U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PB Cycle 2

PB at the Mall

Many thanks to the PB Cambridge Steering Committee, Budget Delegates, Participatory Budgeting Project staff, City staff, the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team, and all of the volunteers and participants who helped make the City's second PB cycle a success!
 

Status of Winning PB2 Projects

The $600,000 in FY17 capital funds for the seven winning projects from the second PB cycle became available on July 1, 2016. The Budget Office will continue to update this information as more work is completed.

PB 2 Project Status Tracker

 Additional notes about some of the projects:

  • Separate bike lanes from traffic: Separated bike lanes were installed at two locations near Harvard Square in July 2017: a two-way separate bike lane on Brattle Street from Eliot Street to Mason Street, and a one-way separated bike lane on Mass. Ave. from Trowbridge Street to Quincy Street. More details.
  • Water bottle fill stations: Public Works installed the water bottle fill stations at Russell Field (near Alewife path), Donnelly Field (near baseball fields), Green Rose Heritage Park (near playground), Hoyt Field (near basketball courts), and St. Peters Field in Danehy Park. Old water fountains were removed at these locations and the new water bottle fill stations were put in their place.
  • New chairs for Cambridge Public Schools: The School Department purchased 130 new desks, 110 chairs, 9 lockers, and 3 science tables for the Amigos School. The School Department purchased 100 guest chairs, 60 desk/chair combos, and 12 cafeteria tables for Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
     

Rulebook

Click here to read the rulebook from the second PB process.

Idea Collection

To read about all 540 ideas that were submitted during the second cycle, please visit the City of Cambridge's Open Data Portal.

Vote And Results

View an English version of the PB2 paper ballot.

PB Cycle 2 Ballot Instructions

From December 5-12, 2015, 4,184 Cambridge residents age 12 and older - regardless of immigration status - voted for up to 6 of their favorite PB projects on the ballot. The following 7 projects won a total of $600,000 in funding:

  1. Cambridge Prepared Food Rescue Freezer Van ($48,000)
  2. Separate Bike Lanes from Traffic ($50,000)
  3. Five Water Bottle Refill Stations ($40,000)
  4. Make Massachusetts Avenue Safer for Bikers ($70,000)
  5. Shape Up Our Squares! ($40,000)
  6. Faster, Better #1 Bus for Cambridge ($250,000)
  7. New Chairs for Cambridge Public Schools! ($102,000)

 

The full vote totals are detailed below:


Project Cost Votes Cumulative Cost
1. Cambridge Prepared Food Rescue Freezer Van $48,000 2,330 $48,000
2. Separate Bike Lanes from Traffic $50,000 2,214 $98,000
3. 5 Water Bottle Refill Stations $40,000 1,583 $138,000
4. Make Massachusetts Avenue Safer for Bikers $70,000 1,399 $208,000
5. Shape Up Our Squares! $40,000 1,306 $248,000
6. Faster, Better #1 Bus for Cambridge $250,000 1,301 $498,000
7. New Chairs for Cambridge Public Schools $190,000* 1,256 $688,000
8. Free Wi-Fi and Soofa Benches in 3 Parks $92,000 1,252
9. Invention and Production of Music $150,000 1,126
10. Real-Time Bus Arrival Monitors in Harvard Square $24,000 1,025
11. Little Free Libraries (Book Exchanges) $16,250 1,013
12. Inclusive Playground for All Kids $305,000 966
13. Outdoor Exercise Equipment $260,000 925
14. Interactive Technology for the Main Library $60,000 740
15. The Sustainable Energy Pilot $90,000 688
16. Block Party Trailer with Party Equipment $81,000 650
17. Remodel the Kitchen at the Frisoli Youth Center $200,000 631
18. Wellington-Harrington Community Garden $100,000 620
19. Volleyball Court at Danehy Park $61,000 588
20. Cambridge Garden of Peace $350,000 576
21. Veterans' Garden $250,000 529
22. Nursing Pod for Mothers and Infants $20,000 475
23. Digital Sign at City Hall in Multiple Languages $75,000 290

*The proposal for new chairs in Cambridge Public schools will be funded at $102,000 instead of the full amount in order to stay within the $600,000 allocated for this PB process.

Winning projects were included in the City's FY17 Capital Budget. Many thanks to the PB Cambridge Steering Committee, the Budget Delegates, the Participatory Budgeting Project, City staff, the Stanford Crowdsourced Democracy Team, and all the volunteers and participants who helped make the second PB process a success!

I Voted in Participatory Budheting sticker

Contact Us

How can we help?

Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry:

As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.

Read our complete privacy statement


Service Requests

Enter a service request via SeeClickFix for things like missed trash pickups, potholes, etc., click here