FAQ AntifragiCity Citizens’ Forums

A citizens’ forum brings together a diverse group of everyday people to explore important issues facing their city and recommend solutions. Participants are not experts or politicians, but residents selected to reflect the city’s variety of ages, genders, backgrounds, and experiences. Over the course of the forum, participants learn about a specific topic, hear from experts, and discuss what they have learned. The aim is to carefully consider the issue from multiple perspectives and develop practical, informed recommendations.

Citizens’ forums give members of the public a chance to participate in decisions that affect society. They help bring different voices into the conversation, especially those who are not usually heard, and provide public guidance on controversial issues – from constitutional reform to climate change. Various formats of citizens’ participation across the globe have been shown to produce thoughtful and practical solutions.

The AntifragiCity Forums are citizens’ forums organised as part of the AntifragiCity project, a European research project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program (Grant No. 101203052). This innovative project explores how urban transport systems can not only resist disruptions but also evolve to become stronger.

To capture a diverse range of urban challenges and opportunities across Europe, the project is being piloted in four cities: Bratislava, Larissa, Odessa, and Thessaloniki. Citizens’ Forums will be convened in Bratislava, Larissa, and Thessaloniki. Due to the current circumstances in Odessa, AntifragiCity is collaborating with the BRIDGE project and will engage with their citizens’ assembly in Zhytomyr instead.

Each Forum aims to bring together 40 residents, randomly selected to reflect the diversity of experiences of their communities. Participants will work collaboratively to envision urban mobility that is functional, flexible, and fair.

At the heart of each Forum is the following central guiding question:

To explore this question, participants focus on four key areas:

Participants are invited to:

The AntifragiCity Forums are explicitly nonpartisan. They are commissioned and funded by the AntifragiCity project, a European research initiative supported by Horizon Europe (EU Grant No. 101203052), and led by LISER, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research.

In each demonstration city, LISER is supported by local partners:

While these local partners assist with organising the Forums, all funding, oversight, and strategic direction remain under the AntifragiCity project team. In other words, the Forums operate largely independently from local authorities.

The AntifragiCity Forums commit to following principles:

The AntifragiCity Forums are open to the general public, not experts or politicians. In principle, anyone can participate, as long as they meet the basic eligibility criteria. Members are selected at random, but with careful attention to reflect the diversity of the local population. Participation is completely voluntary. Those invited are free to decide whether to take part.

Selection is based on a range of demographic and personal characteristics:

These criteria help ensure that a wide range of perspectives and experiences are included in the Forum conversations.

To keep the process fair and impartial, individuals with strong political affiliations or professional interests in transport such as lobbyists or industry stakeholders are not eligible to participate.

Diversity is essential because it brings a wide range of perspectives and life experiences to the table, making problem-solving more effective and solutions stronger.

When a group includes people with different backgrounds, ages, abilities, and viewpoints, it can:

Beyond just bringing different voices together, citizens’ forums are designed to make sure every voice is truly heard not only those who speak the loudest. Skilled facilitators help create a supportive space where quieter or less confident participants feel comfortable sharing their views, so the group benefits from the full range of insights and experiences.

In short, diversity is not just a goal; it is a key to making better, fairer decisions that reflect the needs of the whole community.

Members of the Larissa and Thessaloniki AntifragiCity Forums do not receive financial compensation. Conversely, members of the Bratislava AntifragiCity Forum are remunerated, in accordance with a decision made by the local partner.

No prior expertise or special knowledge is required to take part. All participants receive:

We are deeply committed to making the Forums welcoming and accessible to everyone who wishes to take part. We recognise that people have different needs, and we will do our utmost to provide the necessary support and accommodations to ensure that all selected participants can fully engage. To help us prepare and provide the best possible experience, we encourage participants to share any specific accessibility requirements in advance.

While we cannot guarantee to meet every possible need, we will work closely with participants to do everything reasonably possible to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable, supported, and able to contribute meaningfully to the discussions.

