Chapter 7Actions as the operating engine of the AskingCities model

If strategies represent the backbone of an AskingCity, actions are how the model becomes real, tangible and measurable. An AskingCities action is an operating procedure designed to implement a strategy. It does not need to be large, complex, or institutionally heavy. Its strength comes from its ability to create connections between actors, demonstrate that the model works, reduce friction and generate quick wins that provide stories and motivates askers and givers to do more.

AskingCities actions share features that set them apart from conventional tasks. They always have a "what", a "how" and a "what for", which makes them clear procedures that can be taught, replicated and improved. They work in Bristol, Valencia, Bologna or Lisbon because, although scale and context can vary, the internal logic remains the same.

Actions generate immediate learning, since each action creates a story, a lesson and possibly improvements. Finally, as they are qualitatively measurable, ask if the action created a connection, generated value, strengthened a bond, or opened a door. If the answer is yes, the action has fulfilled its function.

7.1Types of actions in AskingCities#

The actions in AskingCities can be grouped into several functional families according to the type of transformation they produce (see Table 1). Some actions serve as an initial activation, because they trigger the start of the model in a territory. Other actions serve as a function of Translation and Clarification, perhaps one of the most delicate of the model: they reformulate the needs of the Askers so that they are understandable, approachable and actionable. There is also a set of actions focused on Connection and Pairing: the moment when someone who needs something meets someone who can offer it. The goal is never to match too fast, but to match well. Once the connection begins to advance, the Accompaniment actions are crucial so that the process does not remain a simple encounter.

As connections progress, Documentation and Learning actions appear, turning each experience into replicable knowledge. Each action contains a story, each story contains a learning and each learning opens up new possibilities. Finally, there are Visibility actions, which turn quick wins into cultural impact: publishing a story, telling it to an institutional ally, sharing it in a meeting or using it in training. Visibility drives AskingCities's network effect and makes new people and organizations want to participate.

Together, these families of actions generate movement, reduce friction, produce stories, and activate learning that transforms the city's civic culture. They are living evidence that AskingCities is not theory: it is shared, human and everyday practice.

7.2Actions and strategies: a relationship of mutual dependence#

Strategies show the way, but without actions there is no movement. The relationship between strategy and action is, in essence, the same as that between architecture and construction, or between map and route, to cite two examples. Strategies offer the direction and principles that guide progress, but it is the actions that are intended to lead to a tangible outcome.

A strategy can define where to move forward, but only through concrete actions does the city really begin to produce changes that can be felt on a day-to-day basis. That is why AskingCities is sustained by that precise articulation between vision – stable, structural – and action – small, human, repeatable – that guarantees that the model does not remain on paper, but that it happens in practice.

Table 2 shows some examples of actions associated with strategies. Each strategy is expressed through a set of coherent actions, and each action reinforces the strategy that originates it. This correspondence is the operational basis of AskingCities: the design sets the course and the actions make it real. A more detailed list of actions, organized by strategy, is collected in the Appendix B.