PB Chicago is going from strength to strength. Researchers from the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois-Chicago have found strong reasons to support the continued expansion of PB in the city. Three wards participated in the second year of the process (2013-2014), and residents worked hard to ensure that their PB process realized three overarching goals: equity, inclusion, and community building.
PB Chicago by numbers:
- 698 residents attended brainstorming sessions, identifying over 775 capital needs in their communities.
- Over 260 community residents including 48 youth volunteered to research and develop project proposals for the public vote.
- 2,574 Chicago residents from the three wards turned out to vote on how their public infrastructure dollars should be spent.
- 21 community projects won the vote, totaling $4 million.
The key findings:
- More people of color, low-income individuals, and youth participated compared to the previous year’s cycle (2012-2013).
- There was high participation by the wards’ youth, with approximately 30% of 22nd Ward PB voters and 10% of 49th and 45th Ward PB voters under the age of 18.
- Over $1.6 million in additional funding, beyond the PB budget, was leveraged for community projects identified through the PB process. That’s a 40% increase in the capital works money coming into the participating wards, thanks to PB!
Read the full report here!
