{"id":27826,"date":"2025-06-10T14:03:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T12:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mib.sk\/?post_type=project&p=27826"},"modified":"2025-06-10T14:20:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T12:20:15","slug":"city-for-children-bratislava-transforms-dangerous-school-junction-reclaiming-public-space","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/mib.sk\/en\/projekt\/city-for-children-bratislava-transforms-dangerous-school-junction-reclaiming-public-space\/","title":{"rendered":"City for Children: Bratislava Transforms Dangerous School Junction Reclaiming Public Space\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n \"\"
\r\n \"\" <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/span>\r\n
Before<\/div>\r\n
After<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Vazovova School, attended by 624 primary and 680 secondary pupils, sits near a busy junction in the city center. Until recently, the intersection lacked safe pedestrian crossings, had poor visibility, and was dominated by a vast asphalt surface that encouraged speeding cars and contributed to excessive summer heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The redesign is part of the City for Children<\/em> initiative by the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB), which was founded in 2019 under Mayor Mat\u00fa\u0161 Vallo as a strategic hub for urban planning, public spaces and participation. The City for Children<\/em> program focuses on making public spaces safer and more accessible for children \u2014 and by extension, for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying Issues and Engaging the Community<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand the challenges at Vazovova, MIB conducted socio-spatial analyses and engaged over 500 community members. Their feedback directly informed the project\u2019s early design concepts. Discussions, surveys, and perceptive walks \u2014 where participants could navigate the streets from the perspective of someone with mobility limitations (using crutches, a wheelchair, a stroller, or as a three-year-old child) \u2014 helped shine light on the key challenges. Workshops and Play streets with temporary road closures engaged children, teachers and parents through participatory actions into discussions how the immediate school neighbourhood could transform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Testing Ideas Through Tactical Urbanism <\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2023, based on collected feedback and data, MIB collaborated with a traffic expert to develop a plan for reorganizing traffic in the area. Simulating traffic behavior on this scale is often unreliable, as it does not always account for real behavioral change post-implementation. This was why the team decided to test the interventions through tactical urbanism<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the City for Children<\/em> program’s expansion, MIB worked with Bloomberg Associates and Janette Sadik-Khan, former New York City Transportation Commissioner, who used tactical urbanism as a key tool in transforming NYC streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of the temporary interventions was to visually highlight changes in traffic organization<\/em>, restricting vehicle access to certain areas. Nine illegal parking spots were removed, and car access was reduced by narrowing the junction and converting road space into pedestrian zones. Half the asphalt surface was reclaimed for walking, gathering, and greenery. These visual and physical cues helped shift driver behavior and made the area immediately safer, paving the way for permanent implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

\r\n\t\t