Also possible in digital form: high-quality suggestions by citizens
All pilot municipalities were surprised at the high quality of discussion results and the new, concrete suggestions that the citizens formulated within a short time. The key was the diversity of the participants and the intensive group discussions which—thanks to digital simultaneous translation—were also possible in the tri-national groups.
Conclusion: With good planning, it is perfectly possible to organize citizen participation in digital form using simple methods. This format is a genuine alternative in the age of coronavirus; in normal times, it could be used to supplement participative formats of citizen participation based on direct encounters and personal contact.