Global Designing Cities Initiative

Global Designing Cities Initiative GDCI's mission is to inspire a shift towards safe, sustainable, and healthy cities by transforming streets around the world.

The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) is a team of designers, planners, and urban strategists committed to working in support of city practitioners to get street transformation projects on the ground. Our work is informed by the strategies and international best practices captured in the Global Street Design Guide.

A new calendar year is a chance to reset our goals: How we move, connect, and care for our communities.Streets designed ...
01/21/2026

A new calendar year is a chance to reset our goals: How we move, connect, and care for our communities.

Streets designed for people help turn those resolutions into everyday reality, supporting wellbeing, safety, and opportunity for all.
Take a look at how better streets can help guide your goals in the year ahead.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy New Year from GDCI : Change Streets, Change the World

πŸŽ‰Thank you for being part of our Streets for Kids Webinar Series!🚸Over the course of five sessions, we explored ways to ...
11/25/2025

πŸŽ‰Thank you for being part of our Streets for Kids Webinar Series!

🚸Over the course of five sessions, we explored ways to make cities safer, healthier, and more enjoyable for children and their caregivers, encompassing topics on design, evaluation, engagement, climate and cycling.

🌎We also want to highlight your role in this journey: more than 2,000 participants from over 110 countries participated in this series. We thank you for being part of this global movement centering kids’ experiences in how we shape our cities,Β  encourage you to spread the word, and continue asking yourself what’s possible in your city!

πŸ§‘β€πŸ’»If you attended any of the sessions of the Streets for Kids Webinar Series, please take a moment to complete a short survey.
Link in Bio.

11/12/2025

🚲 πŸ’› Streets for Kids webinar series - Promoting cycling for all ages

Cycling plays a huge role in helping kids move independently, explore safely, and feel connected to their communities.

In this session we’ll cover:
🌟 How to make cycling inviting for all ages + abilities
πŸ›£οΈ Practice tools for inclusive bike infrastructure
🌍 Inspiring examples from cities helping kids experience the freedom and joy of cycling

Tap the link in our bio to register!

🚸 In Kuala Lumpur, the SK Danau Kota II School Zone project shows how thoughtful design can make streets safer for child...
10/30/2025

🚸 In Kuala Lumpur, the SK Danau Kota II School Zone project shows how thoughtful design can make streets safer for children and families.

By rightsizing lanes, expanding sidewalks, and creating designated drop-off areas, the city transformed the space outside the school into a calmer, more walkable environment.

✨ Traffic calming measures, vibrant markings, and reclaimed pedestrian areas improved visibility and safety.
πŸ“‰ Vehicle speeds dropped by 41%.
πŸ’¬ 88% of people surveyed said the street outside the school now feels safer.

Designing for safety is critical, especially in spaces for children!

Download our Designing for Safe Speeds guide for more: https://bit.ly/43KI8zL

πŸŽ‰ We have one session left on our Street for Kids Webinar Series, and it has been an incredible journey! So far, +1,900 ...
10/29/2025

πŸŽ‰ We have one session left on our Street for Kids Webinar Series, and it has been an incredible journey! So far, +1,900 participants from over +100 countries have attended the live sessions. If you want to learn more about how we can design cycling infrastructure that works for everyone, including children and their families, register below:

🚲 Up next: Session 5: Promoting Cycling for All Ages
πŸ“… Wednesday, November 19
πŸ•š9:00 a.m. NY / 5:00 p.m. Addis Ababa / 7:30 p.m. New Delhi
🌐 Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese

πŸ”— Watch the recordings + sign up for the next session: link in bio

πŸŽ‰The Designing Streets for Kids guide is now available in Arabic!πŸš€The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) is thril...
10/23/2025

πŸŽ‰The Designing Streets for Kids guide is now available in Arabic!

πŸš€The Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) is thrilled to launch our award-winning guide in the world's fifth most spoken language, ensuring that planners and practitioners across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have access to this critical tool.

