Ace the 2026 AICP Challenge – Map Your Path to Planning Success!

Deliberative, structured citizen participation that yields actionable recommendations to decision-makers is being tested. A planning cell brings together a representative group of citizens to assess project alternatives against a clear set of citizen goals. With facilitation and appropriate technical input, the group weighs options, considers tradeoffs, and documents the reasoning behind its preferences. The outcome is a formal set of recommendations or a preferred course of action presented to decision-makers, reflecting public values in a way that can guide policy choices. Public meetings tend to be broader information-sharing events without a formal, deliberative weighing of goals or a single decision-ready recommendation. Scenario planning emphasizes exploring multiple futures and their implications rather than producing a concrete recommendation tied to current goals. Workshops are collaborative sessions to generate ideas, but they may not systematically balance alternatives against stated citizen goals or deliver a decision-ready set of recommendations.