City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Status of Winning PB6 Projects

The $1,125,000 in FY21 capital funds for the eight winning projects from the sixth PB cycle became available on July 1, 2020. The graphic below displays the status of each project. The budget Office will continue to update this information as more work is completed.

Project Installation Details:

• Keeping Cambridge Clean: Public Works has installed fourteen new Big Belly double-stations (trash & recycle). These units have been installed on Cambridge Street between Prospect and First Streets.

7,602 Cambridge residents age 12+ voted --the most votes yet in a PB process in Cambridge.

• Make the City Bloom with a Habitat Corridor: Public Works has completed installation of plantings along the divider on Aberdeen Avenue, as well as a divider on Massachusetts Avenue. Funds have also been used for the Brookline/Watson Open Space Project!

Many thanks to our Outreach Committee, Budget Delegates, and other volunteers who worked hard to spread the word!

The following 8 projects won $1,125,000 in FY21 Capital Funding:

1. Close the Canopy ($200,000)
2. Water Bottle Filling Stations for the Major Squares ($150,000)
3. Laundry Access in Public Schools ($50,000)
4. Pedestrian-Controlled Crosswalk Lights ($150,000)
5. Extend Outdoor WiFi ($50,000)
6. Make the City Bloom with a Habitat Corridor ($75,000)
7. Keeping Cambridge Clean ($100,000)
8. Public Bathroom ($350,000)

For a breakdown of the voting results, please click here.  Special thanks to the City Manager for fully funding the eight projects!

Thank you to our extraordinary volunteers, facilitators, City of Cambridge staff, and all the other residents and participants who helped make the City's sixth PB process a success!

The sixth Participatory Budgeting Vote was from December 1-8, 2019. Cambridge residents age 12* and older, including non-US citizens and university students, were able to vote for up to 5 PB projects on the ballot. This year the City set aside $1,000,000 for capital projects to improve the community!

Winning projects will be included in the City's FY21 Capital Budget.

* All 6th graders are eligible to vote.

The 20 final proposals for the December 2019 PB ballot:

(Click each project for a longer description)

• Better Bike Parking for Students and Families ($155,000)
• Canine Comforts ($100,000)
• Keeping Cambridge Clean ($100,000)
• Because Benches Make Life A Little Easier ($150,000)
• Public Bathroom ($350,000)
• Laundry Access in Public Schools ($50,000)
• Water Bottle Filling Stations for the Major Squares ($150,000)
• Extend Outdoor WiFi ($50,000)
• More Bluebike Stations Near Affordable Housing ($180,000)
• Traffic Calming via Speedometer Signs ($150,000)
• Close the Canopy ($200,000)
• Lift & Lounge in the Park ($90,000)
• Pedestrian-Controlled Crosswalk Lights ($150,000)
• My Court – basketball court upgrades ($250,000)
• Open our Doors ($175,000)
• Public Art: Commemorating Local Cambridge Activism ($125,000)
• Private space for nursing parents ($60,000)
• Make the City Bloom with a Habitat Corridor ($75,000)
• Greener City Fleet ($80,000)
• Upgrade the Moses Youth Center ($95,000)

(Projects listed in random order)

Proposal Development

From August-November, 40+ Budget Delegates worked in five committees to research, assess, and prioritize all of the submitted ideas and ultimately develop the following 20 final proposals for the December 2019 PB ballot. Read the 2019 Budget Delegate Guide to find out more about the proposal development process.

PB Cycle 6 Timeline

• Planning/recruitment of OUTREACH TEAM (May 2019)
• Community members brainstorm and submit IDEAS (June 1-July 31, 2019)
• Volunteer Budget Delegates turn ideas into concrete project PROPOSALS (August-November 2019)
• City staff vet proposals for FEASIBILITY and COST (November 2019)
• Residents VOTE on which projects they’d like the City to fund (December 1-8, 2019)
• RESULTS are announced and winning projects are included in the City’s FY21 Capital Budget (December 10, 2019)
• Projects are IMPLEMENTED (July 1, 2020 onward)

Idea Collection

To read all of the ideas that were submitted in the sixth cycle, please visit the City of Cambridge's Open Data Portal here.