Update from Springfield
Check out this quick 8-minute video of the recent PB event in Springfield, MA, that captures the participants’ contributions. In the coming months, local organizers are planning to work with elected officials and candidates to move forward discussions about implementing PB in the region. If anyone is interested in getting involved, please let us know.
Organizing in Greensboro
In May, the Fund for Democratic Communities invited The PB Project to lead some discussions about bringing PB to Greensboro, North Carolina. After a successful visit, organizers are ready to move forward: “Folks are ready to move from learning about participatory budgeting in other cities to figuring out how to make it a reality in […]
Upcoming Speaking Events: MA, RI, CA, NC
The PB Project is hitting the road and speaking at several public events, most with Chicago Alderman Joe Moore. April 11: Springfield, MA – 4pm at Springfield Technical Community College April 12: Boston – 6pm at Central Boston Elder Services April 13: Cambridge, MA – 4pm at the Ash Center April 14: Providence – 7pm […]
"Government can't solve budget battles? Let citizens do it."
Daniel Altschuler and I co-published an opinion piece today in The Christian Science Monitor: Government can’t solve budget battles? Let citizens do it. In recent weeks, Americans have watched budget battles tear apart Congress and state governments. This may be just the beginning. As states and cities across the country confront staggering budget shortfalls, they […]
Springfield, Mass: "Real decisions about real money"
Amherst College’s Center for Community Engagement has published an article on the possibilities for PB in Massachusetts: ‘Real decisions about real money’: Participatory budgeting for Springfield? On Monday, April 11, Springfield and area residents, nonprofits, and local representatives are taking what could be the first step towards implementing “participatory budgeting” (PB) in Springfield… read more
Cincinnati's 40k Challenge
There’s a new participatory budgeting initiative in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood. The 40k Challenge, run by the organization Price Hill Will, is inviting community members to decide how to spend $40,000. Starting with a public meeting in December 2010, organizers are asking people to generate project ideas and proposals for four themes: business & entertainment, […]
National League of Cities Congress in Denver
The Participatory Budgeting Project will be co-hosting a workshop in Denver this week at the 2010 Congress of the National League of Cities, the annual gathering of municipal government officials. If your local elected officials might be attending, please let them know about our session with Cities for Progress on Thursday, December 2nd: Participatory Budgeting: […]
Video: Participatory Budgeting in New York
On October 29, the Participatory Budgeting Project co-sponsored a panel discussion on participatory budgeting at Pratt Institute in New York. Chicago Alderman Joe Moore shared his experience with participatory budgeting, in which he invited residents of his ward to directly decide how to spend his $1.3 million discretionary budget. New York City Council Members, Community Board representatives, and community activists then responded to Moore’s presentation, discussing if and how community members could be more involved in budget decisions in New York.
Below are two videos of the event, first of the Alderman’s presentation, then of the responses from other panelists.
From Budget Cuts to a People’s Budget? Connecting Participatory Planning and Public Budgets in New York from Prattplanning on Vimeo.
Participatory Budgeting Panel Discussion from Jesse G on Vimeo.
Participatory Budgeting Events in New York
At the end of October The Participatory Budgeting Project is sponsoring two public talks in New York City, featuring Chicago Alderman Joe Moore, who launched the first US participatory budgeting process this past year. See below for info. If you are interested in setting up similar events in your city, send us an email.
Participatory Budgeting at the US Social Forum
The Participatory Budgeting Project is excited to announce a special workshop at the US Social Forum in Detroit, featuring organizers of the first participatory budgeting process in the US (Chicago’s 49th Ward) and the largest process in North America (Toronto Community Housing). Participatory Budgeting in the US: Public Control Over Public Money June 25, 2010 […]