Type

news

Issue

Urban inclusivity

Creating Better Streets for Kids with the Solo City Government

Wulandari Anindya Kana
Mon, 13 Jun 2022
Infographic for the Streets for Kids Leadership Accelerator program by Global Designing Cities Initiative. The City of Surakarta (Solo) and Kota Kita have been selected as program participants.

When we talk about a city for all, we at Kota Kita believe that everyone has a say in imagining, designing, and creating urban spaces according to their needs and aspirations so that they live to their fullest potential — including children. After inviting elementary and junior high school students to become kid planners and participate in designing their ideal school environment in the City of Banjarmasin in 2020, we are excited to expand our scope and learn more about how we can create better cities for kids.

Starting May, a team consisting of Kota Kita’s Bima Pratama and Fuad Jamil, alongside Ari Wibowo from the Surakarta (Solo) Department of Transportation participate in the Global Designing Cities Initiative’s (GDCI) Street for Kids Leadership Accelerator program. The Solo team is one of the 20 teams who have been selected from cities around the world, including Melbourne (Australia), Bogotá (Colombia), Abuja (Nigeria), Los Angeles (USA), Bologna (Italy), and Istanbul (Turkey).

The Street for Kids Leadership Accelerator program aims to form a global cohort of city leaders and professionals in order to hone their knowledge, network, and skills to create change for kids in their cities. Over the next eight months, the team will meet monthly with GDCI and representatives from selected cities to share the challenges and opportunities that each city faces, hear from guest speakers, and learn the technical skills required to design streets that are safer and more fun for children and caregivers alike. At the end of the program, the City of Solo and other selected cities will have the opportunity to apply for grants and technical assistance to implement a child-oriented street transformation project in 2023.

Stay tuned to learn more about our collaborative efforts with the cohort to make Solo's streets safer and more enjoyable for children!