Road Safety Report Shows Progress, Still Calls For Urgent Action
The WHO Global Status on Road Safety Report 2023 shows inroads into reducing road traffic deaths, but also highlights key challenges. Learn how GDCI's work supports cities to reduce vehicle speeds and save lives.
Fortaleza Connects the Street to the Sea for MOBILIZE
In June, our team attended the MOBILIZE Summit and facilitated a tactical urbanism workshop. Attendees helped transform an intersection, contributing to a larger low-speed zone project in the neighborhood of Praia de Iracema. Using low-cost materials, the redesign includes curb extensions that are proven solutions to reduce speeds for cars and increase safety for all road users while enhancing the public space.
Participation is Power: Design Defined by Community Priorities
The Borough of Penha, GDCI, and the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) are working together to develop the design and program for each Car-Free Friday event.
Bringing the Mountains Back to Antonio José de Sucre
In early March, GDCI and the Mobility Department of Bogotá, Colombia, through the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), implemented a pop-up plaza in the Antonio José de Sucre neighborhood of Usme district.
Participation is Power: Outer boroughs in São Paulo compete to transform their streets
The newly launched Proposta de Transformação de Espaço Público project seeks to rethink the city on the scale of the neighborhoods, prioritizing the safe movement of people rather than cars and giving greater attention to the design of the street and other public spaces.
Fortaleza Cares: Prioritizing Safer Access to Albert Sabin Children’s Hospital
In late 2017, the GDCI team partnered with city officials, the Albert Sabin Children’s Hospital, the World Resources Institute (WRI), and Vital Strategies, through the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), to transform the safety of the streets surrounding the hospital. This area, in Fortaleza, Brazil, is now equipped with safe pedestrian infrastructure that has reduced the number of people walking on the roadbed by 86%, and greatly improved accessibility to the hospital.
The Power of Paint: Bringing Life to the Streets of Dragão do Mar
The City of Fortaleza, Brazil, launched a new Cidade da Gente (City of People) project in Dragão do Mar in August 2018. City contractors and local volunteers applied bright colors and bold patterns to the 5,000 square meter site over three days, and used 1,000 liters of paint to improve the streets’ geometry. The redesign makes streets safer and brings revived life and energy to the neighborhood.
Bogotá launches its community-led Plazoleta Program
Bogotá recently took another step towards creating safer, sustainable, and more inclusive streets by officially launching the Plazoleta Program which aims to create pedestrian plazas by reclaiming underutilized spaces all over the city.
As we approach the 2018 Road Safety Week in Mumbai, India, we decided to revisit GDCI's collaboration with MCGM and MTP from last year, where a week-long trial and Mithchowki in Malad, was conducted to reclaim ~1650 sq.m of underutilized roadbed on the street for pedestrians and support a space that is more legible for all users.
People, Participation, and Pop-ups: Lessons in Tactical Urbanism in São Paulo, Brazil
Interim interventions can bring people together to reimagine their streets. When done right, tactical urbanism is a powerful tool to show what’s possible and test design strategies to make streets safer for everyone. That’s exactly what the City of São Paulo and partner organizations accomplished in the neighborhood zone of Santana.
Cidade da Gente: Fortaleza redesenhando ruas para as pessoas
Quando técnicos da Prefeitura de Fortaleza apresentaram pela primeira vez a proposta de implantação de uma Área de Trânsito Calmo no bairro de Cidade 2000, os moradores receberam a ideia com cautela.
Reshape Streets, Reconnect Communities: Reclaiming Streets in Fortaleza, Brazil
In the new square, local kids have a place to play, neighbors of all ages and abilities have new benches to sit and talk, cyclists have a safer route to ride, and local businesses have new customers.
City officials have launched a number of initiatives to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities by half by 2023. One such initiative is the recently launched Safe Intersections Program (SIP) which will transform ten intersections per year over the next three years, making them safer and more efficient.
