PHILADELPHIANS love to talk.

From our coffeehouses and barber shops to our stoops and talk radio, we are a loquacious bunch. And we come by it naturally. Where else but in Philadelphia did the founders of the republic hammer out the Great Compromise of 1787 that would establish the form our government would take? And where else but in Philadelphia does the Quaker sense of the meeting still shape many a civic conversation?

Which isn't to say that we always talk well or respectfully. When tempers heat up during a losing Eagles season, we can throw things and be rude. When we divide into camps on issues that have the potential to divide us, we can brawl with the best of them. And, all too often, important conversations about matters of pressing civic interest are held by the few and not the many - resulting in backroom deals that benefit only the few.

Changing this, and promoting a free - and loud - airing of positions and ideas is what we want the Central Delaware Riverfront planning project to be about.

It's about holding an open and transparent public discussion about our values, hopes and dreams for our neighborhoods, the river and the city.

It's about engaging the citizens of Philadelphia in conjuring a shared civic vision for the diverse strip of land that runs south from Allegheny Avenue to Oregon Avenue along the river. A strip of land that wends its way through layers of communities, civic spaces, business interests and history that mirror the constantly changing dynamics of this great city.

Since October, when the mayor signed the executive order authorizing PennPraxis to work with the citizens of Philadelphia to create a "civic vision for the Central Delaware" we have been doing a lot of listening. From meetings with neighborhood groups, civic leaders, elected officials and port interests to hosting walk-and-talks along the river to learning lessons from New York, we have set the table for a robust civic dialogue about the future of the riverfront.

We're now taking it to the next level.

Next Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, neighbors, businesspeople, developers, professionals and public officials will come together in the first of a series of public forums to share what they value most for their neighborhoods and the waterfront. It is these values on which the city must build its plans for the future of the waterfront. We will imagine what a 21st-century waterfront means to us as individuals, as members of our communities and as Philadelphians.

These values forums will be followed in late January with expert presentations by professionals from around the country who will share their waterfront design and planning experience in areas like landscape design, transportation infrastructure, housing and development, and the reuse of industrial sites. In early February, citizens will come together to marry citizen values with expert knowledge to develop common-ground planning principles for the design of the Central Delaware.

To start the conversation, we are inviting Philadelphians to participate in one of three public forums listed below. They are free and open to all members of the public, but you need to RSVP at www.plan philly.com/registration or by faxing in the form below.

So, please come and talk.

Come and share your hopes and aspirations for the city and its great river. Out of respectful dialogue can come great ideas.

We're looking for yours.

For all meetings, doors open at 5:30 p.m. for registration and light refreshments.

Monday

St. Anne's Social Hall, corner of Memphis and Tucker Street, 6:15 to 9 p.m.

WednesdayGeorge Washington Elementary School

5th and Federal, 6:15 to 9 p.m.

Thursday

Independence Seaport Museum

Penn's Landing, 6:15 to 9 p.m.

Harris Sokoloff is the faculty director of the Penn Project on Civic Engagement, and Harris Steinberg is the executive director of PennPraxis at the University of Pennsylvania.