Press Releases July 18, 2023

PRESS RELEASE: Global Designing Cities Initiative Launches Award-Winning Urban Design Guides in Vietnamese

The Global Street Design Guide, Designing Streets for Kids guide, and How to Evaluate Street Transformations manual now available in Vietnamese

July 18, 2023 The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) today released the Vietnamese translation of the Global Street Design Guide, the Designing Streets for Kids guide, and the How to Evaluate Street Transformations manual.

The resources offer practical ways for urban planners and government officials to design safe streets for people.

The city of Ha Noi endorsed the Global Street Design Guide today, demonstrating its commitment to its principles.

The numbers of road traffic fatalities caused by crashes in Vietnamese cities and towns are intolerably high. In 2022, 11,448 vehicle crashes killed 6,364 people and severely injured 4,215. Alarmingly, pedestrians continue to be the most at risk, accounting for 39% of all road traffic fatalities.

Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang are part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and have committed to reducing crashes and fatalities on their roads. GDCI is working with the city of Ha Noi to redesign several school streets in Ha Noi, several of which will undergo transformation in the coming months making them safer for the thousands of children who use the spaces daily.

“Redesigning our streets and public spaces for pedestrians, older adults, children, and other vulnerable groups is needed to reduce road crash fatalities.  The Global Street Design (GSDG) guide and Designing Streets for Kids (DSfK) guide and their best practices and technical information is proving invaluable to us,” said Mr. Dao Duy Phong, Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Transport, Permanent Member of Ha Noi Traffic Safety Committee.

“Streets are one of our largest untapped assets in cities and we have an incredible opportunity to reimagine and redesign these spaces to serve so many more people and functions than they do today,” said Skye Duncan, executive director of GDCI.

“Change can be hard for cities but these resources show real-world solutions and practical strategies that improve health, safety, and quality of life for everyone in a fair and equitable way,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, GDCI chair and former transport commissioner of New York City.

“The Vietnamese version of the Global Street Design Guide will not only contribute to a better understanding of safe street design in cities, but will be a useful resource for all Vietnamese cities and towns including Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang,” said Kelly Larsen, who leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.

About the resources:

The Global Street Design Guide was created with the input of experts from 72 cities in 42 countries and has international case studies and technical details to inform street design that prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. It is also available in Italian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish.

Download the Vietnamese translation for free here.

The Designing Streets for Kids guide shows how to create streets as safe places for children. Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death globally among children and young adults ages 5–29 years. Support for the publication of the Designing Streets for Kids guide was made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies, FIA Foundation, Bernard van Leer Foundation, and Fondation Botnar.

Download the Vietnamese translation for free here.

The How to Evaluate Street Transformations manual shows cities how to measure, evaluate, and communicate the impact of pop-up and interim projects to make streets safe for people. Best practices explain how collecting and evaluating data can build community support and lead to permanent safe street design.

The Vietnamese translation is available for free download here.

Support for the Vietnamese translation of all three resources was made possible by BIGRS.

Contact: media@gdci.global

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About Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI)

The Global Designing Cities Initiative transforms streets, helping to shape cities that allow everyone to prosper. Our team of designers, planners, and urban strategists seeks to inspire leaders, inform practitioners, and invite communities to imagine what is possible when we design streets that put people first. Originally a program of NACTO, GDCI became an independent project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in 2022. To learn more, visit globaldesigningcities.org or follow us on LinkedIn, and Twitter and Instagram @GlobalStreets.

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