Tallinn has implemented a participatory budgeting programme, “A city created together”, to strengthen civic engagement, enhance transparency, and promote more inclusive decision-making. The city enables residents to propose and vote on projects that improve public spaces across all districts, supported by digital platforms and public discussions to broaden participation. By giving communities a direct role in shaping their environment, the programme contributes to reducing inequalities between districts, fostering trust in local governance, and generating lasting improvements that reflect local needs and priorities.
Participatory budgetting “A City Created Together” in Tallinn
Abstract
The initiative aims to increase civic engagement by giving residents of Tallinn a direct role in shaping their local environment, while enhancing transparency and trust in municipal decision-making. It promotes inclusive growth by supporting equal opportunities across districts and ensuring that public investments better reflect local needs and priorities.
The policy responds to the need for more participatory and inclusive governance, recognising that closer cooperation between communities, experts, and the city administration can improve both the relevance and legitimacy of public spending. By embedding citizen participation into the budgeting process, Tallinn seeks to foster stronger community involvement and greater public satisfaction with local governance.
Tallin’s “A City Created Together” Participatory Budgeting Summary
Country: Estonia
City: Tallinn
EU member state: Yes
Geographic scale: City
City size: Midsize (610 000 residents)
Date launched: 2025
Current status: Ongoing
Policy pillar(s): Housing and the built environment, Public services and infrastructure
Target group(s): Children, Youth, Women, Older people, People with a migrant background, at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and with disabilities, Ethnic minorities, including Roma, LGBTQI+ community, Families.
Funding and budget:
Total budget: EUR 1 000 000 annually
Funding sources: Local government (City of Tallinn)
EU funds/programmes: Not applicable
Tallinn identified a gap between the needs of residents and decision-making by the City, demonstrating a need to give communities – including those with the most vulnerable residents – a more direct voice in shaping their living environment. As a result, participatory budgeting in Tallinn was undertaken to strengthen civic engagement and increase transparency in city governance. Participatory budgeting also responds to the need for more inclusive decision-making, ensuring that investments reflect local priorities and help address inequalities between different districts of the city.
Tallinn’s participatory budgeting prioritises giving residents a direct role in shaping their local environment, to enhance transparency and trust in municipal decision-making. It particularly helps to incorporate the voices of typically vulnerable and underrepresented groups including children, youth, women, and families, older people, people with a migrant background, at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and with disabilities, ethnic minorities such as Roma, and the LGBTQI+ community. A major priority for the programme includes making visible, lasting improvements to public space that reflect local needs and priorities, leading to more balanced development between districts.
The participatory budget process is coordinated by the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department. Voting is open to all individuals aged 14 and over whose registered place of residence is in Tallinn. Each participant can vote for up to three ideas in their district of residence. In each district, the idea with the highest number of votes will be implemented. Building on experience from past years, Tallinn has expanded digital participation through an online platform, additional public engagement activities, and more structured evaluation and feedback mechanisms. Public discussions have been introduced in every district, alongside a greater focus on inclusivity.
For the 2025 participatory budget “A City Created Together”, 314 ideas were submitted. A commission of experts, in cooperation with district governments and councils, evaluated the proposals against the participatory budget criteria. As a result of their work and public discussions, 166 proposals were selected, and after merging similar ones, 137 ideas reached the final ballot. A total of EUR 1 million has been earmarked in the city budget for implementing the winning projects. Of this amount, 75% will be distributed equally among the districts, while the remaining 25% will be allocated based on the number of residents in each district as of 1 January of 2026.
Monitoring and adaptation are integral to Tallinn’s participatory budgeting process, which is evaluated through key performance indicators, participant surveys, internal dashboards, and independent reviews. These mechanisms track the number of submitted ideas, voter turnout, and project implementation rates, while gathering feedback from residents to assess satisfaction and impact, supporting transparency, accountability, and continuous learning. Each year, the City integrates lessons learned from previous cycles to improve project delivery..
The programme has increased civic engagement, with thousands of residents participating in idea submission and voting, and has delivered visible improvements in public spaces through 30 projects such as playgrounds, outdoor gyms, and green areas. It has also strengthened transparency and trust in municipal decision-making, promoted more equitable participation across districts, and fostered closer collaboration between residents, local organisations, and city officials. The programme’s expansion to every district and its focus on inclusivity has made the process more accessible and effective while reinforcing a positive relationship between residents and the city administration.
Monitoring, adapting, and expanding participation can increase inclusion. By critically assessing the participatory budgeting process each year, Tallinn has continuously identified ways to increase participation among vulnerable or underrepresented groups, leading to spending that reflects all citizens’ preferences.
Participatory budgets can build trust with residents. By giving residents a direct role in proposing, selecting, and monitoring local projects, the programme increases transparency and accountability in decision-making, thereby strengthening trust between citizens and the city administration.
Voting for Tallinn’s 2025 participatory budget now open: https://www.tallinn.ee/en/news/voting-tallinns-2025-participatory-budget-now-open
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Photo credits: Tallinn City Council.
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