When a municipality invites its citizens to say how they want their square to look - that's either real democracy or a well-packaged show. The municipality of Bitola tomorrow, 23 June, holds a second citizens' forum on the redevelopment of "Goce Delcev" square.

At the forum, proposal-ideas for the future look and layout of the square will be presented to the citizens. The fact that a second forum is being organised suggests that, formally at least, the process isn't being settled behind closed doors - citizens get a chance to see what is planned before the concrete is poured.

The question, as always with consultations like this, is how much the citizens' voice will actually change the project, and how much the forum just serves so it can be said there was "a public debate". The people of Bitola know full well that the square is the heart of the city - and that once it's built, the mistakes stay for decades.

That's why it's worth showing up. The real test of forums like this isn't whether they're held, but whether the ideas heard tonight will be recognisable in the final design. If yes - that's a model worth copying. If no - it's one more hall full of people whose opinion was written down, then forgotten.