they are costly complex typically land intensive and for all of these reasons involve risk given this meaningful public engagement in decision making is an important part of the policy process this entails raising public awareness of about the scope cost location and timeframes for a project early on in the process so as to gather information and opinions on various elements at its most involved level such engagement practices include citizens in some element of decision making for example including the opinions and ideas of citizens or stakeholders in a project can lead to more and better information with which to design or deliver a project