How Context Matters: Challenges of Localizing Participatory Budgeting for Climate Change Adaptation in Vienna

Abstract

Participatory budgeting originally aimed to promote greater political representation and resource distribution for vulnerable populations. As it globally circulates, however, existing literature points out that its local interpretations and implementations often fall short of proper tools and mechanisms to advance its emancipatory potential. So far, the roles of different actors, objectives, and toolkits that contribute to diverging local experiences and outcomes have been widely studied. In contrast, extant research has rarely addressed the implications of different spatial contexts and their challenges—and the implicit potential—considering the distinctive institutional arrangements and opportunity structures at the urban scale. This article investigates how the policy idea of participatory budgeting landed in Vienna at the district level in 2017 (Partizipatives BürgerInnen-Budget), its outcomes, and how it evolved into a city-level project for climate change adaptation (Wiener Klimateam). It explores how the local institutional and structural conditions—including the political backing for such initiatives—influence the motivations, expectations, and experiences among different governmental stakeholders at multiple governance levels, shaping place-specific outcomes of participatory budgeting. It unpacks the specific opportunities and constraints of the deployed participatory tools in budgeting processes, according to three core values of democratic governance (legitimacy, justice, and effectiveness). The conclusion discusses the potential trade-offs between these three dimensions and argues that the current form of participatory budgeting in Vienna may increase legitimacy in the process but have less of an impact on the effectiveness of the delivery and the empowerment of vulnerable populations in the outcome.

Investigating the Impact of Streetscape and Land Surface Temperature on Cycling Behavior

“…Moderate shade and vegetation can also provide heat protection in hot weather, creating a more pleasant environment for cyclists [42]. Second, by providing turnouts and increasing the openness of streets, not only can the cycling atmosphere in the city increase, but it can also provide a richer experience for cyclists [43]. Moreover, the cyclists' sense of identity with the city can be improved by designing architectural styles that harmonize with cycling.…”

Social Justice in the Green City

“…The tenth article, by Ahn et al (2023) and entitled "How context matters: Challenges of localizing participatory budgeting for climate change adaptation in Vienna," addresses the challenges of implementing a participatory budget to select and implement climate mitigation actions in several Viennese districts. The idea of the participatory budget was implemented in 2017 with the goal to engage and to encourage citizens to take an active role in climate urban planning policy.…”

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“…Particularly under a project-rationale that is currently dominant in European planning, scholars point at wider political-economic and institutional structures that unmistakably influence local projects and practices (Blanco et al, 2014;Parés et al, 2014). On the other hand, it is also argued that 'globally traveling ideas' about policies for people-centered practices need to be adapted to contextual conditions (Ahn et al, 2023). Whereas 'contextual awareness' is thus called for at both the level of local practices and the level of policy design, studies often remain implicit about what type of contextual conditions exactly need to be taken into account.…”