The Tallinn City Administration approved the decision to start the 2024 participatory budget process during today's session. From 18 September to 8 October, all Tallinn residents have the opportunity to submit ideas regarding projects that should be undertaken in the city's urban space over the next five years.

Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart encourages all Tallinn residents to share their ideas, as the participatory budget provides an opportunity for everyone to contribute suggestions on how public funds should be allocated and see their initiatives come to life. "This year's participatory budget is the fourth, and we hope to receive many exciting ideas and new approaches towards developing Tallinn's urban space," said Kõlvart. "It is important to bear in mind that the proposed project will be constructed for public use and should be easily accessible. The past three years have shown that residents provide valuable ideas for enhancing the urban environment. Several projects have already been brought to life. There are some still awaiting implementation, but we are steadily working towards completing them."

You can submit your ideas from 18 September until 8 October 2023, either electronically through the Tallinn participatory budget website or in person at the city district administrations or the service bureau of the city administration (Vabaduse väljak 7). Your text can be written in Estonian, Russian or English. You must provide a description of the objective of your proposal and its significance, including details on the object's location and a proposed budget. You can find detailed instructions for submitting your idea on the participatory budget website.

The feasibility of transforming the ideas into reality is assessed by an expert commission, and the ones that are approved are presented to the public. City residents can vote for their favourite projects from 20 November until 3 December during a public vote. At least one participatory budget idea, which gains the most votes, is implemented in every district.

One million euros have been allocated in the 2024 budget for bringing the results of the brainstorm to life. 75% of the amount is distributed equally among the districts, while the remaining 25% is allocated based on the population of each city district as of 1 July of this year.

Finished projects that were based on previous winning ideas from the participatory budget include the Japanese-inspired mini forests in Kristiine and Põhja-Tallinn, which were completed this year, community saunas on the shore of Harku Lake, bus stop plant roofs in the City Centre, an outdoor classroom at the Pirita Gymnasium of Economics and a low-level adventure trail in the outdoor area of the Gustav Adolf Grammar School's Kotzebue building.

The idea collection for the participatory budget is conducted by the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department.
More information: tallinn.ee/kaasaveelarv