Vilnius Lowers Voting Age to 16 for Record €1.6m City Budget
Vilnius is set to grant its younger residents a direct hand in shaping the city’s infrastructure, lowering the voting age for its participatory budgeting program to 16. This change coincides with the announcement of the largest financial pool in the program’s history, with more than €1.6 million earmarked for resident-led projects.
The initiative, known as “Dalyvauk! Vilnius” (Participate! Vilnius), enters its fifth year with a mandate to foster civic responsibility before residents reach the legal age of majority. By allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote on which local projects receive funding, city officials aim to bridge the gap between youth interests and urban development.
Empowering the Next Generation of Citizens
The decision to include teenagers stems from the observation that young people are among the most frequent users of the city’s public infrastructure. From skate parks and basketball courts to green spaces and cycling paths, the youth demographic often has the most direct experience with the facilities the participatory budget seeks to improve.
Lina Koriznienė, Head of the Organizational Development Group at Vilnius City Municipality, noted that the shift is intended to make citizenship a practical lesson rather than a theoretical one. In previous years, while many winning ideas—such as the Salininkai Youth Sports Park and the “PUMPTRACK” in Pilaitė—were specifically designed for young residents, the beneficiaries themselves were unable to vote for them, relying instead on parents or older relatives to cast ballots.
By lowering the age threshold, the city is acknowledging that teenagers are not just “future” citizens, but active stakeholders who meet in squares, commute by bicycle, and utilize public squares daily. This move follows a successful integration of participatory budgeting within nearly 70 schools across the capital, where students have already been practicing the process of proposing and selecting internal school improvements.
Record Funding for Urban Transformation
To match the growing ambitions of its residents, the Vilnius City Municipality has significantly increased the available budget. The total fund of at least €1.63 million represents a substantial leap from previous years, reflecting the rising costs of high-quality urban projects and the community’s desire for more comprehensive developments.
The budget is divided into two distinct categories to ensure both local and city-wide needs are met:
| Project Scale | Budget Allocation | Maximum Value Per Idea |
|---|---|---|
| Small-scale (Neighborhood) | €630,000 | Varies by ward |
| Large-scale (City-wide) | €1,000,000 | Up to €250,000 |
This tiered approach addresses a common challenge in urban planning: the transition from a simple idea to a functional reality. City officials have observed that a request for a simple sports court often reveals a need for wider improvements, such as lighting, accessible footpaths, and landscaping. The increased “large-scale” cap of €250,000 per project is designed to ensure these spaces are fully realized and sustainable for long-term community use.
From Pilot Project to City-Wide Movement
What began as a pilot project in just two wards in 2021 has rapidly evolved into one of the most successful civic engagement tools in the Lithuanian capital. Last year alone, residents submitted nearly 500 ideas, with over 17,000 people participating in the final vote to select 244 projects for implementation.
This model of participatory budgeting is gaining traction across Europe as cities look for ways to combat civic apathy and ensure that tax euros are spent on projects with high social utility. For Vilnius, the program has already resulted in the creation of new recreational zones, green belts, and specialized sports facilities that might have been overlooked in traditional top-down planning processes.
Timeline and Participation Guidelines
The submission phase for the next round of “Dalyvauk! Vilnius” is scheduled to begin in the second half of the summer. Residents will be invited to propose ideas that improve the city’s living environment, provided the projects are located on city-owned land and are accessible to the general public.
Once ideas are submitted, they undergo a feasibility review by municipal experts to ensure they meet technical and legal requirements. The final list is then put to a public vote, where the new age-inclusive rules will allow anyone aged 16 and over with a declared residence in Vilnius to have their say. Projects that receive the most support are then included in the city’s administrative plans for implementation in the following fiscal cycles.
Source: Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė
