Test variants before the objections come: BrainE4 for mobility and transport consultancies

You know which option has support in the neighbourhood before it goes to the council.

Your options are technically sound. The objections come anyway, often from a vocal few. In the Citizen Dialogue, residents, commuters and local businesses write anonymously what they think of the options and weigh each other's contributions. On their smartphone, even right at the site profile or at the bus stop. A town meeting with everyone, except nobody has to raise their hand.

After 21 days you know what bothers the public while the planning is still open.

Proven with more than 60 clients in business, public administration & politics. On average, our clients did not know 8 of the 10 strongest contributions.

What you deliver to your clients

1. Documented backing: Your client sees where an option already has support and where it still needs clarification. In the words of those affected.

2. Conflicts while they can be solved: The decision matrix shows priorities and consensus at a glance. Resistance becomes visible before it turns into a formal objection.

3. The silent majority: Not just the few dozen at the information evening. With segment analysis by district, mode of transport or age.

Your business case as a partner

• Participation that makes a difference: The dialogue complements your formats. You plan and recommend, we deliver the solid basis for it.

• Fewer loops: Knowing early what has support means planning twice less often. That saves budget and nerves, yours included.

• No extra workload: We handle moderation, analysis and the report. Three hours of workshop, that's all.

How it works

• Strategy workshop: Three hours with you and the municipality. We arrive with a concept and sharpen the questions on the options.

• Launch: Within 48 hours the dialogue space is ready. We write the invitation, poster and QR code, the municipality sends them out.

• Dialogue: Three weeks, moderated daily. Every contribution is checked, you follow along live.

• Result: Report and one-pager for the council or committee, plus a ready-to-send response to the public.

Why BrainE4 is different

• Trade-offs instead of a wish list: In a survey everyone wants everything. More parking or wider cycle lanes? Whoever has to choose shows what counts.

• Organised groups can't tip it: The number of judgements per person is limited, and ongoing weighting corrects over- and under-representation. From this we derive representative statements.

• No comment section: No names and no stage. Anyone who wants to disagree writes their own contribution, and it has to hold its own in the duel.

• Insight Guarantee: In the strategy workshop we record six assumptions per question: what you expect. We mix them covertly into the contributions. If on average at least five of the top 10 are new to you, your knowledge has doubled. Otherwise we refund the dialogue.

For whom

• Transport planning firms: when options for street space, speed limits or parking are under discussion.

• Mobility consultancies: when you want to back a mobility concept with public support.

• Commissioned project managers: when your client needs to know before the vote where they still have to persuade.

In practice

City of Bern: Transport planner Sebastian Clausen was planning traffic-calmed streets and shared spaces in the Wyler district. He wanted real backing and got it from the residents themselves. Read the interview

«Physical participation alone is no longer enough today.» Sebastian Clausen, transport planner

Municipality of Aesch (ZH): Mayor André Guyer gathered the views of the wider population on expensive, contested projects, long before the vote and before conflicts arose. Read the interview

«We also reached people we would never have reached through traditional assemblies.» André Guyer, Mayor

Ideal for:

Traffic calming · Shared spaces · Parking · Cycling and walking network · Public transport links · Mobility concept · Street design

Frequently asked questions

Does this replace formal public participation?
No, it complements it. The dialogue reaches the many who never come to an information evening. The formal procedure stays as it is.

What if an interest group mobilises?
Volume achieves nothing here. Every contribution is judged in many independent comparisons, the number of judgements per person is limited, and weighting corrects imbalances.

Will the dialogue raise expectations we can't meet?
Expectations exist anyway. The dialogue shows which ones many people share. The decision remains with the authorities and voters, and participants know that from the start.

What about freedom of information rules?
What gets published is a checked ranking, not a comment section. During the dialogue everything stays internal. The municipality explains the results first, together with its response.

All questions and answers

See more

Video: The Citizen Dialogue in brief. Watch the video

Citizen Dialogue: From major projects to public votes. Learn more

Sample report: What a citizen dialogue result looks like. View report

The best option is worthless without backing.
Get it before the plans go on display.

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