It’s still participatory budget season in Chicago! But wait … what does that mean?
Every year, each alder receives $1.5 million to spend on ward infrastructure. Some wards ask the public how to spend it. (Check age restrictions too — in many wards, teens under 18 can vote.)
If you live in the 40th Ward, your feedback is due soon!
Which wards do participatory budgeting?
Wards that have participated in participatory budgeting include:
- 1st (Logan Square, Wicker Park, West Town): Voting has ended.
- 11th (Chinatown, Bridgeport, McKinley Park): No plans are listed for the 2025-2026 cycle yet.
- 12th (McKinley Park, Brighton Park): Voting has ended
- 25th (Pilsen, Little Village): Voting has ended
- 26th (Humboldt Park, Hermosa): Voting opens in November.
- 29th (Austin, Montclare): The 29th Ward is collecting ideas until
Sept. 30. Submit yours here! - 33rd (Albany Park, Avondale): The 33rd Ward is still collecting ideas. Submit yours here!
- 35th (Logan Square, Avondale): Voting has ended.
- 36th (Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park, Belmont Cragin): No plans are listed for the 2025-2026 cycle yet.
- 39th (Forest Glen, North Park, Albany Park): The 39th Ward is still collecting ideas. Submit yours here!
- 40th (Lincoln Square, West Ridge): The 40th Ward’s People's Budget, as it's called, is still collecting ideas. Submit yours here! Proposals are due today.
- 47th (Ravenswood, North Center, Lakeview): Voting has ended.
- 48th (Andersonville, Edgewater, Uptown): The 48th Ward is still collecting ideas. Submit project proposals here and repair requests here.
- 49th (Rogers Park, West Ridge): No plans are listed for the 2025-2026 cycle yet.
What types of projects are funded?
Since this money comes from capital infrastructure funds, improvements are tied to physical space. That’s how Alex Linares, formerly the economic development planner at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, explained it to Hey Chicago.
Improvements can include:
- Sidewalk repairs and bumpouts
- Street resurfacing
- Park improvements
- Beautification projects
- New playground areas and nature spaces
- Basketball and tennis court improvements
- Bike lanes and bike infrastructure
Why should Chicagoans get involved in this process?
“Participatory budgeting is transparent,” Linarre said. “You’re not just looking at what gets funded, but how. It’s also more equitable … If we see that most people [voting] in the area are higher income, volunteers and staff can ask, ‘How do we do better outreach and engagement?’"
