Impact Evaluation of the Barcelona’s School Streets program “Protegim les Escoles”

Duration

01/10/2021-30/09/2023

Coordinator

Mònica Ubalde López

Funded by

Financiación interna en especie y Ayuntamiento de Barcelona

Children receive 20% of urban air pollution on their way from home to school, and it happens in a short amount of time, equivalent to 6% of their day, and when the maximum pollution peaks occur. Additionally, the current urban structure that prioritizes space for private vehicles hinders the existence of open spaces that are more naturalized, inclusive, and safe. Such spaces encourage active mobility, socialization, play in the street, and better air quality, all which generate benefits for well-being, physical, psychological, and social health for the entire community. 

Children receive 20% of urban air pollution on their way from home to school

In 2020, Barcelona City Council launched the Protegim Les Escoles (Let’s Protect the Schools in English) programme aimed at transforming 217 school environments into safe and healthy spaces by 2023. These new spaces are designed to encourage social interaction and play among children while providing a safe environment for all. 

The study aims to assess the impact of street calming measures implemented in school environments during 2021 and 2022 by the Protegim programme. The study will evaluate the impact of traffic flow, the use of public space for children, their families, and the community, the perceptions of end-users and school families, and the environmental quality. 

The results of the impact evaluation will be useful as scientific evidence to report on the effectiveness of the program and promote it as a key part of achieving a calmed and healthy city, and as a key tool of transformation for vulnerable populations and all citizens. 

Final Report

The study was conducted jointly with the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) in collaboration with the urban planning team of the Barcelona City Council, responsible for the execution of the program. 

The final report, which evaluated the 21 street calming measures implemented in 2021 and 2022-2023 periods, concluded that street calming has created more inclusive and healthy spaces for the entire community. All school environments evaluated showed improvements in one of the dimensions evaluated promoting coexistence and citizen health. In general, the study found that:

• There was a global reduction in the flow of motorized vehicles by 80%, reaching almost 90% in school streets that benefitted from total calming. 
• Traffic reduction increased the use of public space, attracted street play, and increased the proportion of girls playing, especially in the afternoon. This situation favours an increase in physical activity and social interactions among children, promoting their physical health, emotional well-being, and development. 
• The street calming measures contributed to an improvement in air quality, with a reduction in NO2 levels, benefiting the respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health of the population, such as childhood asthma or the neurodevelopment of children. 
• The perceptions of users of public space and families of the school communities improved in all school environments after street calming. The report highlighted satisfaction with public space, followed by socialization in public space, the feeling of trust and community, as well as the positive impact on health and well-being. 

Overall, the results of the impact evaluation show that the Protegim Les Escoles programme is a key tool for achieving a more calmed and healthier city, especially for vulnerable populations and all citizens. 

Based on the results obtained, some of the recommendations that emerge from the report are:

• Prioritize total street calming in school environments whenever possible.
• Incorporate solutions for school environments located in streets of the basic network, where environmental quality and safety conditions need improvement.
• Implement complementary street calming measures in the streets around schools to maximize health and safety benefits for the entire community (creating “school axes”).
• Implement a medium-long-term impact assessment strategy to study the progress and consolidation of interventions, as well as establish interdisciplinary collaborations from the beginning of urban transformation programs to achieve optimal results.

Consulta See the preliminary report of the 2021 measures.