To be successful and form stable alliances, we first assessed the current situation locally in the MobiQ project. It was important to find out what already exists in the area and who is already active. This is because alliance partners are often crucial in the end.

„Through my involvment as a driver, my day is better structured, and it’s just nice to experience the atmosphere on the bus and receive the gratitude.“

For this purpose, we formulated the following guiding questions:

In the MobiQ project, we first created a map (mapping) of the groups and individuals who were working voluntarily and professionally in the project area and who were important for our topic. In the previous assessment and analysis (Steps 1 and 2), we had already recorded them on a map. The municipal association directory, the local newspaper, interviews, and conversations were important sources of information.

To assess which groups, associations, etc., would be important at different stages of the project, we assigned symbols for the already active ones and the potential supporters and cooperation partners.

Definition of Stakeholder

A „stakeholder“ is an individual, group, or organization that is directly or indirectly affected by your project or can influence it. Stakeholders and stakeholder networks should not be underestimated, as they can, on one hand, cause a project to fail, but on the other hand, they may also have resources that can help you implement your project. Therefore, it is important to decide which stakeholders to involve and when.

We took a close look at who is active at each of our three locations and who is involved with mobility and transportation. This gave us a better understanding of the environment of our project and the ideas present locally. We were able to better assess how new ideas could be integrated and with whom we should discuss them.

A „stakeholder mapping“ is easy to create, but it does take some time. It’s best to retreat with your fellow collaborators for a morning and focus solely on this task.

You could prepare by gathering information beforehand. Each of you could take on a specific area and search for as many actors as possible who are active in your region. Here are some tips on how to carefully examine your environment:

Joint Analysis

Now it’s time to merge your lists. It is recommended to work visually and with a list at the same time. If you have access to a projector, you can use free online tools like Miro to create the stakeholder map. At the same time, you should create a table in which you note the stakeholders and their „classification.“

The columns in the table could be:

Use the graphical map representation to discuss and visually categorize each of the potential stakeholders for everyone to see. The table serves as a record to document your categorizations. For the representation on the stakeholder map, use the suggested symbols (circle for neighborhood, square for urban community, and diamond for project development) or create your own symbols. If you do not have technical equipment available, you can also hang a large sheet of paper on the wall and work with „name cards“ for the stakeholders.

During the group discussion, you will see how the stakeholder map fills up and discover new stakeholders that you hadn’t considered during preparation, who will find their place on the list. However, remember not to spend too much time initially on stakeholders whose functions you (still) cannot assess. It is essential to have a stable core of particularly active partners and work closely with them. Also, keep in mind that there will be multipliers who will report on your project, so you do not need to inform everyone personally.

By the end of this morning, you will have created a stakeholder mapping with all relevant actors who are important for your project. Additionally, you will have gained an understanding of the order in which they should be integrated into the project. Those in the „inner circle“ should ideally be directly involved in the idea development (Step 5).

You should consider the extended project circle in whatever way suits you best. All stakeholders should be informed at the latest when you plan to present your solution idea to a larger audience.

Meet regularly (e.g., three times a year) to update your mapping. You will notice that the relationship of various stakeholders to your project will change over the course of the project work. It can also be helpful to highlight connections between different stakeholders with lines. This way, you can observe how a network forms around your project, giving you a better sense of when and with whom you need to communicate.

Definition: Multiplier

This refers to someone who shares information or knowledge with many other people. Imagine you learn something new and then tell your friends and family about it. They, in turn, share it with others, allowing the information to spread further and further. A multiplier ensures that many people receive information by passing it on to others. This can include well-connected citizens or even the local newspaper.

A city or municipality can support the work of civil society actors in two ways. On the one hand, municipal officials should always respond to inquiries from civil society, even though time capacities are often limited. To conserve personnel resources while still responding to citizens‘ inquiries, it is essential to advance digitalization. This improves both accessibility for citizens (via email, chat, etc.) and the availability of digital information.

In line with the E-Government Act (EGovG), which applies to federal authorities as of the time of writing this book (2023), the municipality should aim to:

1. Make data easily accessible and simple to provide,
2. Improve innovative, public welfare-oriented, and responsible data use, thus proactively providing data,
3. Promote data literacy and the establishment of a data culture to enhance the quality and usability of provided data.

If a municipality has introduced an Open Data strategy and established a comprehensive information system for its citizens, it will also be easier for the administration to respond to their inquiries.

The municipality will most likely appear in the stakeholder maps of the projects. Therefore, it is advisable to develop an internal strategy on how the municipal administration could participate. This might, for example, mean that there is a contact person for citizen participation who initially acts as a multiplier in these projects. They can help connect the project at an early stage and facilitate the communication with other contacts within the administration, as well as with the citizens.

In Baden-Württemberg, for instance, the „Allianz für Beteiligung e.V.“ provides funding lines and support materials on its website (allianz-fuer-beteiligung.de). Additionally, there are events for exchange, networking, and neighborhood work.