Cambridge’s first participatory budgeting (PB) process is underway, joining just six other U.S. cities in implementing a democratic process at the community level through which city residents can brainstorm ideas, develop plans, and vote on projects that will be funded by the city’s public budget. Cambridge has set aside a total of $500,000 in the public budget for the 2016 fiscal year. The Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), a non-profit organization with experience implementing PB programs in four U.S. cities, will be facilitating the process in the city. Through an application process in November, the city formed a PB Steering Committee composed of 22 community members and representatives from non-profit organizations around Cambridge. The PB Steering Committee has been in charge of establishing the rules and structure of the PB process and will continue to guide the project. Like Boston’s participatory budgeting process for youth earlier this year, the committee set the minimum age for voting at 12 years old. For the rest of December, PBP and the city will be hosting public assemblies throughout Cambridge as well as pop-up events at local community centers and events to ask the community to share ideas for possible projects. After this initial brainstorming phase, residents can continue to participate by signing up to be “budget delegates” and work in different communities to develop proposals based on the ideas that are suggested by the wider community. By March 2015, Cambridge residents will be voting on the finalized projects which will be implemented starting in July.

The first public assembly on Tuesday drew a mix of residents, volunteers, Steering Committee members, and City of Cambridge representatives to the Frisoli Youth Center. Around six residents from across Cambridge attended the meeting and they were eager to hear about the PB process and share their initial ideas. Pam Jennings of the PBP introduced the project to the group and outlined the goals and timeline. Jennings explained that PB funds can only be used for capital projects such as street and sidewalk paving or park renovations rather than for operating functions such as establishing a new program or hosting a community event. This initial presentation answered key questions about the PB process and gave residents an idea of how they can be involved at each stage of the project.

Before breaking out into small group discussions, the group of residents expressed concerns about the turnout and asked how the community was being informed. A resident who had just heard about the project a week ago, pointed out that it seemed like “the [PB] process will go fairly quickly,” which indicates a need to "bump up outreach.” Representatives from the PBP and the city went over their outreach efforts in the weeks leading up to the first public assembly which included telephone and email outreach to community organizations and schools. They also talked about future outreach efforts which will involve dropping in on schools and hosting pop-up idea collection events throughout Cambridge. A few residents mentioned that they had heard about the event through the City of Cambridge website or through email lists for residents. Jennings said that the project may be a “hard sell” to people in the pilot stages because they have never heard of a program like participatory budgeting. In past PB projects, she has observed that community members “get more into it,” around voting time.

The small group discussions served as an opportunity for residents to discuss community needs and propose ideas. Most of the ideas proposed by the residents were related to street and sidewalk improvements to address safety concerns, improve traffic circulation, and expand access for bicycling. One Cambridgeport resident who is a frequent bike rider advocated for increased bike racks and bike shelters in Central Square, Harvard Square and Porter Square. An Inman Square resident spoke about the safety concerns she had about the Hampshire Street and Cambridge Street intersection in her neighborhood. The resident has observed accidents and “many almost accidents” along the busy intersection between pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars. The group suggested a holistic approach to redesigning the intersection from traffic calming measures to better lighting. Besides proposing budget ideas, the group of residents also provided the PBP and the city with outreach suggestions such as approaching certain community figures and churches in the city. As the meeting wrapped up, residents took flyers in English, Kreyòl Ayisyen, Português, and Español to pass out in their neighborhoods. Sky M. a Mid-Cambridge resident hopes that the PB process will generate creative ideas and perhaps, Cambridge will be able to implement projects that the city “has never undertaken before.”

Residents will be able to voice their ideas and hear from other community members at the upcoming public assemblies. The PBP and the city encourages residents to spread the word about the PB project among their neighbors, friends, and family. The community is also invited to submit their ideas through the city's online idea collection portal. As the idea collection phase advances, these efforts will hopefully ensure that conversations about participatory budgeting will take place throughout Cambridge.

Upcoming Public Assemblies

Saturday, 12/6 at the Citywide Senior Center (806 Mass. Ave.) from 2-4pm
Monday, 12/8 at the Cambridge Water Department (250 Fresh Pond Parkway) from 11:30am-1:30pm
Wednesday, 12/10 at the Gately Youth Center (70 Rindge Ave) from 6-8pm
Sunday, 12/14 at the Main Library (449 Broadway) from 2-4pm

To RSVP for a public assembly and find more information, please visit Cambridge’s participatory budgeting website.