In Bonn, citizen participation is carried out on the basis of the Citizen Participation Guidelines. These are self-imposed rules to enable better participation for Bonn residents in local political decisions and city projects. Everyone should be given the opportunity to have their say and help shape the city.
A core element of the Citizen Participation Guidelines is the project list, which citizens can use to find out about the city's projects and plans at an early stage. It includes all municipal projects in which participation is possible in principle. The list of projects is made available to the public in printed form and is also continuously updated online.
Citizen Participation Unit
As a central contact for administration and politics, the staff unit is always required when it comes to the participation of Bonn residents outside of formal procedures (elections, citizens' petitions/decisions, urban land-use planning). The staff unit helps to draw up participation concepts, organize events and evaluate the results of participation.
At the same time, the staff unit is the point of contact for interested residents. The municipal participation platform "Bonn-macht-mit.de" was set up to provide them with all relevant information on the topic of citizen participation. The website provides citizens with all the information they need on how they can actively influence city decisions, all important news from the field of participation and information on relevant events. In addition, all interested parties can participate directly online and share their ideas on various urban issues via dialog rooms or surveys.
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Citizens' participation advisory board and citizens' committee
Other tasks of the staff unit include advising and supporting the Citizens' Participation Advisory Board as its office as well as preparing and following up on the meetings of the Citizens' Participation Committee (Citizens' Committee).
The Advisory Board is the preliminary advisory body of the Citizens' Committee. It consists of one third each of representatives from politics, administration and citizens. Its responsibilities include recommending the preparation, implementation and follow-up of participation procedures, evaluating the guidelines and updating the list of projects.
The Citizens' Committee is the council body that deals with the topic of citizen participation. As a complaints committee, it deals with suggestions and complaints from citizens in accordance with Section 24 of the NRW Municipal Code.
The Citizen Participation Unit is committed to nationwide cooperation with other local authorities, initiatives and scientific stakeholders. To this end, it cooperates with, among others
- Alliance for Diverse Democracy (opens in a new tab)
- Network of Municipal Participation Officers (opens in a new tab)
- NRW Research College for Online Participation (opens in a new tab)
The common goal of these players is to promote and further establish citizen participation at municipal level.