Krakow Transport Panel brings citizens into sustainable mobility planning

The Krakow Transport Panel was a deliberative democracy initiative involving a representative group of residents to discuss urban mobility challenges and co-develop solutions. Following an intensive educational phase to build a shared understanding of Krakow’s transport system, participants worked in groups to identify key issues and propose practical measures within the panel’s main questions. 

Experts provided neutral guidance, ensuring proposals were accurate and feasible without influencing the outcomes. All recommendations were validated through a voting system requiring at least 80% support. The panel delivered 43 recommendations, which were formally submitted to municipal authorities and subsequently integrated into Krakow’s urban mobility planning processes.

Context

In 2021, the City of Krakow launched its first Citizen Panel, marking a significant step towards implementing deliberative democracy at municipal level. Designed to generate actionable recommendations for public authorities, the process relied on a randomly selected and demographically representative group of residents. The first panel focused on climate change and climate neutrality, exploring the central question: “How can authorities and citizens reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy?”. It successfully delivered 32 high-quality recommendations, which were submitted to the city authorities and adopted with binding effect for the Mayor of Krakow.

Following the positive outcomes of this pilot initiative, the city proceeded to organise a dedicated Transport Citizen Panel in spring 2023, applying the same approach to sustainable urban mobility. This panel addressed the question: “How can the City of Krakow and its residents influence the further development of sustainable transport measures?” and explored three sub-questions:

• How can we optimise movement around the city?
• How should parking spaces be provided in the city?
• How can we reduce transport emissions and manage vehicle traffic in Krakow after the motorway bypass is finalised?

The Transport Citizen Panel was established with the following aims:

• To engageand mobilise the urban community around the issue of sustainable mobility.
• To enhance knowledge and awareness among Krakow’s citizens and key stakeholders.
• To facilitate a citizen-led assessment of transport needs and gather feedback on existing municipal strategies.
• To collect innovative ideas and practical solutions for consideration by city authorities.

A structured preparatory process was undertaken in advance to strengthen dialogue and build capacity for collective decision-making within the local community. An online survey, completed by 222 respondents, helped define the panel’s thematic scope by gathering expectations and identifying key challenges. These insights fed into the educational phase designed to equip panellists with the necessary understanding of urban mobility. 

In parallel, three online consultation meetings were held with representatives of local social organisations, Krakow residents, and the wider public. These consultations highlighted several concerns, including: clarity regarding the panel’s influence on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan; the need for transparency and representativeness; enforcement of recommendations; potential bias in participant selection; the role of experts; limited decision-making authority; and feasibility of proposals within current budget constraints.

The panel itself comprised a socio-demographically and geographically representative group of 70 Krakow citizens. Participants were selected through invitations sent to randomly chosen residents. Those who responded were entered into a ballot that was conducted live on Facebook on 17 February 2023.

Panellists were tasked with addressing the core questions and developing recommendations. They were supported throughout by subject-matter experts who provided guidance and delivered educational input to strengthen their understanding of the issues.

A monitoring team oversaw the process to ensure adherence to the panel’s rules and principles, proposing improvements where necessary. Alongside municipal staff, they also assessed the proposed solutions against formal, legal, substantive and financial criteria.

The panel was professionally facilitated by two private expert organisations specialising in dialogue and citizen engagement, appointed through an open tender process.

In action

The Krakow Transport Panel’s foundation

The Krakow Transport Panel operated under a clearly defined set of rules, aligned with OECD standards and designed to prioritise the common good. The framework ensured a systematic, fair process aimed at delivering practical, community-focused outcomes. The principles underpinning the panel included:

• Purposefulness – ensuring that all discussions and outputs had clear objectives
• Impact – focusing on solutions capable of effecting real change
• Transparency – maintaining openness throughout the process
• Representativeness and inclusion – ensuring participation reflected the diversity of Krakow’s population
• Access to information – providing panellists with relevant and comprehensive data
• Deliberation – encouraging informed, reflective discussions among participants
• Independence and protection of privacy – safeguarding the autonomy of participants and the confidentiality of their contributions

Professional facilitation by contracted external experts was essential in upholding these rules, enabling the process to run smoothly and maintaining the integrity of discussions.

The panel in action

The panel convened over five weekend days in March–April 2023, combining educational sessions with interactive workshops.

STEP 1 – Knowledge building phase (4, 5, 18 March 2023)

The first three days were expert-led educational sessions on key urban mobility concepts. The aim was to establish a shared understanding of Krakow’s mobility system – its functioning, challenges and opportunities – so that participants could contribute meaningfully at later stages.

The educational phase consisted of eleven chapters focusing on the elements of the urban transport system, with particular emphasis on traffic management strategies, the role of Krakow’s ring roads, public transport, active travel modes, parking management and e-mobility. The learning also highlighted the impact of traffic on the city and areas beyond city boundaries, and explored the interplay between urban planning, land use and transport. In addition, it situated the city’s transport strategies within the context of EU policy.

Taking parking management as an example, this learning element focused on local Paid Parking Zones and area-based Park & Ride systems. It emphasised key challenges such as the rising number of cars (700 cars per 1000 residents by 2022) and the limited availability of urban space. It outlined the aims of parking policy, including managing parking demand, enhancing turnover of spaces for short-term users, and promoting public transport. It also addressed critical aspects such as the cost-effectiveness of Park & Ride schemes and the management of parking for micromobility options like electric scooters. Furthermore, it discussed the need for a multi-step implementation process, from concept to monitoring, utilising technology such as automated control systems and parking sensors for data analysis.

