Today, many ideas, plans and concepts of the public sector are developed in dialogue with those affected. The city council attaches great importance to cooperation with the population, companies and private actors. Participation procedures are therefore part of the administrative culture of the City of Zurich. 

However, participation processes are complex and require careful planning. It is an art to determine the right time and the right kind of participation. For project managers in the administration, this represents a major challenge. For this reason, the City of Zurich has developed a working aid for participation and participation processes. A checklist helps to ask the right questions in preparation. This working tool can provide a service to all those who plan or are involved in participatory processes.

Web 2.0 has fundamentally expanded the technological possibilities for participation. E-participation, i.e. participation based on information and communication technology, offers a new, additional opportunity to involve the population in decision-making processes.
In order to highlight the opportunities and limits of online participation, a basic study on e-participation in the field of urban and district development was developed. Based on the analysis of case studies from German-speaking countries, the report formulates 12 tips for the implementation of e-participation processes.