Local life · Kraków
In Kraków, voting on 54 million złoty gives way to the wait for results
Voting in the participatory budget closed on Monday 28 September. Behind the funding lies a practical question: which projects do residents want to see in their city?
A playground, trees or activities close to home: participatory budgeting translates residents’ choices into local projects. In Kraków, voting in the thirteenth edition ended on Monday 28 September 2026. The municipality has announced 54 million złoty to fund projects at neighbourhood and city level.
Choosing local projects
The principle is to put residents’ proposals to a public vote after the city has assessed them. Voting then helps decide between the projects. For readers discovering Polish municipal life, the term to remember is budżet obywatelski: the citizens’ or participatory budget. It concerns a dedicated allocation, not all municipal expenditure.
The importance of this process can be measured in everyday life. A project may look modest on paper yet change how a street, a square or a facility is used. The detailed list makes it possible to explore proposals in one’s own surroundings, beyond the most visible schemes.
Up to six projects in two categories
Under the rules presented by the city, each participant could choose up to three neighbourhood projects and three citywide projects. Preferences were expressed by awarding three, two or one point. A valid vote had to include at least one project in each category. Each resident could vote only once.
The municipal portal brings together the proposals and participation information. The city also points out that people can help a relative use the interface while leaving the choice of projects to that person. This distinction matters for people less comfortable with online procedures.
Practical reference
The announced voting period ran from 11 to 28 September 2026. See budzet.krakow.pl to follow this edition and the next announcements. This deadline concerned Kraków; other cities have their own calendars.
After the vote, waiting for selection
The municipal calendar provides for the selected projects to be announced by 13 November. No results for this edition are presented here. The next step will be to discover residents’ choices and then follow the selected projects: their implementation will give this exercise in local democracy its full meaning.
Original AI-generated illustration. A conceptual scene, not documentary evidence.