In March 2026, GDCI will launch a series of open and global webinar sessions on Designing for Safe Speeds —our latest supplement to the award-winning Global Street Design Guide. The series will explore key principles from the guide, share practical design strategies, and highlight real-world examples that demonstrate how cities are managing speeds and saving lives.
Reviving Waterfront Streets: Lessons from Toronto and Auckland
In this edition of our webinar series, we heard from Pina Mallozzi, Vice President of Design at Waterfront Toronto, about her work on the revitalization of Queens Quay and other high profile projects along Toronto's waterfronts. We also watched a video presentation by Panuku Development Auckland, the council-controlled organization that delivers urban regeneration in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).
In this edition of our webinar series, we heard from Leticia Sabino, founder and director of SampaPé! in São Paulo, which works to improve the walking experience in cities, and head organizer of open street events in São Paulo, Brazil. We also heard from Aaron Paley, president and co-founder of Community Arts Resources (CARS), and founding executive director of CicLAvia in Los Angeles, the largest car-free open streets event in the United States.
Jumping in with Both Pedals: Lessons from Rapid Implementation of Cycling Networks
In this webinar, Alain Boulanger from Paris City Hall and Manuel Calvo from EstudioMC in Sevilla discussed the social, design, and political aspects of forward-thinking mobility, and shared insights on the efforts to elevate the state of bike networks in both cities.
Informal Streets: Improving Street Designs and Transport Access for Informal and Underserved Neighborhoods
Michael Krause, CEO of the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU NPC), spoke about VPUU's work in South Africa to improve life quality and safety on the streets of Cape Town. We also heard from Colombian Architect Giovanna Spera about access to mobility in the street network in Medellin’s informal neighborhoods.
For decades, the performance of our streets has been measured using metrics that focus on improving safety and throughput for vehicles. But that's finally changing--cities and organizations around the world have developed new metrics and tools to measure streets based on how they perform for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. These free online tools can help you to build support for people-friendly streets in your city.
In this webinar, Skye Duncan, Director of Global Designing Cities Initiative, spoke about lessons learned from GDCI interim interventions including how to engage local communities and move from project to program. Michael Lydon, Principal of Street Plans Collaborative, shared his experience on the role of tactical urbanism in gathering public support for urban projects.
Each year, 1.2 million people die from traffic fatalities. Streets need to be designed to offer safe and sustainable mobility choices for all. In this webinar, we heard from international experts who are using street design to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities. Presenters discussed road user vulnerability, Vision Zero, and a number of other topics.
This discussion was about how the tools and strategies defined in GSDG can be put to use in your city. The authors of GSDG were joined by global experts, who have contributed global case studies to the Guide, to examine how urban streets can improve access, safety, mobility for all users, environmental quality, economic benefit, public health, and overall quality of life.
Global Streets Series 2.2 – Pedestrian Priority Spaces
The session showcased short presentations of exciting pedestrian priority projects and strategies from 6 countries, across 4 continents, by members of the Global Designing Cities Expert Network.
