Good public policy promotes public interest.

Good public policy promotes public interest.
... But who, exactly, are we referring to when we speak of 'the public'?

To further investigate the subject, I referenced my roommates to capture a glimpse of their orientation on Austin's current approach to public policy and city planning.  This morning, I took a three-mile morning jog to Lakeshore Park with my roommate, Johnny.  Two miles doesn't seem too daunting, but a few hours later that day, I recalled some of the goals set by the city for residents and parks.  The Austin City Council strives to achieve the possibility of having every resident live within walking distance from a park -- specifically, a quarter of a mile for the urban core and half of a mile outside of the urban core.  Such an ambitious proposal made three miles suddenly seemed substantially excessive.  A quarter of a mile to the park would be such a delight!  Lakeshore Park had always been the apex -- the "stopping point" -- of Johnny and I's route, but how wonderful would it be to actually be able to engage with the park while jogging?

I asked another roommate, Bryan, if he would be more encouraged to go to the park if it was located within a quarter of a mile of walking distance.  At the least, he could join Johnny and I on our bi-weekly jogging adventure.

He said no.

He further explained that, as a student, he was too overwhelmed by the pressures of schoolwork and that the park would be poorly utilized by the student housing complexes in the area surrounding Lakeshore Park.  I viewed it from the contrary perspective:  the close proximity of a nearby park could be an opportunity to escape from "the pressures of school" and catch a bit of fresh air.  However, Bryan continued to insist that the extension of the park would be pointless.  "I just wouldn't use it," he said.

Eventually, I conclude that it is the honest opinion of the user serves as the crucial component of city planning.  A park may be implemented (or extended, in this case), but that isn't to say that it will be utilized for the sole fact that it is present.

On the other hand, perhaps it is reliant on the attitude of the individual.

I started to think about the new Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake, which seeks to close the southeasten gap of the hike and bike trail by connecting the current end of the trail by the Austin American Statesman Building to Lakeshore Park.  Newspaper articles indicate that currently, pedestrians, runners and bikers are forced to use the Riverside Drive sidewalk over Interstate 35 to complete the 10.1 mile trail loop.  And it's true -- I see these pedestrians, runners an bikers every single day, whether I'm on my way to school at 8:00 AM or on my way home at 8:00 PM.  The attitudes of those people are certainly important considerations in city planning.

Maybe it isn't about good public policy and how it promotes public interest afterall.  Maybe, instead, the focus is on defining what the public interest is, and how that it used to inform good public policy.

Because, in the end, good public interest promotes public policy.