New York City is experiencing a new kind of democracy. Through Participatory Budgeting, residents of four Council Districts are directly deciding how to spend around $6 million of public money. From October 2011 to March 2012, community members are exchanging ideas, working together to turn ideas into project proposals, and voting to decide what proposals get funded.
Any resident of the participating council districts 18 years of age or older can vote. More details available here.
By Nat Rudarakanchana, TheUptowner.org, Mon, 2011-10-17
Over 120 curious uptown residents gathered last week to take part in a brief but highly-anticipated political experiment: They began deciding how to spend a sliver of the city budget in their own neighborhood.