Philadelphia Water Department
Building Trust at Scale
Sector
Infrastructure
Capabilities
Brand Strategy, Community Engagement & Outreach
The Challenge
Building Understanding at the Start of a Citywide Transformation
The Water Revitalization Plan (WRP) is a multi‑decade, citywide program encompassing more than 400 projects designed to upgrade and strengthen Philadelphia’s drinking water infrastructure.
While PWD has deep in‑house expertise, the scale and duration of the plan created an opportunity to expand communications and think more holistically about community engagement. They needed a clear, cohesive way to communicate a complex infrastructure program over time.
While PWD has deep in‑house expertise, the scale and duration of the plan created an opportunity to expand communications and think more holistically about community engagement. They needed a clear, cohesive way to communicate a complex infrastructure program over time.
The Opportunity
Laying the Groundwork for Trust and Engagement
With hundreds of projects unfolding over time, the opportunity extended beyond any single deliverable or campaign. It was about building a flexible communications framework that could evolve alongside the WRP and support meaningful community understanding and engagement from the start.
The Work
A Flexible Framework Built to Evolve
WCG has helped PWD develop an adaptive communications approach, translating technical work into accessible messaging and creating space for ongoing two‑way engagement.
A core component of this work is helping PWD establish its first formalized Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). Through a strategic approach to recruitment, meeting cadence, and content development, WCG works alongside PWD to convene community members with a vested interest in the WRP and its many phases. The SAG creates a structured forum for listening, learning, and collaboration, providing insight into community priorities and helping inform messaging strategies that resonate at the neighborhood level and across the city.
Together, these efforts ensure communications are not only informative, but responsive and grounded in real community input and designed to adapt as the program evolves over time.
A core component of this work is helping PWD establish its first formalized Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). Through a strategic approach to recruitment, meeting cadence, and content development, WCG works alongside PWD to convene community members with a vested interest in the WRP and its many phases. The SAG creates a structured forum for listening, learning, and collaboration, providing insight into community priorities and helping inform messaging strategies that resonate at the neighborhood level and across the city.
Together, these efforts ensure communications are not only informative, but responsive and grounded in real community input and designed to adapt as the program evolves over time.
Building Trust
From Execution to Strategic Partnership
As collaboration deepened, WCG became a trusted advisor, helping align internal teams, strengthen confidence, and guide how the WRP communicates as a unified program.
WCG serves as a lead advisor on Stakeholder Advisory Group strategy, guiding how community insight is gathered and reflected in messaging citywide. The partnership continues to evolve through creative exploration, introducing new ways to tell complex, technical stories through digital content, video, and on‑site communications.
WCG serves as a lead advisor on Stakeholder Advisory Group strategy, guiding how community insight is gathered and reflected in messaging citywide. The partnership continues to evolve through creative exploration, introducing new ways to tell complex, technical stories through digital content, video, and on‑site communications.
“WCG has been an amazing strategic partner for our work keeping our general public informed. You can really tell they bring a lot of experience to the table in public outreach.”
— Philly Water Partner
The Impact
Early Momentum for a Long‑Term Vision
While the Water Revitalization Plan is a long‑term program, early indicators point to the effectiveness of a more intentional, community‑centered communications approach. Senior PWD leadership has demonstrated increased alignment around the importance of engaging communities early and often, particularly for infrastructure projects with long planning horizons. Communications efforts are now more intentionally aligned to project phases, focusing on education and context rather than content for its own sake. This includes clearer explanations of foundational infrastructure concepts and project readiness, helping communities better understand how individual efforts fit into the broader program.
These impacts demonstrate meaningful progress while establishing a communications foundation designed to endure for decades.
These impacts demonstrate meaningful progress while establishing a communications foundation designed to endure for decades.
