<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/paris-residents-help-decide-how-city-spends-money/>
"Just off the bustling Rue Montorgueil, one of the most commercial streets in
Paris, the
Centre Cerise, or Cherry Sociocultural Center, is a haven of local
community. At the cafe in the back, where the ceiling is covered in a sea of
mirrors, a young barista whistles behind the counter and a trio of elderly
women chat over an afternoon coffee.
These humble surroundings, simple as they appear, are a pillar of local
democracy. And they recently received a much-needed, city-funded renovation.
“Paris has become very expensive. Many people can’t afford to eat in the
restaurants around here,” says Anne-Valérie Desprez, a manager at the Cherry.
“That’s why we need places like this. To provide everyone with somewhere to
come together.”
For the past decade, every year, Parisians like Desprez have been able to see
their proposals come to life on the streets of the French capital. Under the
city’s Participatory Budget, any resident above the age of seven, regardless of
their nationality, can propose a project to be paid for by municipal funds. The
model, increasingly popular across the globe, is helping authorities spend
resources efficiently and boost democratic participation in an era when trust
in government is low and political apathy is on the rise.
In Paris, more than 21,000 ideas have been submitted by citizens since the
scheme launched in 2014, resulting in 1,345 funded projects and an expenditure
of €768 million (almost $900 million), including €263 million set aside for
low-income districts. Each proposal must pass a feasibility study by city hall
before being voted on by residents online or at hundreds of ballot boxes
installed across the city in the fall.
“It is a very good device and it’s important,” says Yves Sintomer, a French
researcher and co-author of the book
Participatory Budgeting in Europe, an
analysis of initiatives in 10 countries. “Paris has invested a lot, and with
that you can transform a lot of things.”
It’s led to the creation of rooftop farms, children’s play areas, community art
murals, shade structures and baggage storage for the homeless, as well as a
number of projects at the Cherry, which was founded in 1999. In 2017, following
the center’s first successful budget proposal, benches were installed in the
street out front, providing a place for people to congregate for free. Further
funding from the participatory budget enabled the center to buy a cargo bike —
shared with other local businesses — for short-distance deliveries in 2019,
re-do the entry sign in 2021, and renovate the cafe a couple of years later."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
