Riga puts 49 resident projects to a vote, may fund 12

Riga residents will be able to vote on 49 project ideas they submitted, with up to 12 potentially receiving funding, public broadcaster LSM reported. The city has set aside more than 2.8 million euros for this year’s participatory budgeting competition, its largest allocation so far.

The proposals cover improvements to neighbourhoods, sports and recreation facilities, greenery and other amenities. They are divided into infrastructure, courtyard and social innovation projects, and span neighbourhoods including Āgenskalns, Bolderāja, Čiekurkalns, Grīziņkalns, Imanta and Vecmīlgrāvis.

Thirty-seven proposals are infrastructure projects, while six focus on courtyards and six on social innovation, said municipal representative Sintija Placinska. The city is prepared to allocate up to 250,000 euros to each infrastructure or courtyard project, and up to 50,000 euros to each social innovation project.

Last year’s participatory budget was more than 500,000 euros smaller, and the city selected 11 ideas. This year, it expects to fund 10 of the most popular infrastructure projects, one courtyard project and one social innovation project.

Placinska said 40 projects from previous competitions have been completed and 24 are at different stages of implementation. Two more, in Bolderāja and Grīziņkalns, are expected to be completed soon.

Māris Jansons, head of the Riga Neighborhood Alliance, said this year’s competition would approve a record number of projects and give residents a particularly wide choice.