In the Bonn4Future participatory process, citizens, supported by stakeholders from administration, politics, business, science and culture, worked on a plan to make Bonn climate-neutral. This includes developing a positive vision of a climate-neutral Bonn. It also includes clarity about who can and must do what to make the project a success. Because climate protection needs all social forces.

The "Bonn4Future - We for the climate" participatory process was initiated and developed by the Bonn im Wandel association and ended with a council resolution in March 2023.

The city administration supported the process in a special way right from the start. At the end of 2020, the city council decided by a large majority to provide financial and personnel support. The project is special in three respects: it was the most extensive participatory process in Bonn to date, the first from the heart of civil society and it was implemented in close cooperation with the city of Bonn. In four large climate forums, citizens worked together with stakeholders from various areas of society as well as employees of the city administration and municipal companies to develop a climate action plan for a liveable and climate-neutral city.

The process consisted of various formats and modules:

• the Climate Days, which bring together existing climate protection initiatives to develop joint visions for the future in 2035,
• the subsequent climate forums, at which 100 randomly selected citizens work together with experts from business, science, civil society, administration and politics to develop concrete proposals for dealing with the climate crisis,
• a digital sustainability platform that makes initiatives and activities for a sustainable and fair city visible and encourages citizens to become active themselves and
• an activating communication network that was gradually built up.

Results and ideas from the forums were passed on to the administration and politicians. They served as orientation and support for the further development of the existing catalogs of climate protection measures.

A project advisory board with members from all social groups and an accompanying scientific evaluation ensured the high quality of the participation process.