Citizen Dialogue for civil engineering: securing investment loans in phase 0

Prevent objections before the plans go on public display.

In phase 0 not a single franc has been spent on planning. That's exactly when conflicts can still be resolved cheaply. Shops versus cycle lanes. Parking versus trees. In the Citizen Dialogue, residents, commuters and businesses write anonymously what they think of your project and weigh each other's contributions, long before anyone drafts an objection.

After 21 days you know the deal breakers. Before you apply for the preliminary project loan.

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 get

1. Loan applications that hold: With residents' priorities in the application, a single objection in parliament has a hard time. We give you those priorities, in black and white and broken down by neighbourhood.

2. Conflicts in phase 0: You see what bothers residents while planning is still open. Not at the public display, when every change costs months.

3. A mandate for trade-offs: If a majority gives up parking for more green space, you have a basis for your option that doesn't come from the administration.

How it works

• Strategy workshop: Three hours. We sharpen the questions with you and decide who should have a say: neighbourhood, commuters, businesses.

• Launch: Within 48 hours the dialogue space is ready. We write the invitation, you send it, for example by flyer or QR code on site.

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

• Result: Report, segment analysis by neighbourhood or user group and a ready-to-send response to residents. We present the results to your team or the committee.

Why BrainE4 is different

• More than an information evening: At the information evening sit those with the strongest concern. Here those who would otherwise only show up with an objection have a say too.

• More than a consultation report: Instead of a hundred submissions to answer one by one, you get a ranking with the strongest arguments.

• Weight, not volume: Organised groups gain nothing. The number of judgements per person is limited, and weighting compensates if one neighbourhood is overrepresented.

• 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

• Head of civil engineering and project managers: when you want to base specifications and competition briefs on facts instead of assumptions.

• City council and executive: when a large loan has to go before parliament or the voters.

• Transport and open space planning: when options are disputed in the neighbourhood.

In practice

City of Bern: Traffic-calmed streets and shared zones in the Wyler district: transport planner Sebastian Clausen wanted real backing and got clear support from the residents themselves. Read the interview

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

Aesch ZH: A growing municipality, expensive and disputed projects. Mayor André Guyer gathered the views of the wider population long before the vote and before conflicts arose. Read the interview

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

Ideal for:

Street space · Shared zones · Cycling infrastructure · Parking · Square design · Utility projects with construction phases

Frequently asked questions

Aren't we stirring up trouble?
The objections come anyway, at the public display at the latest. Better that you know them in phase 0, when a change still costs little.

Are we bound by the result?
You receive a ranking, not an order. What you implement is your decision. And you can justify it, with the judgement of those affected rather than an expert report.

How do we reach the people affected?
The invitation is half the battle, and it is our job. We write it specifically about the project, not as a survey, for example with a QR code on the site profile poles. Typically 7 to 24 percent of the population take part.

How much effort is it for us?
Three hours in the workshop and one approval of the communication. No IT project.

All questions and answers

See more

Video: The Citizen Dialogue in brief. Watch the video

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

Sample report: What a finished citizen dialogue report looks like. View the report

An objection costs months.
A dialogue in phase 0 takes three weeks.

braine4.com