Through citizen participation, residents of Mainz can directly influence decisions in their city. In Mainz, citizen participation is viewed as a complement to representative democracy at the local level. Citizen participation gives all residents—regardless of their nationality, age, etc.—the opportunity to contribute and advocate for their interests, suggestions, and expertise in local decision-making processes.

Citizen participation in Mainz is intended to appeal to and include everyone. It is therefore directed at the residents of Mainz. For this reason, the City of Mainz uses the term “resident” or, synonymously, “Mainzer” on these pages.

However, since the term “citizen participation” has become more widely used throughout Germany than “resident participation,” it is also used here for clarity. The term “citizen participation” refers to and explicitly includes all gender identities. 

The foundation of citizen participation is ensuring that the residents of Mainz are informed about current projects. This is done through the list of projects, which you can find on these pages. Depending on the project, different levels of participation are possible or planned. These range from gathering residents’ opinions (e.g., conducting opinion polls) to providing opportunities for participation (e.g., planning workshops) and even co-decision-making (e.g., voting on various implementation options).

Formal or statutory citizen participation refers to citizen participation that is required by law. Such regulations exist, for example, for urban land-use planning, regional planning procedures, approval procedures, state and regional planning, and environmental impact assessments.

Informal or voluntary citizen participation includes all procedures that are not regulated by law. However, informal citizen participation can also precede formal procedures.

Examples of legally regulated citizen participation:

• Local Government Act (GemO) § 16 Residents' meeting
• Municipal Code (GemO) § 16 a Question time
• Municipal Code (GemO) § 16 b Suggestions and complaints
• Municipal Code (GemO) § 16 c Participation of children and young people
• Municipal Code (GemO) § 17 Residents' petition
• Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) § 47 Clean Air Plans, Plans for Short-Term Measures, State Regulations
• Building Code (BauGB) § 3 Public participation

Civic engagement and citizen participation are essential elements of a vibrant democracy and encourage citizens to voluntarily participate in shaping their communities.

Civic engagement means that people volunteer their time, without pay, to help others or serve the common good—for example, by reading aloud at a daycare center or serving on the board of a nonprofit organization.

Citizen participation, on the other hand, enables residents to actively take part in municipal projects and contribute their opinions and ideas without requiring a long-term commitment. Examples of current opportunities for participation can be found on the project list at www.mainz.de/vorhabenliste and in the City of Mainz’s participation calendar at www.mainz.de/vorhabenliste and in the City of Mainz’s participation calendar at www.mainz.de/beteiligungskalenderwww.mainz.de/beteiligungskalender

As a resident of Mainz, you can participate in any project on the project list for which public participation is planned. If public participation is not planned for a project, you can suggest it—provided that participation is possible. The only requirement is that you live in Mainz.

There are many different methods of public participation. The relevant department decides which specific form and method to use for a given project. You can find the latest dates for public participation on our website.

In Mainz, the state capital, residents can actively submit proposals for citizen participation. Do you have a project for which you’d like to propose a new citizen participation initiative? Or do you have ideas and suggestions regarding existing projects on our project list? We’d be happy if you reached out to the Coordination Office for Citizen Participation. Only one application for citizen participation may be submitted per project. Therefore, please check in advance to see if your idea is already on our list of projects. We’d also be happy to let you know at the Coordination Office for Citizen Participation whether an application for your project has already been submitted.

Since late 2018, a working group consisting of eight residents, eight city council members, and eight city administration staff members has been developing the “Guidelines for Citizen Participation in Mainz.” On April 6, 2022, the city council adopted these guidelines. With these guidelines, the state capital is establishing a binding framework for all participatory processes in Mainz. Timely and ongoing information, transparency regarding planning processes, the involvement of all Mainz residents, and a reliable approach to handling the results form the foundation of a successful culture of participation.

The Advisory Board for Citizen Participation is composed of equal numbers of representatives from the general public, the city administration, and the city council caucuses. Since its inaugural meeting on February 2, 2023, it has met regularly four times a year. You can find the current schedule and all other information about the Advisory Board for Citizen Participation here on these pages.