Local lobbying campaign
The Burgemeester van Tuylkade is a magnificent street in my neighbourhood. What makes it pleasant is that it is a broad lane with a green stroke filled with elm trees in the middle. Dog owners and hikers alike use the green stroke. But in the absence of a hiking tree, the stroke looked like a messy middle trail most part of the year. Two years ago I had the idea that this should become a proper hiking trail. I hoped more people would enjoy the experience of walking between these great (almost therapeutic) trees. So I started a small, local lobby campaign. Last week the municipality of Utrecht started the actual works. While this case is super local and supersmall, the lessons can be applied to bigger cases and different sectors. Here is my story about a hiking trail in Utrecht.
Finding the right committee
First I needed to find the right committee in the municipality to present and push my idea. Being used to Brussels and the Hague, my initial plan was to influence local party manifestos and speak with aldermen and members of the city council. A local council member of D66 steered me off this idea to the right place; neighbourhood councils. I was not very aware of their existence or functions, but I decided to give it a go. Not expecting too much. However, the meeting looked fruitful, as the members of the neighbourhood councils listened and took the idea seriously.
Persist
Then came a long period of waiting. I didn’t hear anything for a long time. I send emails, and every now and then I receive an email, basically containing nothing new. And then all communications stopped at some point. It was in fact my daughter that kept this thing going, because every time we walked by the green stroke, she would stop and ask me how my plan progressed. Fearing fatherly embarrassment and what example I would set if would give up, I kept mailing the members of the neighbourhood council.
Build a coalition
In the meantime, I started to float the idea to my neighbours. We have an app-group with neighbours and I informed them about my plans. Not everybody was excited. Some raised concerns about road safety. Some dog owners wondered if there would still be a place for their dogs to poop. I talked with the local museum and shop owners. I even stopped to talk with dog owners and people living right on the street where work would take place.
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Escalate
At one point I had the feeling it was not going anywhere so I contacted the office of the alderman of Utrecht. I actually knew him very well but I didn’t want to go the informal route. Instead, I opted to schedule a meeting during his “hour with citizens”. In the meantime, I got some information from civil servants that the problem was that my hiking road was going through a historically significant area (As van Berlage). The plan of the neighbourhood was designed by Berlage, who was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. No wonder the municipality was not keen on having a hiking trail placed through his carefully and historically planned area.
Create the right narrative
When the meeting with the alderman and the civil servants came, I knew I had to change the narrative. This wasn’t only about a hiking trail, it was about bringing back the memory of Berlage. I was surprised I didn’t know the history behind the design of my neighbourhood so I delved into it. I carefully made references in my story to its history and also positioned the trail as a way to remember and celebrate the work of the great architect. I think the civil servants were expecting an angry citizen trying to push through a silly idea about a hiking trail. Instead, they found a partner who understood their worries and went out of his way to speak their language.
Connect with the civil servants
Having the civil servants on board matters. Whether it is big files or files as local as this one; you can’t do without them. They will have to do a lot of the thinking work, advise the political executive and in the end, they will have to execute the plan. While I was persistent. I never went over the line and got mean.
Get out of the way
When the civil servants took over things went rather smoothly. A landscape artist was hired, citizen consultations were organized. I, of course, also vested some time in helping soothe the worries of local citizens, but in all honesty, the civil servants did most of the work. The best thing I could do is be patient and get out of the way so as not to disturb the process.
Celebrate and share the credits
When the final decision was made I made sure that everybody in the process was informed and shared in the fun. I am sure we will plan something with my neighbours when the work is finished and you can be sure that everybody involved will be invited. Moreover, when probed I always go out of my way to stress the importance of the good work of the civil servants.
Takeaways
The takeaways of this simple story can be applied everywhere.
- Find the right place/committee to discuss your issue
- Be persistent
- Build a coalition
- If you run into problems – escalate
- Create the right narrative
- Connect with the civil servants and have insiders
- Celebrate and share the credits