The City of Cambridge launched the 8th Cycle of Participatory Budgeting (PB8) in 2021. Between June and July, community members submitted 1,070 ideas for how to spend $1 million on one-time capital projects to improve Cambridge. From August through November, volunteer PB Delegates researched all submitted project ideas and developed the final proposals for the PB8 vote. Between December 3-12, 7,441 Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted to decide how to allocate capital funding to address community needs.
Status of Winning PB8 Projects
The $1,140,000 in FY23 capital funds for the PB8 winning projects became available on July 1, 2022. The Budget Office will continue to update the implementation graphic below as City departments work to complete each project.
PB Cycle 8 Results
The following 7 projects won $1,140,000 in FY23 Capital Funding:
- Home Essentials for Newly Housed Residents ($60,000)
- Keep Cambridge Clean ($80,000)
- STEAM Upgrades for Youth Centers! ($110,000)
- Public Bathroom ($400,000)
- African American & Indigenous Peoples Historical Reckoning Project ($180,000)
- Traffic Signals for Cyclists ($60,000)
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ($250,000)
Thank you to the 7,441 residents that voted! The full vote totals are:
| Project | Cost | Votes | Cumulative Cost |
| Home Essentials for Newly Housed Residents | $60,000 | 3,635 | $60,000 |
| Keep Cambridge Clean | $80,000 | 3,331 | $140,000 |
| STEAM Upgrades for Youth Centers! | $110,000 | 2,970 | $250,000 |
| Public Bathroom | $400,000 | 2,963 | $650,000 |
| African American and Indigenous Peoples Historical Reckoning Project | $180,000 | 2,544 | $830,000 |
| Traffic Signals for Cyclists | $60,000 | 2,506 | $890,000 |
| Electric Vehicle Charging Stations | $250,000 | 1,890 | $1,140,000 |
| Water Fountains | $120,000 | 1,842 | |
| More Bluebike Stations for High-Need Areas | $180,000 | 1,736 | |
| Cambridge Works Out | $110,000 | 1,617 | |
| Praise for Raised Intersections | $120,000 | 1,546 | |
| Cambridge Hoops | $250,000 | 1,477 | |
| The Cambridge Gambit | $30,000 | 1,266 | |
| Driver Speed Feedback for Safer Streets | $100,000 | 1,229 | |
| Outdoor Volleyball Court | $100,000 | 1,140 | |
| Bicycle Parking that Doubles as Public Art | $50,000 | 1,092 | |
| Restore the North Cambridge Mural Before it's Gone! | $140,000 | 1,083 | |
| Enhancing City Pollination Areas with Educational Displays | $10,000 | 953 | |
| Nursing Pod for Breastfeeding and Pumping | $50,000 | 761 | |
| Community Garden Storage Sheds | $30,000 | 651 |
Special thanks to the City Manager for fully funding the seventh winning project.
PB Cycle 8 Vote
The PB8 vote took place from December 3-12, 2021. Residents age 12 and up (and all 6th graders) voted on-line in English and 7 other languages, in select in-person voting events, and over the phone.
The final 20 projects on the Cycle 8 Ballot are:
- Driver Speed Feedback for Safer Streets
- Basketball Court Upgrade
- More Bluebike Stations for High-Need Areas
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
- African American & Indigenous Peoples Historical Reckoning Project
- Keep Cambridge Clean
- Nursing Pod for Breastfeeding and Pumping
- STEAM Upgrades for Youth Centers!
- Outdoor Volleyball Court
- Home Essentials for Newly Housed Residents
- Praise for Raised Intersections
- Community Garden Storage Sheds
- Restore the North Cambridge Mural before it’s Gone!
- Water Fountains
- Bicycle Parking that Doubles as Public Art
- The Cambridge Gambit
- Public Bathroom
- Traffic Signals for Cyclists
- Enhancing City Pollination Areas with Educational Displays
- Cambridge Works Out
(Projects are listed in random order)
Proposal Development
From August-November, 50+ Budget Delegates worked in four committees to research, assess, and prioritize all of the submitted ideas and ultimately develop the following 20 final proposals for the December 2021 PB ballot.
Read the PB8 Budget Delegate Guide to find out more about the proposal development process.
PB Cycle 8 Timeline
- Community members brainstorm and submit IDEAS (June 1-July 31, 2021)
- Planning/recruitment of OUTREACH TEAM and coordination with the Cambridge Community Corps (July 2021)
- Volunteer Budget Delegates turn ideas into concrete project PROPOSALS (August-November 2021)
- City staff vet proposals for FEASIBILITY and COST (November 2021)
- Residents VOTE on which projects they’d like the City to fund (December 3-12, 2021)
- RESULTS are announced and winning projects are included in the City’s FY23 Capital Budget (December 14, 2021)
- Projects are IMPLEMENTED (July 1, 2022, onward)
Idea Collection
To read about all of the ideas that were submitted in the eighth cycle, please click the map below:
