Washington DC, October 23, 2023
In a significant milestone, the World Bank today announced its official endorsement of the Global Street Design Guide, recognizing it as an important resource for shaping resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities. This endorsement underlines the World Bank’s commitment to supporting urban areas, improving quality of life, and boosting shared prosperity for a more livable planet.
“As critical investors in transportation, planning, and design in cities, we find ourselves in the midst of unprecedented change. The work of the Global Designing Cities Initiative offers a concrete vision for improving the safety and livability of our streets for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users. We congratulate you on the creation of the Global Street Design Guide and will champion the common vision and guidance it presents for all levels of government and private sector partners,” wrote Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank in his endorsement letter. [Read the full text of the World Bank endorsement.]
The Global Street Design Guide is a pioneering resource developed by the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) that redefines the role of streets in cities around the world. Created with the input of experts from 72 cities in 42 countries, the Guide offers technical details to inform street design that prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. Today’s announcement adds to the 110+ endorsements from countries, cities, and organizations that share a common vision of leveraging streets to address the many challenges faced by cities today. Join them and endorse the GSDG here.
“Strong communities and resilient economies are built from the street up,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, Principal at Bloomberg Associates and GDCI chair. “President Ajay Banga recognizes that safe streets support sustainable development and this endorsement will help bring life-saving designs to cities around the world.”
Skye Duncan, Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative shared: “We believe that changing streets can truly change the world. Today’s announcement will open the door for positive change in the respective cities where we work.“
The Global Designing Cities Initiative team has worked in more than 60 cities since its inception in 2014, some of whom share investment and have received technical assistance from the World Bank. Today’s announcement will further enhance those shared relationships and provide both organizations with additional means to deliver impact.
The award-winning Global Street Design Guide is available for free download in eight languages. Development of the Guide was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, as part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative for Global Road Safety.
About the World Bank
The World Bank’s mission is to end extreme poverty within a generation and boost shared prosperity and provides financial and technical assistance to 189 countries around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.worldbank.org
About the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI)
The Global Designing Cities Initiative’s mission is to transform streets around the world, inspiring leaders, practitioners, and communities to imagine what’s possible when we design streets that put people first. To learn more, visit globaldesigningcities.org
Media Contact: Rachel Shue, Communications Lead
Global Designing Cities Initiative
Email: rachel@gdci.global
GDCI marks this World Children's Day with the release of two new booklets, “How to Engage Kids in Street Design” and “How to Evaluate Street Transformations Near Schools.”
In 2023, ten cities across four continents started designing their streets for kids. Collectively, the cohort reclaimed over 40,000 SqM of public space that prioritizes children and caregivers, engaged over 4,000 children in the process, and trained 140 practitioners.
Learn how street transformations designed for children can be scaled up and made permanent.
