4. Mobilisation and strategies for change

Mobilisation is more than reach. It is not just about how many people see something, but about why they are willing to act together – and what each of them can actually do. Big changes have rarely come from the top down: women’s right to vote, for example, was won by people who organised themselves around a shared cause. The same goes for liveable streets.

If we want things to change, we always have to fight for them from the bottom up.

From one initiative to a movement

Changing Cities shows what this can look like. Since 2019, the Berlin organisation has supported residents in founding neighbourhood initiatives for Kiezblocks. Through workshops, events and online formats, it shared its knowledge openly. Around 70 initiatives were founded, many Kiezblocks have been politically approved, and 12 are already being implemented on the streets.

Berlin isn’t a Kiezblock paradise yet – but every one of these streets shows what organised neighbours can achieve.

Five tools for organising

Tool 1: Heart, head, hand

Less a tool than a principle to keep in mind whenever you organise people:

• Head: strategy, tactics, arguments. Political work often focuses here.
• Heart: what moves people – a grandchild’s unsafe route to school, a childhood memory of playing in the street, the fear of getting sick from air pollution.
• Hand: always make a concrete offer – a task, an event, something to join.

A movement from below can only grow when all three are in balance.

Tool 2: Spectrum of allies

Who are you actually trying to reach? Initiatives often focus too much on their opponents. The spectrum of allies sorts the people around you into five groups:

Active allies → Passive allies → Neutral → Passive opposition → Active opposition

The aim is not to turn everyone into active allies at once. The key is to move one group one step closer to you. Start on the allies’ side and leave the opposition aside for now.

The opposition is often loud, which makes it seem big. But which group is usually the largest? The neutrals – so focus on them and on your passive allies.Show hidden content

Example: In the founding workshop of a German superblock initiative, the group placed a local school – parents and children – between “passive ally” and “neutral”. They organised an action day in front of the school. People got to know the initiative, and some joined afterwards.

Tool 3: One-on-one conversations

One face-to-face conversation is worth more than five WhatsApp messages.

Conversations stick in people’s minds. They help you find out what moves someone, what makes them angry or hopeful – and to win them over to your plan to win.

When? At the start of an initiative, to find out which issues really matter in the neighbourhood. Later, to find new members, invite people to an assembly or collect signatures.

Where? At the door – or as “street talks” at the bus stop, in front of the supermarket, on the playground.

How? Follow these six steps:

Tool 4: Contact management

It sounds basic, but it is often underestimated. Collect more than an email address: a phone number, the topics a person cares about (their heart) and any special skills – maybe someone knows how to build a website.

Then use this information: invite people personally to events on their topic, or call them and ask for something specific. A spreadsheet is fine to start with; dedicated organising apps are also emerging.

Tool 5: Sharing responsibility

Only those who carry responsibility for a task are part of the movement.

Stable groups need responsibility to be shared – not carried by a handful of people.

• Ask one-on-one: Ask a room of 20 people who will take on a task and nobody raises their hand. Ask someone directly before or after the meeting and most people say yes.
• Tandems: Pair a new person with an experienced one – even for small tasks.
• Delegate outwards: There will always be a core group, and that’s fine. But keep handing tasks to less engaged people, such as those in your chat group who rarely come to meetings: distributing flyers, collecting signatures, painting posters.

Lessons from the discussion

• Be approachable: present yourselves as an initiative with a cause, not as a consortium of experts.
• Find shared benefits: a separate bike lane can also make things better for buses and cars.
• Know your facts: when streets are closed, traffic evaporation often means traffic decreases instead of shifting elsewhere.
• Think creatively: positioning an action as an art project can open new doors.
• Don’t be afraid of conversations.

Your own narrative and strategy

Every plan to win rests on a clear story. A narrative of engagement answers four questions:

• What are we working towards?
• Why is now a good window of opportunity?
• Who can build power with us?
• What change should our pressure bring about?

Wir machen Wien uses the Platz für Wien campaign as an example: many signatures, strong media coverage and Vienna’s 2020 election were meant to create political pressure for a different transport policy. A local initiative can start smaller, but needs the same clarity.

A small group should consistently use two or three suitable levers rather than ten half-heartedly.

Campaign structure

A simple campaign structure is enough to start:

1. Goal: What should change, and by when?
2. Decision point: Who can approve or prevent it?
3. Target groups: Who do we need to activate, persuade or put under pressure? (Use the spectrum of allies!)
4. Milestones: Which visible intermediate goals demonstrate progress?
5. Tasks: Who handles research, outreach, actions, documentation, media and political discussions?
6. Rhythm: When does the group meet, when does it communicate publicly, and when does it evaluate?

Video

Materials

• Changing Cities: Superblocks – facts
• Wir machen Wien: How to work on strategies for change
• Wir machen Wien: Guide to theories of change
• Evaluation Innovation: Pathways for Change