Participatory Budgeting Update

Cambridge’s 10^th cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB) will begin in the fall of 2023. You can learn about the record setting 9^th Cambridge PB cycle below. Sign up for the PB newsletter to stay informed about future Cambridge PB updates and how you can participate!

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The City of Cambridge launched the 9th Cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB9) in 2022. Between June and July, community members submitted 1,320 ideas for how to spend $1 million on one-time capital projects to improve Cambridge. From August through November, 70+ volunteer PB Delegates researched all submitted project ideas and developed the final proposals for the PB9 vote. Between December 1-11, 8,707 Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted to decide how to allocate capital funding to address community needs. The following 8 projects won $1,065,000 in FY24 Capital Funding:

1. Trees for Danehy Park and Cambridge ($100,000)
2. Technology for Youth Centers ($250,000)
3. Look and Listen: Safer Crossing for Cambridge ($180,000)
4. Smart Recycling and Trash Compactors ($40,000)
5. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($250,000)
6. E-cargo Bikes for Watering Trees ($25,000)
7. More Outdoor Public Wi-fi ($100,000)
8. Three New Public Art Murals ($120,000)

A detailed breakdown of the vote is available on the Cycle 9 page.

The 2022 voter turnout is the highest in Cambridge PB history and is a 15% increase from the previous PB8 cycle! The $1,065,000 in FY24 capital funds for the PB9 winning projects will become available on July 1, 2023. Thank you to all the PB delegates that distilled and developed the 1,320 submitted PB ideas into proposals for the ballot. Thank you to all 8,707 residents that voted online, over the phone, and in-person. Including PB9, the Cambridge PB process will have funded 64 Capital Projects totaling $7.5 million.

Here are the 20 projects on the PB9 ballot that were eligible for funding:

1. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($250,000)
2. Finding your way at Danehy Park ($75,000)
3. Visual Communication Boards in Playgrounds ($20,000)
4. Trees for Danehy Park and Cambridge ($100,000)
5. Bike Parking and Bike Repair Stations ($100,000)
6. Outdoor Gym ($130,000)
7. Let’s Play Pickleball ($60,000)
8. Three New Public Art Murals ($120,000)
9. Enhance The Moore Youth Center Exterior ($100,000)
10. Basketball Renovations ($275,000)
11. Let’s Play Chess ($35,000)
12. Digital Map for Navigating Cambridge ($60,000)
13. Sit and Recharge in the Shade ($100,000)
14. Smart Recycling and Trash Compactors ($40,000)
15. More Outdoor Public Wi-fi ($100,000)
16. Technology for Youth Centers ($250,000)
17. E-cargo Bikes for Watering Trees ($25,000)
18. Expand Access to Bluebikes ($175,000)
19. Automatic Doors for Libraries ($150,000)
20. Look and Listen: Safer Crossing for Cambridge ($180,000)

(Projects are listed in random order)

What is PB?

Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process through which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. The City hopes that PB will help directly involve residents in the budgeting and City-building process, foster civic engagement and community spirit, and help ensure that the City’s Capital Plan reflects the priorities of Cambridge residents. For the PB9 cycle, the City set aside $1 million of the FY24 Capital Budget for one-time capital projects to improve the community.

You can learn more about winning projects from past cycles by exploring our PB Cycles tab.

Some Images provided by the Participatory Budgeting Project.