🌍This guide captures international best practices, programs, and policies and provides actionable strategies to redesign streets to create safer, healthier, and more inspiring streets for children and their families around the world.

🚸With the MENA region's large youth population, this is a crucial step towards creating safer, healthier, and more equitable cities for our youngest residents.

⏬Download: link on our bio!

Photo credits: Cairo (GDCI), Tyre (The Chain Effect) and Jordan (Alexis Camejo/Van Leer Foundation)

Slow streets = better cities. πŸ’šWhen we make streets safer by lowering speeds, walking, biking, and riding transit become...
10/09/2025

Slow streets = better cities. πŸ’š

When we make streets safer by lowering speeds, walking, biking, and riding transit become easier β€” and more people make the shift.

That means:
🌿 Cleaner air
πŸ§β€β™‚οΈ More people outdoors
🏬 Busier local shops
πŸ‘« Safer, more social neighborhoods

All from slowing down. πŸšΆβ€β™€οΈπŸš²πŸ’¬

Download our new guide Designing for Safe Speeds at the link in our bio!

It’s finally here! Just launched last night in BogotΓ‘ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡΄ - our new guide πƒπžπ¬π’π π§π’π§π  𝐟𝐨𝐫 π’πšπŸπž π’π©πžπžππ¬!Β A supplement to the ...
10/02/2025

It’s finally here! Just launched last night in BogotΓ‘ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡΄ - our new guide πƒπžπ¬π’π π§π’π§π  𝐟𝐨𝐫 π’πšπŸπž π’π©πžπžππ¬!Β 

A supplement to the award-winning Global Street Design Guide, πƒπžπ¬π’π π§π’π§π  𝐟𝐨𝐫 π’πšπŸπž π’π©πžπžππ¬ sets a new global standard for designing urban streets that prioritize people, with 86 real-world examples from six continents that prove that safer, slower, people-first streets are possible everywhere.Β 

What you can expect from this guide:
βœ”οΈ Learn about the life-saving and social impact of designing streets for safe speeds.
βœ”οΈ New tools, strategies, examples of street designs, and case studies from around the world
βœ”οΈ Clear speed management recommendations through effective street design and operational interventions.

…and everything elseΒ leaders, practitioners, and communities need to reclaim streets from unsafe speeds and car dominance.Β Β 

Stay tuned for our online launch ✨🧑

🚦 Coming October 1: Designing for Safe Speeds 🚦Speed kills. It’s one of the leading causes of road traffic deaths worldw...
09/25/2025

🚦 Coming October 1: Designing for Safe Speeds 🚦

Speed kills. It’s one of the leading causes of road traffic deaths worldwideβ€”and the #1 killer of young people ages 5–29. How we design our streets determines how fast vehicles go, who feels safe, and ultimately… who lives and who dies.

Our new Designing Streets for Safe Speeds Guide builds on the award-winning Global Street Design Guide and showcases 89 real-world examples from six continentsβ€”proof that safer, slower, people-first streets are possible everywhere.

This isn’t just about reducing crashes. It’s about reimagining our streets as more livable, enjoyable, and sustainable spaces for all.

πŸ“… Launching October 1. Stay tuned.

We are halfway through our Street for Kids Webinar Series, and it has been an incredible journey! So far, 1,400+ partici...
09/24/2025

We are halfway through our Street for Kids Webinar Series, and it has been an incredible journey! So far, 1,400+ participants from over 100 countries have attended the live sessions. If you want to learn more about how designing streets for kids can shape cleaner, cooler, and healthier environments, register below:

🚸 Up next: Session 4: Shaping Cooler and Healthier Streets
πŸ“… Wednesday, October 22
πŸ•š 9:00 a.m. NYC | 4:00 p.m. Addis Ababa | 6:30 p.m. New Delhi
🌐 Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese

πŸ”— Watch the recordings + sign up for the next session at the link in our bio!

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