Schools are important spaces in the city and often a second home for children. In Barcelona, Spain, and Milan, Italy, K1 (Kids First) is working on improving the safety of children’s access to school by introducing traffic calming, more green spaces, and installation of benches using a tactical urban approach. The cities selected envision school zones as safe, comfortable, and healthy public spaces and meeting places for children, and along with the families and neighbours, have a clear strategy to achieve this vision. 

In Barcelona, the project complements the City Council’s strategy, Protegim les escoles, to provide safer school zones. Meanwhile, the tactical urbanism programmes Piazze Aperte and Strade Aperte, are being expanded to school spaces in Milan, in a bid to achieve the “15-minute-city” that prioritises accessibility of high-quality and safe public spaces.