The challenge

How can public spaces be designed to meet the diverse needs of the population?

In the town of Lenzburg, this question arose in particular with regard to the future of its forest. It was to serve as a recreational area, but also fulfill ecological and infrastructural requirements – a complex balancing act that required broad approval.

The solution

Instead of conventional e-participation, which is often dominated by individual interest groups, the city relied on BrainE4.

In an open, interactive process, citizens were able to actively contribute ideas and prioritize the most important suggestions without bias.

Within a short period of time, several hundred ideas were collected, which were then clearly prioritized by around 12,000 interactions by forest visitors.

The results

This participatory approach has not only improved the quality of the decisions, but has also strengthened trust in the planning process.

The result is a viable development plan that takes into account the interests of all relevant groups, not just the loudest ones. Infrastructure measures, leisure facilities and ecological aspects were weighted based on the real needs of the population – not on guesswork or individual opinion leaders.