City of Cambridge Announces Participatory Budgeting Winning Projects. Residents Voted on How to Spend $1 Million to Improve Cambridge.

The City of Cambridge announced the results for the ninth Participatory Budget (PB) Process. From December 1-11, 8,707 Cambridge residents age 12 and older voted to decide how to spend $1 million on capital projects to improve the community, representing the most votes yet in a Cambridge PB process.

The following 8 projects won $1,065,000 in FY24 Capital Funding:

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

“The enthusiastic turnout in this year’s Participatory Budgeting vote reflects the kind of community response that makes Cambridge such a special place to live,” said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. “I am excited to take advantage of the wealth of Cambridge residents’ creativity and passion to decide this portion of next year’s budget. I was also thrilled to be able to add an additional $65,000 to this year’s cycle to fully fund the three new murals as the eighth winning project.”

Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process that empowers community members to decide how to spend part of a public budget. The goal of PB is to directly involve residents in city budgeting, encourage civic engagement, foster community spirit, and help ensure that the City of Cambridge Capital Plan reflects the priorities of Cambridge residents.

In June and July, community members submitted more than 1,320 ideas for consideration online, via email, by mail, and over the phone. From August through November, more than 70 volunteer PB Delegates researched and developed the submitted ideas into formal project proposals. During the proposal development process, PB delegates met with city staff to better understand cost estimates and project feasibility, and consolidated the idea list down to the final project proposals that were on the December PB ballot.

From December 1-11, 2022, residents were able to vote online in English and 7 other languages, over the telephone, and at in-person voting locations across the city, including library branches, The Foundry, 243 Broadway, and the Cambridge Community Center.

“We really can’t thank the community and volunteers enough,” said City of Cambridge Budget Director Taha Jennings. “PB in Cambridge is successful, and in many ways has become a model, because of the incredible amount of work and thought that they put into every phase of the process, from outreach and idea collection, to proposal development and voting.”

This year’s 8,707 voter turnout represents a 15% turnout increase from the previous PB cycle and demonstrates the community’s continued support and investment in the PB process.

For more information about the Participatory Budgeting voting results, visit: pb.cambridgema.gov