les bonnes idées des citoyens pour tisser des liens et construire la ville de demain
In the game of percentages, the liberal budget envelope (2 million euros) for their initiatives certainly does not weigh very heavily in the cake of public finances. But these participatory budgets at least have the merit of questioning the relationship between institutions and citizens. These same institutions which “would quickly become meaningless without the citizens”, according to Mayor Pierre Hurmic, surrounded Thursday evening by four of his deputies. Quite a symbol. Because the town hall has decided to approach this device “as a lever for collective action”, opening its financial floodgates to “Together and solidarity” projects carried out by at least two people and no longer just individuals, as in the first edition. conducted during the previous mandate.
Thus, 121 projects were received, in areas as broad as social action, disability, seniors, the fight against discrimination, early childhood, youth, culture, sport, education, nature in town or community life. “Even the eel”, a smiled the mayor to propose that aiming to create a “Walk along the quays to discover the eel” on the quays. We also spotted that of a “link-weaving dog park” with obstacle courses and canine education courses.
All audiences
Some projects concern a district, sometimes a street, others the whole city. Above all, it is a question of links, of men and women, including those who tend to be invisible, like the homeless, associated through associations or collectives in plancha projects. mobiles, solidarity lockers or large picnic tables in the public space. Without being exhaustive, let us also mention the creation of tools adapted in sign language to allow “children and people with disabilities to find their way around more easily”, from a “social and cultural oasis” to the shared garden of rue des Menuts in Saint-Michel, the rehabilitation of a 637-metre fresco in Carles-Vernet, the development of collective playgrounds for everyone in Bordeaux, the installation of street furniture in Quinconces, etc.
Estimated at between 5,000 and 165,000 euros, all were presented to a panel of associations, who decided to award the “Together and solidarity” label to eight of them. Those not selected, in particular because they did not fall within the competences of the town hall, were not thrown away. “On the contrary, we tried to open doors for them, to direct the bearers to the right contacts”, explains Tiphaine Ardouin, the deputy mayor in charge of permanent democracy, absolutely convinced “that we will not be able to make the necessary neither societal nor ecological changes without doing it with the citizens”.
“Citizen energies”
To achieve this, “there is no magic recipe, according to Pierre Hurmic. Our duty as elected officials is to get citizens to take ownership of their institutions, to get involved in what concerns them. All our efforts must tend towards the revitalization of our democracy by experimenting and opening ourselves to the citizen energies that you embody. Democracy is work and it is never finished,” he told the project leaders. Bordeaux residents have until January 31 to choose their favourites.