Helsinki’s participatory budgeting 2019 – your ideas, your decision

Nina Ahola

City of Helsinki, Executive Office

Research and Statistics Unit

2

“Helsinki’s participatory budgeting – your ideas, your decision

• Online voting

• Results: How Helsinki voted

• Voter turnout: Who participated

• Discussion

Online voting - omastadi.hel.fi

1 Identity verification

2 Voting for multiple plans within the district’s budget

• An example, Northern Helsinki: 17 plans, budget 241 860 €

3

1%

19%

80%

Photo ID (city's service points)

Wilma ID (schools)

Online banking or mobile ID

100 000 €

38 000 €

70 000 € 208 000 €

(3 votes)

26.3.2020 Etunimi Sukunimi 4

Districts

26.3.2020 Etunimi Sukunimi 5

7 districts and entire Helsinki

232 519 votes

49 705 voters

4,4 million €

6

Locations

44 out of 297 plans

under implementation:

Districts: 33 plans

(on the map)

Helsinki: 11 plans

(not shown)

7

Categories of the plans voted for

implementation (44)

1

2

3

5

5

6

10

12

Health and wellbeing

Learning

Culture

Ecology

Community

Built environment

Sports and outdoors

Parks and nature

8

Budget of the plans voted for

implementation

0 500 000 1 000 000 1 500 000

Health and wellbeing

Learning

Culture

Ecology

Community

Built environment

Parks and nature

Sports and outdoors

9

Budget of the plans voted for

implementation

0 500 000 1 000 000 1 500 000

Health and wellbeing

Learning

Culture

Ecology

Community

Built environment

Parks and nature

Sports and outdoors2,3 million €

Several plans

prepared: easy

to communicate

and plan (?)

We need a

greener city and

more fresh air (?)

Budget (?)

Voter turnout

10

1,0

5,4

7,3

7,9

7,9

8,6

12,7

16,0

No known district

Eastern

Northeastern

Southern

Western

Northern

Central

Southeastern

8,6Helsinki

8,86,2

Women Men

(Ages 20+)

Percentage of the citizen voting-age population (12+) that voted

Source: City of Helsinki Executive Office, Statistics Finland

Voter turnout

11

Ages 20+

Voter turnout, age

12

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

11-15 16-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65-74 75+

School

assignment

Accessibility?

Family?Just

moved in

Helsinki?

Not

interested?

Education,

occupation,

income...?

13

“Whose decision?• What can we say about participation based on the vote?

• What can we say about equity?

• Limiting structures?

• Barries to participation?

• Practical interventions?

• Kaupunkilaisten äänet osallistuvassa budjetoinnissa - Helsingin kaupungin osallistuvan

budjetoinnin äänestys 2019 (26 March 2020)

Thank you!