Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about participatory budgeting

45th Ward Residents Can Vote for Ped, Bike and Transit Improvements

By John Greenfield | Apr 9, 2013 | 11 Comments

One of the great things about the participatory budgeting process, now taking place in Chicago’s 5th, 45th, 46th, and 49th wards, is that it encourages aldermen to spend ward money on outside-the-box sustainable transportation projects. By allowing citizens to vote on how a ward’s $1.3 million in discretionary “menu” funds are used, the process provides […]

Show Your Support for Sustainable Transportation Projects in Four Wards

By John Greenfield | Mar 27, 2013 | 1 Comment

Chicago’s participatory budgeting movement has exciting potential to democratize the way city money is spent, which could lead to innovative walking, biking and transit improvements. First pioneered in 1989 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, participatory budgeting allows citizens to recommend projects for public funding and then vote on how the cash is spent. In 2010, 49th […]