Participatory Budgeting in Philadelphia Draws Thousands

Assisted by the University of Pennsylvania Project for Civic Engagement, the City of Philadelphia recently hosted forums entitled “Tight Times, Tough Choices” to inform citizens about the city’s fiscal situation and to inform city officials about how Philadelphians want the city to handle the tough choices it faces. First, citizens received a briefing on the city’s fiscal condition, and then citizens were divided into working breakout groups of roughly 20. Working with moderators from UPenn, they reviewed the budget choices facing the city, decided how they’d prefer to handle the tradeoffs involved, and explained why they made those choices.