Active citizen: how citizens take part in Yerevan development
The Activecitizen.am platform created a few months ago has made it possible for citizens to submit their proposals on what they want their city to look like.
“The creation of this platform was among pre-election promises of Mayor Hayk Marutyan which was aimed at the cooperation with citizens, and further holding of referendums. This platform also gives the authorities the possibility to get to know about the problems rooted in the city and about the offers proposed by townspeople. It is the first similar experience on the republican and community level”, said the head of the Department of Information and Public Relations of Yerevan Municipality Hovsep Kubatyan.
To realize this project it is planned to disburse AMD 500 million from the city budget annually. Maximal cost of each project can be AMD 30 million. Within two cities approximately 700 suggestions have been made: a skate park, singing benches, solar chargers, sport playgrounds, digital libraries, smart trash bins sorting the trash.
According to Hovsep Kubatyan, 204 of the received suggestions which meet the requirements of the platform will be put for public voting. To get acquainted with the proposals and vote you should visit activecitizen.am website. 4000 citizens have already checked in the website. Each suggestion can be voted only once. Only the residents of Yerevan who have the right to vote in the elections for the Council of Elders can vote on the website.
The voting lasts till November 10. After summarizing the results it will become clear which proposals are to be realized. In 2020, a number of projects will be implemented. Activecitizen.am will go on serving the platform for holding city referendums.