This is a CTP of initiative: Participatory Budgeting Belo Horizonte (Brazil)
For the interviewee, one of the moments that constitutes as a CTP is when a whole neighborhood becomes urbanized and the PB can be recognized as a process that changes the city positively. It is an interesting turning point as an entire neighborhood is urbanized by the community's efforts via the PB.This is an important point because it is when we see this social innovation initiative really transforming the environment and impacting on people’s lives.Neighborhood Lajedo is a very nice example of the changes that PB can promote in a city. The neighborhood is an outstanding case of community engagement and achievement. Community participation throughout the process together with the number of projects that were approved, form the main motives for its successful urbanization process. This period of urbanization went from 1995 to 2009, which are the dates of the first and the last projects that were approved; the last being a health center for the community.
The community involvement in the PB process was a huge part of the construction of this CTP. Within the community, several segments were involved in the PB process throughout the years: local committees, different churches, civil society, organized groups, etc.
It is important to point out that in this particular community (The Lajedo Neighborhood) there was a strong idea of ??unity among all entities. This resulted in powerful community participation in the PB process, which has always been an important factor.In addition, there were those who executed the projects linked to the city hall.
Therefore, the city‘s executive bodies, thematic departments and other organs of the municipal government participated actively in organizing the PB process itself.
1993 – 2000- Themes of demands - The demands were focused exclusively on infrastructure (sanitation, street openings, etc.)
2000 – Inversion of the demand themes - After the structural demands had begun to be met , the population began to elect projects in the areas of health and education.
2000 - Record number of construction works in the northern region - Northern region (where the Lajedo neighborhood is located) had more than 20 projects approved in the PB process
2005 – Inversion of demand themes - Since 2005, there has been an increase in the amount of leisure projects chosen, such as in sports and cultural areas.
The government’s continuity in improving the process was crucial to the encouragement of participation in the neighborhoods, especially in engaged communities such as the Lajedo Neighborhood.
According to the interviewee, in Belo Horizonte politics, there are no disputes between partisans regarding the PB process, since all partisans had improved the process and were committed to it.
The interviewee recognizes that some representatives are connected to councillors or partisans but this does not mean that they have any kind of privilege in the PB process: "It is common to have someone in the community that is linked to a councillor and a party, but there is no interference in the municipal council in relation to the PB process. We have no political dispute about it".
Regarding other regions (considering that we are currently exploring the Lajedo neighborhood example), the interviewee does not recognize any kinds of conflict: “The other regions do not feel less acknowledged because the Lajedo neighbourhood managed to urbanize during the OP period. I do not think that there are any clashes because the regions divide the money equally (based on data), so they do not compete among themselves in order to receivethe same amount. What happens is that people think that they have little money, but this is not a challenge to the process or to the results obtained”.
The process of urbanization in participating regions was positive. Although the interviewee does not know if they foresaw the results or the quality of results in some areas, the situations that surprised the interviewee were regarding environments where she thought the work could not be done and yet now they have avenues and decent housing.
The most important point is that as a result of these housing developments and investments the neighborhood is now legally considered to be a neighborhood in the city. Before this urbanization process, they were not considered as neighborhoods and had many deficiencies in urban infrastructure: "Now people can have an address and property deeds. These are new benefits that arose from something else. At first I think it was not planned. Through this urban revolution there was a legalization of neighborhoods and this was very important.”
The process is long, but it generates a sense of belonging in the community that the interviewee considers to be the most important aspect. The process can change the logic of urbanization and create a sense of belonging in the city.
The result was to improve the lives of people, who became more respected in the rest of society because they felt well and were therefore perceived in that way: "The process of carrying out projects requires perseverance, but when the process works people gain things. It provides opportunities and people take advantage of them. It is worth it”.
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