In order to educate its citizens on how budgeting decisions are made, and inform decision makers on the priorities of its citizens, Calgary has engaged in an ambitious outreach process to get citizens to participate in drafting the city's budget.
As Nate Berg reports, the outreach program, titled "Our City. Our Budget. Our Future.", used an online budget-making tool that allowed the city to better communicate exactly what each department does and to educate citizens on the trade-offs that the city must make.
"The site was also adjustable so that citizens could see, for example, what a 5 percent cut in funds would eliminate from the parks budget, or what an extra 10 percent would add to the transportation department's plans for the year."
The site also served to give citizens a louder voice by proposing budgetary ideas and priorities in a novel format.
According the Mayor Naheed Nenshi, "We used to do things like open houses and town halls when we had those discussions. And what we learned this time around is that the open houses and the town halls are the most expensive and least successful part of the process."
Read the full story: To Understand the City’s Budget, Write It
Vallejo Approves First City-Wide Participatory Budgeting Process in US
The City Council of Vallejo, California, approved the first city-wide Participatory Budgeting process in the US this week. Residents will directly decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue.
New App Pays Users to Report Illegally Parked Cars
A Swedish company is leveraging the power of crowdsourcing and the gig economy to enforce parking laws.
Seattle Makes Historic Affordable Housing Investment
While the 2024 budget plan invests in housing and social programs, city leaders warn the city will face a shortfall of almost $250 million in 2025.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Iowa taxpayers are paying thousands to clean manure out of their water
While the Clean Water Act makes states responsible for regulating factory farms that discharge pollutants, Iowa has turned a blind eye to the polluting farms.
Amtrak cuts ribbon on Seattle Airo maintenance facility
The $250 million, nearly 100,000-square-foot building can house an entire Cascades Airo trainset.
To power data centers, Google seeks autonomous control of thousands of homes’ electricity
The tech company has signed a deal to indirectly pay Mid-Atlantic residents to reduce their power demand when the grid is strained.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello