Municipal Government of Fortaleza - Secretariat of Conservation and Public Services
The Pitch
The Municipial Government of Fortaleza expanded public spaces and reimagined roads near schools to promote active transportation and create safer school zones.
The Problem
Residents of Fortaleza relied on motorized transport, especially to take children to and from school. However, this mode of transportation generated air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions and created unsafe roads near schools in Fortaleza.
The Process
- Built safer road areas next to schools
- Prioritized pedestrian safety
- Facilitated active travel by widening sidewalks and adding bicycle racks and bollards (to separate pedestrians from vehicles) to school zones
- Improved safety measures in school zones by setting a speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour, adding speed bumps and building wider corners (that cause vehicles to reduce their speed)
- Installed air quality monitors in new school zones
- Created public spaces near schools by adding benches, sports fields, plazas and sidewalk art
The Impact
- Improved road safety near schools and enhanced the use of active transport options
- Encouraged social interaction and reinforced community ties via creation of new public spaces
- Accelerated new policies—which stemmed from pre-existing initiatives that promote public transport, active mobility and road safety—that protect vulnerable resident
- Formalized the program with the passage of two new municipal laws, ensuring its continuity in Fortaleza and codifying procedures that establish safe school zones
- Conducted workshops for other cities worldwide to demonstrate how to adopt the same improvements
