. There are many diverse opinions. Most urban issues cut both ways politically in my opinion but we should keep an open inclusive groupmind but not groupthink is my longwinded point Finally, it would be a kick to finally meet some of the people behind the avatars I may have already and don't know it

appatone....you beat me and were much more concise. rats.

[reverbandwhiskey]

I never meant to imply that we would present ourselves in any way as Urban Planet. I just think we can use the community here to target projects/problems with phone calls, emails, vists with councilmembers etc.

[monsoon]

I do think we would have to keep in mind that UP may be the genesis of where some of the concerns are raised but its not run as a site with one specific viewpoint and agenda and we can't present that image to the media.

Actually you ought to let the people who run this site speak for how this site can be represented in such efforts. We do have an agenda here and that agenda is in part to empower people to make a difference in their community. That generally means fixing the status quo and in Charlotte there is plenty that needs fixing. If there was nothing wrong in this city in the way it was being developed, then we would not have a need for UrbanPlanet. I don't think there are any secrets as to where we might fall on a given issue.

If you guys want to do something as a group and want to use the resources of UrbanPlanet, all you have to do is ask and we will do what we can to provide support. I certainly can see where we could provide additional forum space, even hidden forums for special projects of interest by this group. Either post a topic, or send a PM to either Dubone, Neo or myself.

[voyager12]

Well thats wonderful Metro. I was not trying to speak for the whole site or pretend I run it. Its all yours. Just the opposite. There are a wide variety of voices. I am one of many many. I agree there is a great potential to be harnessed here to make positive change.

[appatone]

If there was nothing wrong in this city in the way it was being developed, then we would not have a need for UrbanPlanet.

That's not true at all Metro. If the city were developing perfectly it would still be as much fun posting emoticons like this... It just might be a little boring seeing an entire thread of nothing but that though.