Streets for Kids
“Streets for Kids aims to inspire leaders, inform practitioners, and empower communities to make cities around the world better for children and their caregivers.”
Streets for Kids is a program of the Global Designing Cities Initiative that looks at cities through the lens of children and their caregivers. It is based on the publication Designing Streets for Kids, that highlights strategies, programs, and policies that cities around the world have used to design spaces that enable children of all ages and abilities to utilize cities’ most abundant asset – streets.
LOCATION
International
PARTNER
Global Designing Cities Initiative
YEAR
2019-2024
ROLE(S)
Program Management
PHOTOS
GDCI
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS
Street Design Technical Assistance
As Program Manager, I led projects in four cities: Abuja, Nigeria; Cerrillos, Chile; Cuenca, Ecuador; and Solo, Indonesia. My key responsibilities included providing technical support, conducting design reviews, ensuring effective communication among local teams and stakeholders, coordinating efforts on data collection and kids’ engagement, amongst many others. The main goal was successfully rolling out street design projects.
Additionally, our small team managed the Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator, where I contributed to curriculum development, managed the application process, and fostered a community among participants through interactive online sessions. This initiative connected leaders from 20 cities, providing a platform to exchange ideas and strategies over a six-month period.
Engaging Kids in Street Design
The publication “How to Engage Kids in Street Design” will serve as a resource for city planners, designers, and policymakers. This handbook aims to reshape urban environments by incorporating children’s perspectives into street design, making cities safer, more inclusive, and enjoyable for all ages.
I led the development of this publication, with the support of a very small team. My role involved writing and developing the content through desk research, interviewing experts, and creating, testing, and iterating engagement tools for various ages and abilities. I also curated photos, designed graphics and layouts, and oversaw multiple rounds of review with field experts and copyediting to ensure the guide was both practical and visually compelling.
The 300-page guide offers a wide range of strategies, tools, and case studies that highlight how engaging children in the design process can transform streetscapes. It features 14 engagement tools and 42 snapshots of global case studies, demonstrating the positive impact of involving children in urban design. The publication emphasizes the importance of fostering communication between children and city leaders, empowering children to advocate for better streets and actively participate in design projects.
U95 Academy
The Urban95 Academy is a fully- funded executive education program for municipal leaders worldwide, designed to help them learn and develop strategies to make cities better for babies, toddlers, and their caregivers. The program is managed by the Van Leer Foundation and the London School of Economics.
As part of my role, I led the technical assistance support provided by the Global Designing Cities Initiative to three cities per cohort, along with participating in two in-person trips for their Residency Week in London.
In addition, I played a key role in iterating and improving the support from one cohort to the next, strategizing resources, activities, and communications. We also focused on one of the Urban95 Academy’s main goals: building community and enabling cities to learn from each other.
