The global population is increasing, and more people are moving to the cities. By 2050, 68 per- cent of the world’s population is estimated to live in an urban settlement. New Urban Agenda en- visages cities to be more participatory, encourage civic engagement and create the feeling of owner- ship. Hereby, a need for a more sustainable devel- opment process. Aalborg municipality has in the last couple of decades transformed from heavy industry to a knowledge based city, and in 2019 the municipality started the process of compiling a development plan for Aalborg Vestby.
To investigate how to create a sustainable trans- formation, the theories of sustainability and citi- zen participation are described. The data was col- lected from selected citizens of Vestbyen, in order to get a better understanding of Aalborg Vestby itself, where two observations, an interview and participatory data collection were conducted. The citizens of Vestbyen are primarily involved in the aspects of local value and social sustainability in the sustainability flower. The citizens of Vestbyen are primarily involved by information and feedback methods, which are not always adequate, hence a more participatory approach is needed. The municipality should furthermore employ the role as mediator, to listen not just to "what" questions, but focus more on "why" the question is asked.