From the beginning of the trip, I knew that I wanted to do my final project on the role of Public Relations within city planning. I thought that this perspective could give me and my classmates an interesting insight into city planning. I first started thinking about communication. During bike tours, I observed how planners advertise biking to the public. In some of the urban areas, I witnessed a few biking advertisements around the city. I also noticed a mass amount of informative and persuasive advertisements online. Some of the presenters also touched on this topic, specifically Sjors and Connie. They discussed how effective communication motivates people to bike, gains public trust, results in mutually beneficial relationships, and provides support for future projects.
In my final project, I emphasize the importance of rephrasing. Different groups of people have their own set of needs. Biking can appeal to these specific needs with careful word choice and deliberation. One of the first rules in PR is that the language an organization uses always depends on the audience and context. Organizations must communicate how the end goal will fix existing problems within the targeted area. Communication has the power to make cycling attractive to everyone by telling people how they will directly benefit.
One of the most interesting parts of the final project was learning about Rotterdam. We visited this area on a bike tour in the Netherlands. The Municipality of Rotterdam wanted to improve air quality and increase bike usage in the area. Planners communicated and advertised cycling as “fun” and “cool” rather than “sustainable” and “environmentally friendly”. The number of kids who bike to school increased from 20% to 35%. The Donkey Republic also wanted to promote sustainability through bike-sharing methods. They created campaigns throughout the area and online. Within two weeks, they gained a 40% increase in awareness and within a month they gained 45% in new users.
People in the U.S. should care about this topic because communication has the power to motivate people to bike, which creates a more sustainable future. U.S. policymakers need to appeal to different groups when communicating policy changes and implementations. They need to switch the language they use when addressing certain audiences. There also needs to be consistent and positive cycling promotion. If people learn about the beneficial impacts of cycling, they can being to imagine this lifestyle change.
Some examples of Dutch cycling advertisements I included in my presentation. All of these, and many more led Amsterdam to become the cycling capital of the world.
(Photos from “I think therefore I cycle’: 50 years of Dutch anti-car posters- in pictures,” The Guardian).
I absolutely loved working on this project and am excited to continue learning how city planning and PR interrelate.