Editor’s Notes

People, as the core of the city, are indeed inseparable from the city’s sustainable development. In 2001, La Paz of Bolivia started the Zebra project, encouraging young people to put on zebra costumes to regulate road traffic and keep road safety. As the project develops, their range of services has expanded to every corner of the city, which has formed a unique civic culture.

In 2016, La Paz’s Zebra Project won the 3^rd Guangzhou Award for its contribution and influence on urban development. Looking back to the past 7 years, what changes has the project made? What progress has the project achieved? Today’s Echo of Cities will bring you into the meaningful life of La Paz’s “Zebramen”

About the Initiative: “Zebramen” improving urban civility

La Paz, the capital of Bolivia in South America, kept a strong colonial city style with narrow streets, chaotic road conditions, and frequent traffic accidents. In this case, some young people were prone to delinquency because of poverty, domestic violence, or the loss of parents. In order to regulate citizens’ traffic behavior and reduce traffic accidents while helping the young and the vulnerable better fit into society, La Paz put forward the Zebra Project.

The Zebras in La Paz

From: Facebook @Las Cebras de La Paz

The project focuses on young people from the vulnerable groups, encouraging them to dress in zebra costumes and act as crossings on the streets, reminding and guiding pedestrians and drivers (such as walking on the sidewalk, getting on and off buses in an orderly manner, and following traffic lights) and keeping traffic order. By doing so, the “Zebramen” became conspicuous and creative symbols on crosswalks in La Paz city, and they turned into urban educators in solving urban problems and challenges. For example, they recycle garbage, accompany the elderly, and take care of children. These efforts have profoundly changed their habitual behavior and built up a better city.

A large number of young citizens have engaged in the project which prevented them from drug addiction and crimes. By doing so, they can get paid to complete their studies and make their life fall into place. It has also fostered a sense of rules and a positive attitude towards life among the young people of La Paz, not only conveying love and care but also inspiring them to realize their social value and start a new life.

Undoubtedly, the Zebra Project has been succeed and “Zebras” have become a trademark of La Paz. In 2015, the project was widely followed by many other cities in Bolivia and Latin America and recognized by UNESCO as a “cultural asset” of the world. Later in 2016, La Paz won the third Guangzhou Award because of the project’s practicability, replicability, and wide impact.

Initiative Updates: “Zebramen” Go Global

After winning the Guangzhou Award, the Zebra Project does not stop its progress, but moves forward to pursue broader and more far-reaching prospects. On one hand, the project continues to collaborate with more organizations, attracting citizens of all ages to participate. On the other hand, Zebras have gone beyond La Paz to the world, bringing a wider impact and contributing to the sustainable development of global cities

Over time, the project itself has grown in participation and reach. Nowadays, more and more young people have participated in the project and lived a better life by means of employment, education, etc. In 2020, the project was presented at the 10^th World Urban Forum side event held by the Guangzhou Award. At the event, Heidi Jane Mendoza Barrau, director of the Department of Education and Civic Culture of La Paz, said that more than 8,000 young people have participated in the project. Among them, about 20% found a job and 60% completed their studies and job training. What is more, many educational institutions are motivated to provide these young people with educational opportunities, granting them over 1,200 kinds of scholarships.

Besides, the project continues to expand its coverage and explore more ways to improve the urban environment. The Zebra Project team has reached out and cooperated with more partners (urban development institutions and social welfare organizations, etc.), jointly promoting the sustainable development of the city in terms of proper water use, waste management and recycling, as well as risk prevention. In 2021, the Zebra Project team, together with the Directorate of Citizen Culture, implemented the “Urban Acupunctures” (Acupunturas Urbanas) project to revitalize urban public spaces, including painting street murals and zebra crossings, renovating street greenery, cleaning up adlets posted on the street walls, making road signs, etc. These actions promote the cultural environment, the effective use of urban public space, and education for the communities.

Street Murals in La Paz

From: Facebook @Las Cebras de La Paz

In 2019, La Paz used the prize from the Guangzhou Award to build the Zebra House (Casa Cebra) for citizen training, experiential education, and various civic cultural activities and celebrations. Furthermore, the team initiated a children’s program called A Zebra in Your House (La Cebra en tu Casa), which encourages children’s participation. The program promotes their healthy development by focusing on topics such as making good use of social networks, using water properly, developing healthy eating habits, and exercising to form good physical fitness, etc.

Zebra House

From: Facebook @Las Cebras de La Paz

The contributions of “Zebramen” are not merely in La Paz, but in a much wider range -- they brought this unique project to the world. Since winning the 2016 Guangzhou Award, the project has gradually gone global. The initiative has been presented at various urban innovation conferences in the United States, Spain, Ecuador, and other places, widely promoted in the form of reports and small documentaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, and even introduced by Germany, Colombia, and Lanzhou (China).

The Exchange and Promotion of the Zebra Project in Various Countries

From: The Zebra Project Team

In conclusion, the Zebra Project of La Paz is an innovative solution for urban sustainable development, which has provided valuable experience in   improving social inclusion and citizens’ quality of life. This initiative has a significant impact on the civic culture of La Paz as well as important implications for other cities around the world.