Femke Konings

Portfolios

Spatial Planning

Femke has a master's in Communication Studies and sociology from the UvA. She recently decided to enter politics. As an experienced market researcher, she knows how to obtain the right information from residents in the public domain to make appropriate policies for the people of Amsterdam.

Why Volt? 

‘’I had never been a political party member before, because I felt that all parties are too concerned with the wrong things. Then I came across Volt and was immediately taken by its optimism. People at Volt think things should be different, but more importantly, that they can be different. They are do-gooders, but pragmatic do-gooders, and I liked that. 

The international perspective also appeals to me because I have always felt European. I also did exchanges during my studies, for example, in Copenhagen. There, I met many Europeans, so I actually feel more European than Dutch.‘’

What do you do besides your work as a group representative? 

‘’Besides my work as a group representative, I am a freelance research consultant. I supervise research in the non-profit sector, so I work a lot for ministries, municipalities, and charities. My specialisation is Justice and Security, so I also work for the judiciary and police and justice. I am also a counsellor every 14 days for a group of people suffering from depression, so I also work as a volunteer for the Depression Association.‘’

What do you want to do for Amsterdam? 

‘’I am involved in participation. This is mainly a subject that can make people very angry because it concerns their immediate living environment. There is also a major gap between government and citizens because citizens feel the government does not see and hear them. I also often see that participation is done because it has to be done. For instance, a residents' evening is organised and we have ticked the participation box again, but I find that very unfortunate. 

There is a lot of knowledge and expertise in the population, so I would like to move more towards a situation where there is genuine cooperation between government and citizens. We need to move towards a model of co-creation where citizens are much more involved in what their immediate environment looks like. For example, when you ask residents what they want, they want their surroundings to be much greener than the planners usually plan. That's what I want to do: work with citizens and green the environment.‘’