Poland municipalities implement participatory budgeting initiatives

Various municipalities and regions across Poland are conducting or concluding participatory budgeting processes, allowing residents to vote on local development projects.

In Kielce, winners include the construction of the ‘Uroczysko’ sports-recreational complex and the expansion of an animal shelter with a new cat nursery. In Mielec, a rope park in Smoczek Park emerged as the top city-wide project. Tarnobrzeg residents selected 23 proposals, including neighborhood reconstruction and playground modernizations, with a total budget exceeding 2.5 million PLN.

In the Opole Voivodeship, the ‘Izba Tradycji w Kopicach’ project secured funding. Meanwhile, the Małopolska Voivodeship has opened its call for projects with a 16 million PLN budget. In Kraków, a record 738 projects have been qualified for the upcoming 12th edition of voting. In Zduńska Wola, the voting period for 2027 projects concludes on October 14, covering both local investments and community events.

Other regional news includes the Kaszubski Ethnographic Park receiving the Živa 2026 award for Best Slavic Cultural Heritage Site, and Suwałki initiating public consultations regarding the potential creation of a ‘Memory Forest’ at the municipal cemetery.