City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

What's on the PB3 ballot?

Over 60 volunteer Budget Delegates worked hard this fall to research all 548 ideas submitted by community members over the summer and develop the following 20 proposals for the ballot.  Make sure you vote for your favorite PB projects from December 3-9!

PARKS & RECREATION

1. UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PLAYGROUNDS FOR EVERYONE! ($100,000)
1-2 playgrounds to be determined by community process
Universal Design playground equipment is designed to be usable by everyone without special adaptations or retrofitting. Let’s go beyond legally required minimum accessibility standards to ensure our playgrounds truly welcome everyone!

2. DANEHY PARK: FITNESS, SIGNS, DOG PARK LIGHTS & SCOREBOARDS ($140,000)
Danehy Park
This project will bring much-needed improvements to Danehy Park, with great positive impact for Cambridge residents. New fitness equipment, signs, dog park lights for evening use, and scoreboards will make Danehy Park better utilized.

3. SHADE AND WET WEATHER CANOPIES FOR PLAYGROUNDS ($146,000)
2 playgrounds with little natural shade
Installing canopies over playgrounds that do not have protection from the elements will reduce weather-related safety concerns and increase playground availability and use.

4. LEARN ABOUT NATURE IN THE PORT ($10,000)
Greene-Rose Heritage Park or nearby
Artistic signs would educate children and adults about nature in the city. The signs would contain information about local wildlife and the ecosystems and would include a map of habitats around Cambridge.

CULTURE & COMMUNITY FACILITIES ('BRIDGE BUILDERS)

5. CAMBRIDGE STREET ART TRAIL ($25,000)
8-10 highly visible community locations
Commission local artists to create a series of murals and street art reflecting Cambridge's vibrancy and diversity. Increase space for publicly created street art (like that in "Graffiti Alley" in Central Square).

6. ALL-IN-ONE MOBILE PERFORMANCE STAGE & ART SPACE ($98,000)
Citywide
Spread the love and joy of arts and music in the city of Cambridge! Residents can bring world-class arts and musical performances to any city street, any time, regardless of age, race, or background.

7. LIGHTING LANDMARKS: CHLS GATE & SUMNER STATUE ($45,000)
Broadway & Ellery Street, Harvard Square-MacArthur Park
Effective light design for Cambridge landmarks can make our city as livable at night as in the day. Well-designed lighting would enhance these landmarks and increase public safety.

8. LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES FOR CHILDREN ($37,000)
13 locations at playgrounds and parks
Little free libraries are beautiful, functional works of art that help build community. They develop literacy skills and encourage a love of reading by making it easy for families to exchange books in an informal, neighborhood setting.

YOUTH & EDUCATION

9. BICYCLE DESKS FOR CAMBRIDGE STUDENTS ($113,000)
CRLS and the four Upper Schools
Bicycle desks will help bring focus and exercise to Cambridge classrooms as well as improve the physical and mental health of students.

10. WIRELESS SPEAKERS FOR YOUTH CENTERS ($25,000)
Cambridge Youth Centers
Adding wireless surround sound speakers to the youth centers benefits young people doing homework, playing basketball, and other activities. Bringing music to the youth centers will bring more youth to these centers.

11. UPGRADE THE MOORE YOUTH CENTER ($80,000)
Moore Youth Center
The Moore Youth Center is outdated compared to other youth centers. New furniture and equipment will help bring more youth to the center.

12. FREE PUBLIC WI-FI IN COLUMBIA PARK ($32,000)
Columbia Park
Internet access is an essential right. Adding free Wi-Fi to Columbia Park (Clement G. Morgan Park) will enable people to access information for school and work.

STREETS & SIDEWALKS (STREETSMARTS)

13. KINETIC ENERGY TILES ($50,000)
Harvard Square, CRLS
Kinetic energy tiles are tiles that generate energy from your footsteps! We want to introduce these tiles into our city and get Cambridge residents involved with clean energy! These tiles can power streetlights, phones, or laptops.

14. SOLAR-POWERED REAL-TIME BUS TRACKER DISPLAYS ($150,000)
High-use bus stops throughout Cambridge
This project proposes installing 10 solar-powered bus tracking displays with real-time arrival information at high-use bus stops throughout the City of Cambridge.

15. BUILDING A STRONG AND SAFE BIKE COMMUNITY ($114,000)
Main Public Library and public schools
Cambridge has cyclists aged under 8 to over 80. To educate and protect bicyclists and bicycles, we propose offering free helmets with safety training for grade school students and installing an artistic bike shelter at the Main Library.

16. SAFER CROSSWALKS FOR BUSY ROADS ($104,000)
Specific locations citywide (see full proposal)
Install flashing light signs on six crosswalks that pedestrians can activate before crossing the street. These flashing signs make drivers more aware of crossing pedestrians to help prevent crashes, especially at night.

HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT & SAFETY

17. SOLAR POWER SHINES! ($260,000)
Rooftop of Main Public Library
Let’s power the public library with clean, renewable energy! Adding solar panels to our main library will help Cambridge meet our climate goals by reducing emissions, saving money over time, and serving as an example for patrons.

18. HYDRATION STATIONS IN FOUR LOCATIONS ($37,000)
Four locations throughout Cambridge
Additional water fountains and bottle refill stations will help residents stay hydrated and reduce waste from plastic bottles! One of the new fountains will be designed to reflect Cambridge, like the artistic water fountain at Fresh Pond.

19. SAFE NAPS FOR CAMBRIDGE PRESCHOOLERS! ($4,000)
King Open & Peabody Preschools, Baby U, Center for Families
New healthy PVC-free nap mats will help Cambridge preschoolers sleep safely! We will purchase 80 mats for programs still using old mats that are coated with PVC, a chemical associated with negative health effects. All kids in Cambridge preschools deserve a safe nap!

20. (2-3) LEVEL 2 ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS ($30,000)
City locations
Adding electric vehicle charging stations to crowded neighborhoods without garages will send a powerful message that now is the time we can all buy electric cars. We will reduce pollution and support a transition to clean transportation.