What Does Effective Urban Advocacy Actually Look Like?
Local advocates gather in Houston to talk shop. You don’t need to be in public office to work with your neighbors on making your city or town a better place!
If you spend any amount of time trying to make your neighborhood or town a better place, it’s probably only a matter of time before someone asks, “So, when are you running for office?” Remarks like this are a huge compliment, but they also reveal a lot. We crave leaders who get things done, and we often see elected officials as the positions with the most power and the biggest ability to make things happen.
There’s a troubling narrative out there that the most effective way to bring change to your place is through robust advocacy and participation in the “official” channels of civic engagement. Think: speaking at a city council meeting, joining a board or commission, or running for office. This school of thought says those are the best ways to be a part of real, systemic change. It discounts small actions like watching urbanism content on YouTube, meeting up with others to talk about the issues in your town, and guerilla tactical urbanism actions, dismissing them as feel-good at best, and useless at worst. Certainly not a way to really get important things done. Not serious city-building business.
We need to push back on this idea, because it’s just not true.
“The System”…How’s It Working for You?
In many towns and cities, it may be relatively easy to get yourself elected or appointed to a position where you could effect change. Or it may be feasible to get the ear of decision-makers in order to influence policy and budget. If this is the case for you, and you have a desire to serve in this capacity (or can support someone who would), take a moment and celebrate. In smaller towns and cities with a smaller machine of local government, diving right into the heart of the system is within the realm of possibility.
That said, this is just not the case in many places. In my mid-sized city, the idea that if you just make a compelling enough case or get enough people to show up at a public meeting, you’d be successful, is a far cry from reality. No matter how many times we’re told that our feedback is wanted and that it’s our civic right to engage, it often feels futile, as though the system is deliberately designed to discourage anyone from speaking up. And that’s saying nothing of the baseline challenges to participating in this way: most people do not have the ability to show up for an open-ended amount of time during a workday. Language barriers and childcare are additional obstacles.
I bring all this up not to be depressing, but to avoid sugar-coating the reality in many places. If changing the system was easy, we’d have done it long ago. But luckily, while changing our places from the top down is a tall order, improving it from the bottom up is something that anyone can do—even (especially) people who aren’t interested in running for office.
Local Context Is Everything
Maybe part of the reason that this narrative exists is that it’s not always apparent or obvious how to engage with your place in anything other than an official and formal way. Why is that? Well, every town or city is different, and practical information on how to get involved at a local level isn’t one-size-fits-all matter.
We all love a tutorial, but it’s not always that simple. A lot of successful advocacy is actually diplomacy and relationship-building, and that makes it hard to prescribe in a step-by-step format. You won’t find a primer on how to influence your city’s planning department, because there is no formula.
The value of connecting with other people locally, whether that’s through a Local Conversation group or any other venue, really can’t be overstated. It quickly gets lonely being out there on your own. This goes away when you connect with other people where you live. And in my experience, advocates usually love talking shop, sharing inside info, and swapping tips on strategy. They’re just often too busy, well, getting stuff done to document and share all this valuable knowledge on the Internet.
We Have to Start Somewhere
If we rely on “the system” (i.e., planners, engineers, elected officials) to “get it” and implement the solutions we need, we may be waiting a long time, or disappointed, or both. Should we know who these folks are and whether their values align with what’s needed for a prosperous place? Absolutely. But do we, ourselves, need to be in these roles?
If you’re feeling disenfranchised, thinking that you can’t make a meaningful contribution because you don’t want to run for office, or hate public speaking (especially if nothing ever seems to come of it, anyway), or don’t have time to serve on a board, I want to assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.
It feels important to keep giving this reminder, because we need everyone involved in building a prosperous place, not just the folks who have a burning desire to serve in public office (or the internal fortitude to sit through marathon meetings and remain effective!).
When I think about the many folks I know who are pushing for real change in the real world, they’re all doing totally different things, like:
Earning a livelihood working within the municipal transit and transportation departments, where they push for positive change.
Helping the folks on their street build relationships by throwing block parties and creating opportunities to connect.
Planting native species gardens and public trees because they care about living in a climate-resilient place.
Serving in various levels of public office, on advisory boards and with countless grassroots groups.
Building websites or running social media for grassroots groups, helping them reach and educate a broader audience and connect with supporters.
Creating and sharing content through Substacks, YouTube channels, and blogs that educate and inspire.
Writing op-eds and saying yes when reporters ask for comment, bringing urban planning issues like housing, transportation, equity, and municipal finance into media coverage (many times, also helping reporters to understand these issues more clearly).
Organizing Strong Towns Local Conversation groups
And of course…showing up to speak at those notoriously mundane council meetings, on their own time (or as overworked and underpaid non-profit staffers).
They’re doing so according to their own interests, personalities, skills, and resources. If we say the only way you can really make a difference is by running for office or other similarly formal roles, then we’re leaving a lot of incredible contributions unused on the table.
You don’t need to understand everything about your town or city’s official systems and channels in order to start to make a change. Chances are good you’ll learn a lot on the way, and this process will almost certainly be sped up if you can connect with other locals and benefit from their experience and hard-earned insights.
Change Can Begin Anywhere, but the Real World Is Where It Matters
In our always-online world, it’s easy to assume that if you’re not reading or watching or listening to something about it, it’s not happening. But the internet is only a part of real life.
The stories you read about, watch, and listen to through Strong Towns are proof that effective urban advocacy is taking place every day, in places all across North America, and in a thousand different ways. It’s these stories that keep me motivated to wake up each day (or most days, anyway) and keep doing what I can to build a strong town.
Emma Durand-Wood likes walkable cities, front porches, street trees, bumping into neighbors, riding her bike, downtowns, and any excuse to check out a new coffee shop, bakery, or shop. A Winnipegger by choice, she lives in Elmwood with her husband and three children. You can connect with her on Twitter @emmaewood.