Time period
Safe school zones: urban research for the development of children’s visibility using co-design and placemaking methods
- Hungary Budapest
Summary
This research explores how co design and placemaking can enhance children’s physical and mental safety in public spaces, with a focus on mobility around school environments. Developed through collaboration between academic, municipal, and transport stakeholders in Budapest, it engaged children aged 10–13 to better understand their needs and experiences related to public transport, active mobility, and everyday urban spaces.
The project adopted an interdisciplinary and participatory research framework involving designers, psychologists, mobility experts, educators, and policymakers. Through observations, interviews, surveys, and workshops, including cognitive and emotional mapping, children’s lived experiences shaped the research process.
The result was the development of a design prototype, combining spatial interventions and regulatory suggestions aimed at traffic calming and improved use of public space. Functioning as both an intervention and a research tool, it enables continuous testing and adaptation while supporting long term, child centred approaches to urban design and planning.
Key aspects
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Child centred spatial understanding and co-design
Uses cognitive and emotional mapping to integrate children’s perceptions and lived experiences into design. -
Interdisciplinary approach
Brings together designers, mobility experts, educators, and communities to address youth mobility and safety holistically. -
Design as research and intervention
Develops prototypes combining spatial and regulatory measures to test behavioral change. -
Scalable model
Youth-driven mobility solutions generated can be adapted and implemented by municipalities