Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator Participants
GDCI welcomes the first cohort of the Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator cities
In May 2022, the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) launched the Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator, welcoming teams from 20 cities across the globe to promote change for children and youth in their cities. We’re very proud to introduce the 60 participants who have joined us for the past four months. Together they range from designers, planners, and engineers to public officials and community organizers working in education, public health, road safety and early childhood development.
Their rich experience across fields and geographies has given us a closer look at bike-to-school programs in Bogota, Colombia; safe routes to school in Lima, Peru; open play streets in Abuja, Nigeria; inclusive street design in Solo, Indonesia; and so many more inspiring programs throughout the world!
Learn more about the teams that are changing streets for kids of all ages and abilities, encouraging them to learn, play, and move about a city!
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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.
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.
Creating Safer Spaces for Play: Tackling Air Pollution in Accra
In collaboration with the Korle Klottey Municipality and with support from the Clean Air Fund, GDCI launched the Removing Pollution from Play project in late 2023, with the aim to tackle air pollution in school environments by implementing practical solutions, raising awareness, and empowering communities to advocate for cleaner air. In March 2025, the completed intervention was inaugurated, and the new safe play space now serves over 150 students in Accra.
