- Neighbors from the Campana-Altamira area, concerned about making their surroundings a safer place for children and families, painted pedestrian crossings in nearby streets.
- This tactical urban planning, focused on considering the children and their caregivers’ perspective, was organized by Movimiento de Activación Ciudadana A.C., Hello Cities, FEMSA Foundation, Campana-Altamira Initiative, Home Depot and the Monterrey Road Infrastructure Secretariat.
Monterrey, Nuevo León, September 6, 2021.- To build friendlier and safer cities for children, promote the participation of girls and boys in the transformation of public spaces and guarantee their rights as pedestrians, families and residents of the Campana-Altamira area painted pedestrian crossings located on Río Nazas and Alfombrilla streets in the municipality of Monterrey as part of a tactical urban plan organized by Movimiento de Activación Ciudadana AC, Hello Cities, FEMSA Foundation, Campana-Altamira Initiative, Home Depot and the Monterrey Road Infrastructure Secretariat.
This action arises from the results obtained from a public space study that focused on childhood, which consisted in carrying out counts in the area to identify the amount and interaction of the different users of the streets. Neighborhood leaders and the community in general, who frequent or reside in the intervention area, were also interviewed with the purpose of knowing their needs in terms of road safety.
To encourage citizen participation and express their needs from the intervention design stage, workshops were held with children and their caregivers. Drawing and walking activities were carried out with the girls and boys, which helped to obtain data on their perception of road insecurity in the environment, like the fact that a large majority of them fear being run over at the intervened intersection. Surveys and road risk mapping were carried out with the adult population, in which it stood out that 87% of the inhabitants of the area consider the site to be unsafe for girls and boys to travel. Also, 73% of the girls and boys are afraid of being run over at certain crossings in this area.
In response to the problems detected, the artists N and N designed a proposal for tactical urban planning. The colors and figures proposed by the artists are based on the drawings made during the workshops with the children of La Campana-Altamira. The activity was carried out the first weekend of September in outdoor spaces, complying with all sanitary measures to avoid contagion by COVID-19.
“At FEMSA Foundation we know that the future is built today, and we are convinced that investing in early childhood is one of the best ways to build more prosperous, just and equitable societies. When there are more children and families in public spaces, our cities become safer and healthier environments for everyone”, said Eva Fernández Garza, Manager of Social Investment in Early Childhood at FEMSA Foundation.
In addition to involving the community of children and caregivers to influence their urban environment, we seek that other actor such as authorities, companies and academia join the actions of the project by installing permanent road infrastructure. After this intervention, an evaluation will be carried out on the use and impact on the perception of safety and pedestrian mobility in the Campana-Altamira area.
###
Press Contact: Luisa Peresbarbosa Garza / 811965617 / luisa@movac.mx
About FEMSA Foundation
In FEMSA Foundation our goal is to create positive impacts on people and communities through social investment projects for sustainability. We make a better future for all by working in three strategic areas: the promotion of efficient resource management for sustainable development, the promotion of the integral development of early childhood and the dissemination of Latin American art and culture. For more information, visit us at www.fundacionfemsa.org or follow us on Facebook (/ FundacionFEMSA) and Twitter (@FundacionFEMSA).