Facts alone persuade no one

"Perspectivism" is Nietzsche's reminder to tell stories.

Nietzsche ponders truth claims about electric scooters

Big thinker Friedrich Nietzsche is known in part for his concept of perspectivism, that all knowledge is a product of interpretation. Perspectivism means what we consider as facts are not objective truths, but interpretations framed in a narrative. Nietzsche would tell you that storytelling is vital for urbanists because facts are inherently subjective. Two different people can draw conflicting conclusions about what an indisputable fact means.

When we’re presented with data, we naturally interpret it through our individual experiences, education, cultural background, and personal biases. This is true about traffic counts, demographics, vacancy rates, crash trends, number of bus shelters—any type of information. Your understanding of street design, traffic safety, land use policy, etc. is shaped by a multitude of narratives, and the same is true for every other human.

Facts alone persuade no one. But don’t think of subjectivity about data as a limitation. It’s an opportunity to use facts to shape persuasive stories. 

Don’t wait until you’re in a defensive posture, reacting to other people’s stories. 

You will face resistance when you make claims about public space, transportation, or housing, no matter how safe you think the topic is. Infrastructure projects can generate hot debate and brutal press coverage. Someone gloms onto a typo in your speed study, and that’s all she wrote.

It’s natural to be defensive when someone lashes out at you. Your instincts tell you to protect your ideas. Here are 5 examples of things I’ve said more than once over the years as a reaction to someone else’s stories:

1. “No, I don’t think it’s fair to call this design a war on cars.”

2. “No, I don’t think every American is going to start bike-commuting 20 miles to work.”

3. “No, you won’t be that late to work with traffic calming through the neighborhood.”

4. “No, I don’t think we should let America’s bridges fall down.”

5. “No, I don’t hate freedom.”

Those are painful memories, so maybe you can learn from my mistakes. People watching or listening will assume the burden of proof rests on the person defending the new ideas. That’s just human nature. You can grumble about it or adapt to it.

Tell new stories to put the opposition on their heels.

Create your own heroes and conflicts and resolutions. Be the storyteller everyone else reacts to. Make them either want to hear more or scurry for some boring graphs and charts while they’re in defensive mode.

Here are 5 ideas for making a new narrative, again related to infrastructure projects I’ve worked on:

1. “Imagine if our kids could safely bike to school.”

2. “My neighbor works one mile from her house. She’d like to walk, but there’s no safe path.”

3. “My elderly parents want to ride bicycles more. Half of their car trips would be easy 10-minute bike rides.”

4. “The mall employs tons of people who don’t own a car. Let’s make it possible for them to get to work with some dignity.”

5. “This is America. Let’s repeal the prohibition on walking across the street. You deserve the freedom to move around on your own terms.”

Learn from my mistakes. Put a new twist on old ideas and avoid the defensive stories.