GDCI Projects, News January 23, 2023

My Way to School: Making kids’ journeys to school in Santiago, Chile, safer and more enjoyable

In 2019, the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) team selected the capital city of Santiago, Chile, as a Streets for Kids Technical Assistance project. Ciudad Emergente — a Chilean nonprofit organization focused on implementing projects related to walkability, safe cycling facilities, and road safety — was in charge of leading the project. With the support of GDCI, Ciudad Emergente selected Enrique Soro street as the project site. The project’s main objectives were to establish safe intersections, extend sidewalks, and reduce speeds. The team divided the project into two stages. The first one was the “My Way To School” kit, a take-home engagement tool crafted by Ciudad Emergente for students at Juana Atala de Hirmas school in Renca. The second stage was the implementation of a pilot project on Enrique Soro street in Independencia—a street that is part of the daily route for many children who attend Juana Atala de Hirmas school.

    • Inauguration of the redesign of Enrique Soro street. The street was closed for children and their families to enjoy.
    • Inauguration of the redesign of Enrique Soro street. The street was closed for children and their families to enjoy.
    Fill 1 caret-right

    With the help of the “My Way To School” Kit, Ciudad Emergente was able to record key data regarding children’s perceptions of their journey to school. Speeding cars and the fear of getting run over were prevalent themes. With this in mind, the objective of the pilot intervention was to improve road safety through chicanes, add new pedestrian crossings, and improve pedestrian space. In addition to the previously mentioned safety elements, this project aimed to make the street more attractive by adding elements of color and games.

    The project team conducted a series of user surveys in November 2021, including children, caregivers, and community members who lived near Enrique Soro street. The surveys found that over 400 children and caregivers participated in the activation of Enrique Soro street; 85% of children and caregivers not only consider it safe to cross the street following implementation but also consider it exciting and joyful to walk around Enrique Soro street. Additionally, the project brought forth 1,500 square meters of reclaimed pedestrian space, six newly marked pedestrian crossings, 2,000 square meters of space for children and caregivers to enjoy, and 60% fewer speeding vehicles.

    “This initiative is actually very valuable. It allows the use of the street in the way we are seeing now, streets used by kids, by the communities, and it becomes a meeting point.” — Alcalde Gonzalo Durán, Mayor of Independencia

    This project is part of our Streets for Kids program, which looks at cities through the lens of children and their caregivers. Our support to cities ranges from online training and interactive capacity building sessions to in-depth technical support to aid delivery of Streets for Kids-focused projects on the ground.

    More Updates

    Making Danau Kota School Streets Safer by Design

    August 11, 2025

    Making Danau Kota School Streets Safer by Design

    In the heart of Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, where speeding vehicles and pedestrian movement intertwine daily, SK Danau Kota 2 has become the focal point of a transformative initiative aimed to make school streets safer for students to walk and cycle. This project was backed by the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), a program that has committed to address rising concerns over road traffic deaths and support road safety interventions in cities worldwide.

    Scaling up Streets for Kids: Highlights from the 2025 Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator

    July 1, 2025

    Scaling up Streets for Kids: Highlights from the 2025 Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator

    In 2025, GDCI brought together a selected group of 10 city teams working to scale up their efforts to create more and better Streets for Kids in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador through multiple projects, programs, and policies. Here’s a look back and key learnings from a two-month online capacity-building program.

    Designing Safe and Resilient Streets in Recife

    June 30, 2025

    Designing Safe and Resilient Streets in Recife

    In October 2024, the Streets for Kids project was inaugurated in the Jordão neighborhood in Recife, Brazil, a community where children faced multiple challenges accessing safe and high-quality public spaces. Heavy rains, frequent flooding, and landslide risks often made their journey to school dangerous and unpredictable. Throughout the process, children, caregivers, school staff, and residents were engaged to co-create solutions that improve access to schools, supporte outdoor play and social connection, and set a precedent for future child-focused street transformations in Recife.