The challenge

How can digital citizen participation truly reflect the needs of a community? In Aesch, Zurich, several major projects were on the agenda – from expanding school facilities to building new administrative offices and creating residential and community spaces.

Broad digital participation was essential to ensure acceptance and sustainable development. Involving citizens made it possible to base decisions on the real needs of the population.

The solution

Digital engagement: Actively involving citizens in the planning process.

With BrainE4, a stakeholder engagement platform for digital citizen participation was created, allowing the residents of Aesch to:

• submit their own ideas

• share opinions anonymously

• evaluate other proposals

Instead of relying solely on formal e-participation tools or traditional town hall meetings, this digital dialogue enabled broad and inclusive involvement of the community.

The results

Digital citizen participation as a foundation for clear decisions. The digital dialogue led to a clear prioritization of the most important measures. The municipality was able to make well-founded decisions based on a widely supported consensus – transparent, efficient, and democratic.

Through collaborative innovation, it was ensured that all planned initiatives – from expanding school capacity to building a new administrative office and creating new residential and community spaces – met the actual needs of the population.