Additional topics included the role of transport in early childhood development and the economic implications of limited urban space. Experts participating in the sessions came from the Technical University of Krakow, the Road Transport Authority, municipal administration, NGOs, the Krakow Metropolis Association, and independent consultancies.

STEP 2 – Ideas generation phase (19 March and 1 April 2023)

Following the knowledge-building sessions, two days were dedicated to workshops focused on discussing and developing practical ideas for sustainable mobility measures. Working in groups of 7–10, panellists were supported by experts who clarified questions, ensured accuracy, and verified the feasibility of proposed solutions.

Groups had full discretion to select which of three sub-questions to address and which specific topics within these areas they wished to explore. They were guided by suggested topics drawn from earlier consultations, and by a comprehensive guidebook providing essential context and a suggested structure for their discussions.

STEP 3 – Voting and outcomes

On the final day, all proposals generated by the workgroups were presented to the full panel for voting. This also included suggestions submitted by residents who were not part of the panel. Only proposals receiving at least 80% support were forwarded to municipal authorities for consideration.

A further requirement was that proposals had to fall within the competence of local authorities and comply with existing legal regulations and municipal policies. The outcome was a set of well-informed, actionable recommendations reflecting both expert guidance and the diverse perspectives of the citizens involved.

Results

The Krakow Transport Panel produced 43 recommendations from a total of 77 proposals, each meeting the requirement of at least 80% support and falling within the responsibilities and policies of the City of Krakow.

The recommendations centred on the following themes:

• Development and modernisation of public transport
• Active mobility and safe infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians
• Reducing transport-related greenhouse gas emissions
• Use of data and digital solutions in transport management
• Information and education on sustainable mobility
• Co-creation and inter-municipal cooperation
• Urban planning and accessibility
• “Investing in measures to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, for example by separating cycling and walking paths, expanding footbridges and overpasses, regular maintenance of surfaces, and providing additional lanes and traffic signals for cyclists in selected locations.” – 100% support
• “The city’s priority should be the development of public transport (in particular trams and pre-metro), so that it becomes increasingly accessible, convenient, and faster than cars for moving around the city.” – 97% support
• “Wider use of green strips (e.g. flower meadows, shrubs) as a safe way to separate pedestrian, cycling, and vehicle routes, as well as the introduction of green noise barriers where feasible.” – 97% support

Recommendations with the highest levels of support included:

Of the 34 proposals not approved, most still received majority support, with only eight falling below 50%.

The panel concluded its work by formally handing over its recommendations to the Deputy Mayor for Transport. These recommendations have since been integrated into the development of Krakow’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), with a strong commitment from the city to include them in the final plan wherever feasible.

Challenges, opportunities and transferability

The Krakow Transport Panel has demonstrated that a well-structured, citizen-driven approach to urban mobility planning can be both feasible and effective. Its model prioritised education, ensuring that panellists first developed a strong understanding of urban mobility concepts before formulating recommendations. This knowledge-building phase provided participants with the context and tools necessary to engage in informed discussions and make practical, evidence-based proposals.

Strengths and enablers

A majority-vote mechanism ensured that only measures with broad support, and aligned with city’s responsibilities and mobility policies, were forwarded to the Deputy Mayor of Krakow. This approach balanced citizen input with effective decision-making, producing recommendations that were both realistic and actionable. 

The use of a socio-demographically representative group, structured educational input, and clearly communicated rules fostered trust and ensured legitimacy. Transparency was a key strength: the rules, roles of stakeholders, and the representative selection of panellists were clearly communicated from the outset, fostering trust and encouraging engagement. 

The timing of the panel in relation to the SUMP process was another enabling factor. Recommendations could be directly integrated into ongoing planning activities.

Challenges encountered

While participants valued the educational phase, they frequently noted that it reduced the time available for workshop discussions and interactions with experts. Some felt that deliberations were relatively brief, limiting opportunity to explore complex issues in depth. Restricted time with experts made it difficult to ask detailed questions or clarify technical uncertainties, which may have affected the granularity of certain recommendations.

Participants also lacked information about municipal budget constraints. That made it difficult for participants to assess the feasibility of proposals and contributed to some recommendations being broad or high level. During final discussions, some suggestions were not approved due to concerns about their relevance for all social groups or their potential costs. 

Opportunities and lessons for other cities

The panel demonstrates the value of combining citizen engagement, expert input, and structured deliberation. Key lessons include the importance of dedicating sufficient time for discussion, ensuring access to expert guidance, and providing clear information about financial and legal constraints.

The transport panel model, originating from the first panel on climate change and climate neutrality itself, is highly transferable. It offers a framework that other cities can adopt with relatively few limitations beyond the necessary investment of time and resources. Its emphasis on transparency, informed participation, and alignment with formal planning processes makes it a strong example of participatory urban mobility planning.

In depth

Link to the City of Krakow website on the Citizen Panel:

https://krakow.pl/start/267786,artykul,cel_i_intencje.html

(in Polish)

Author: Claus Köllinger 

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission. 

Photo credits ©  Kamil Małecki (Fundacja Pole Dialogu, ul. gen. W. Andersa 13, 00-159 Warszawa (www.poledialogu.org.pl)); Matej Kastelic