The AntifragiCity Forums follow a well-established three-step process designed to foster inclusive and informed decision-making:

The AntifragiCity Forums balance in-depth learning, meaningful deliberation, and accessibility through a format that includes a focused, two-day in-person session dedicated to learning, discussion, and decision-making.

While no two-day process can cover every detail, this condensed format was chosen primarily to respect participants’ time. It makes participation more accessible to a diverse and inclusive group, including those unable to commit to multiple weekends.

To maximise the impact of the two-day format, the agenda is carefully curated to provide clear, balanced, and relevant information through expert presentations and guided discussions — concise yet comprehensive. Trained facilitators support participants throughout, ensuring all voices are heard and discussions remain productive and inclusive. This guidance helps participants navigate complex issues and reach shared conclusions within
a limited time frame.

In short, the two-day format enables meaningful participation while generating wellinformed, locally grounded citizens’ insights for more resilient urban mobility systems.

Experts are selected with great care to ensure that the information presented to participants is accurate, balanced, and accessible.

Experts are chosen based on several criteria:

After each Forum concludes, a report is produced that captures participants’ discussions, values, and recommendations. These reports are published and shared with AntifragiCity partners, local authorities, and the wider public. While not legally binding, they serve as a practical resource for the AntifragiCity project and demonstration cities and offer a valuable model for participatory resilience planning elsewhere.

In processes commissioned by public authorities, recommendations are often submitted directly to elected bodies — such as city councils or parliaments — where they can formally influence policy. The AntifragiCity Forums work differently. As a nonpartisan, research-driven initiative — not formally commissioned by local authorities — their recommendations do not feed directly into a legislative process. Instead, the outcomes:

In short, while the Forums may not directly shape law or policy, their findings play a vital role in advancing more resilient, community-informed approaches to urban mobility and crisis planning.

No. The AntifragiCity Forums are carefully designed to ensure recommendations are balanced, grounded, and realistic. Participants work within a clearly defined scope and are supported by accessible, evidence-based information from a diverse range of experts. Trained facilitators guide discussions to keep them focused, constructive, and inclusive.

Because citizens’ forums are made up of everyday people, not activists or lobbyists, they tend to produce thoughtful, nuanced, and practical proposals that reflect the lived experiences and priorities of the wider population. Far from being extreme, their recommendations are often practical and feasible, shaped by a shared understanding of what is both desirable and achievable in the context of urban mobility challenges and crises.

It is true that the AntifragiCity Forums produce non-binding recommendations. And because they are not commissioned by local authorities, the outcomes do not directly enter decisionmaking channels. However, this independence does not diminish their value or impact.

All findings are shared openly – with city governments, stakeholders, and the wider public. This creates real opportunities for the Forums’ insights to shape future planning and policy, especially in areas like transport, mobility, and emergency preparedness. Rather than being shelved, the recommendations are positioned to provide a foundation for more informed, adaptive, and inclusive decision-making — not just in the participating cities but across Europe. Participants’ ideas and experiences are carefully documented, published, and used to inform EU-level research on urban mobility and resilience. The recommendations generated in the Forums play a crucial role in the AntifragiCity project, contributing to a growing body of knowledge aimed at helping cities across Europe better prepare for and respond to crises.

In short, even without formal power, the Forums’ recommendations are intended to have realworld influence — through research, public discourse, and collaboration with cities.

One of the core strengths of a citizens’ forum is that its members are independent of party politics, commercial interests, or advocacy groups. They use their own values, reasoning, and life experience — combined with trusted information — to reach thoughtful, balanced conclusions. Nevertheless, the AntifragiCity Forums include multiple safeguards to ensure the process remains independent, balanced, and free from undue influence from experts, political agendas, or other external pressures:

Ultimately, it is the participants — not experts or politicians — who shape the final recommendations.

Even if you are not one of the randomly selected participants, your voice still matters. There are two ways to get involved in the AntifragiCity Forums:

To find out more about citizens’ forums around the world, visit the websites of organisations that specialise in public participation and deliberative democracy, such as: