School streets as a booster of sustainable urban mobility and co-creation processes: an analysis of two Italian cases

Abstract

School streets are considered as potential solutions to increase the safety and liveability of areas surrounding schools, thus contributing to sustainable urban mobility. Since they imply a partial or total closure of the street, their implementation should take into account potential conflicts and multiple interests from different stakeholders. This paper proposes a qualitative/quantitative approach to infer on the motivations that can lead to the success of a school street project. The aim is to ex-post evaluate existing cases to guide the ex-ante implementation of future school streets. The analysis is based on the comparison between two case studies in the city of Catania (Italy), as part of the BEC2SCHOOL project, aimed at empowering citizens with tools to collect and analyse traffic and environmental data in the areas surrounding schools. The qualitative/quantitative approach is based on the analysis of stakeholder questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and on a street layout analysis via ad-hoc indicators derived from the relevant literature. Results highlight that a complex set of structural, relational, educational, and institutional conditions are needed to ensure a successful implementation. By comparing two case studies that, although located in the same context and with similar premises, led to different results, it is possible to conclude that a supportive ecosystem is needed to reach the desired outcomes, especially in a car-centric environment.