2025 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

The Participatory Budget (PB) in Escobar is one of the main management tools. It allows for the revitalization of collective meeting spaces to generate local development proposals, strengthening the trust between the state and the citizens.

It is the platform that promotes neighborhood-initiated projects aimed at improving the quality of life in local communities, activating citizen commitment and leadership through the exchange of ideas and consensus-building efforts.

For the budget distribution, an equality criterion is established, assigning each Community Management Unit (27 in the district) the same amount of money derived from 1.5% of the municipal budget designated for the development of the PB. The themes available for proposal submissions are:

• Public Space Improvement: construction of new squares or enhancement of existing ones; healthy corridors and pedestrian walkways
• Urban Improvement: passenger shelters for public transport waiting; road signage; public lighting
• Access Improvement: construction of sidewalks and street improvements with soil stabilization
• Sustainability: awareness signage; community gardens; planting of native trees
• Security: installation of neighborhood alarms, security cameras, fiber optic networks

The projects submitted by neighbors over the past 9 years have been the beginning of significant neighborhood transformations. Year after year, neighbors participate to expand or improve what was achieved in the previous cycle or to redefine priority improvements.

On the other hand, it can be said that the PB complements and enhances the agenda of municipal executive areas dedicated to urban development. Many of the initiatives presented in the PB assemblies, which for financial feasibility reasons cannot be executed, are channeled by these areas, which analyze and evaluate their inclusion in the annual planning of works.

This participatory approach not only ensures that the projects address the community's needs but also strengthens the development of transparent management that is attentive to the citizens' perspectives and promotes public policies that reflect this.

PB DATA 2016-2024:

• 9,480 projects presented
• 50,270 people participated in the PB
• 749 projects voted on and executed
• The budget grew 70 times
• 2016: Each UGC $500,000
• 2024: Each UGC $35,000,000

• For more information: https://escobar360.escobar.gob.ar/servicio.aspx?ser_id=1626
   (External link)https://www.oidp.net/docs/repo/doc1636.pdf (External link)
• Video (External link)