City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Many thanks to the PB Cambridge Steering Committee, Budget Delegates, Participatory Budgeting Project staff, City staff, the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team, and all of the volunteers and participants who helped make the City's second PB cycle a success!
 

Status of Winning PB2 Projects

The $600,000 in FY17 capital funds for the seven winning projects from the second PB cycle became available on July 1, 2016. The Budget Office will continue to update this information as more work is completed.

 Additional notes about some of the projects:

• Separate bike lanes from traffic: Separated bike lanes were installed at two locations near Harvard Square in July 2017: a two-way separate bike lane on Brattle Street from Eliot Street to Mason Street, and a one-way separated bike lane on Mass. Ave. from Trowbridge Street to Quincy Street. Please click here for more details.
• Water bottle fill stations: Public Works installed the water bottle fill stations at Russell Field (near Alewife path), Donnelly Field (near baseball fields), Green Rose Heritage Park (near playground), Hoyt Field (near basketball courts), and St. Peters Field in Danehy Park. Old water fountains were removed at these locations and the new water bottle fill stations were put in their place.
• New chairs for Cambridge Public Schools: The School Department purchased 130 new desks, 110 chairs, 9 lockers, and 3 science tables for the Amigos School. The School Department purchased 100 guest chairs, 60 desk/chair combos, and 12 cafeteria tables for Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
   

 PB Cycle 2 Timeline

• Planning, recruitment of STEERING COMMITTEE (May-July 2015)
• Community members brainstorm and submit IDEAS (August 2015)
• Volunteer Budget Delegates turn ideas into concrete project PROPOSALS (September-November 2015)
• City staff vet proposals for FEASIBILITY and COST (November 2015)
• Residents VOTE on which projects they’d like the City to fund (December 5-12, 2015)
• RESULTS are announced and winning projects are included in the City’s FY17 Capital Budget (December 2015)
• The City's second PB process is EVALUATED (January-April 2016)
• Projects are IMPLEMENTED (July 2016 onward)

Rulebook

Click here to read the rulebook from the second PB process.

Idea Collection

To read about all 540 ideas that were submitted during the second cycle, please visit the City of Cambridge's Open Data Portal here.

Proposal Development

From September-November, 35+ Budget Delegates worked in 4 committees to research, assess, prioritize, and develop the 540 submitted ideas into the following 23 final project proposals, which appeared on the ballot in December 2015.

1. Interactive Technology for the Main Library ($60,000)
2. Digital Sign at City Hall in Multiple Languages ($75,000)
3. Little Free Libraries (Book Exchanges) ($16,250)
4. Cambridge Garden of Peace ($350,000)
5. Block Party Trailer with Party Equipment ($81,000) 
6. Free Wifi and Soofa Benches in 3 Parks ($92,000)
7. Shape Up Our Squares! ($40,000)
8. Faster, Better #1 Bus for Cambridge ($250,000)
9. Separate Bike Lanes from Traffic ($50,000)
10. Make Massachusetts Avenue Safer for Bikers ($70,000)
11. Real-Time Bus Arrival Monitors in Harvard Square ($24,000)
12. Five Water Bottle Refill Stations ($40,000)
13. Wellington-Harrington Community Garden ($100,000)
14. Veterans’ Garden ($250,000)
15. Cambridge Prepared Food Rescue Freezer Van ($48,000)
16. The Sustainable Energy Pilot ($90,000) 
17. Nursing Pod for Mothers and Infants ($20,000)
18. Inclusive Playground for All Kids ($305,000)
19. Volleyball Court at Danehy Park ($61,000)
20. Invention and Production of Music ($150,000)
21. New Chairs for Cambridge Public Schools! ($190,000) 
22. Outdoor Exercise Equipment ($260,000)
23. Remodel the Kitchen at the Frisoli Youth Center ($200,000)

Vote & Results

To view an English version of the PB2 paper ballot, please click here.

From December 5-12, 2015, 4,184 Cambridge residents age 12 and older - regardless of immigration status - voted for up to 6 of their favorite PB projects on the ballot. The following 7 projects won a total of $600,000 in funding:

1. Cambridge Prepared Food Rescue Freezer Van ($48,000)
2. Separate Bike Lanes from Traffic ($50,000)
3. Five Water Bottle Refill Stations ($40,000)
4. Make Massachusetts Avenue Safer for Bikers ($70,000)
5. Shape Up Our Squares! ($40,000)
6. Faster, Better #1 Bus for Cambridge ($250,000)
7. New Chairs for Cambridge Public Schools! ($102,000)

For a complete breakdown of the PB2 voting results, please click here.

Winning projects were included in the City's FY17 Capital Budget.