Editor's notes

In 2023, the "Enhancing traffic safety near schools through a child-friendly collaborative construction and sharing approach" of Xianning, China, was awarded the 6th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, and became the "City of Your Choice" with 2.07 million votes in the online voting activity of the 6th Guangzhou Award. The project is based on the concept of "seeing the world from the height of one meter", and through the cooperation mode of "government+enterprise+community", the project carries out a comprehensive governance and transformation of the safety around the campus, and at the same time, actively encourages the students to participate in the design and implementation of the transformation of the campus periphery, so as to create a safer and more convenient The road to and from school is safer and more convenient.

The success of the project has not only improved the environment around the school, but also benefited students, residents, developers and other stakeholders in a meaningful way. Its experience has also been widely studied and replicated, applied to several schools and districts, and further promoted the improvement of related policies. This issue of Echo will guide readers through the path of building a child-friendly city in Xianning, taking into account the field research conducted by the Guangzhou Award Secretariat in Xianning.

About the initiative

In 2022, during the process of remediation of urban congestion zones in Xianning, the working group found that the overall environment of the facilities around the Seventh Primary School in Xianning City was unsatisfactory, with no traffic lights at the intersection leading to the school, mixed pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and mud all over the ground on rainy days. In order to address the shortcomings of the municipal facilities around the school and eliminate the problems that were detrimental to the minors' ability to get to and from school, Xianning Municipality put forward an "government+enterprise+community" integrated solution, which promotes the construction of infrastructure and at the same time, brings together stakeholders at the local level to solve problems in the community.

Recalling the specific reasons for starting the project, Duan Xiaomei, a representative of the project designer, said that the school is located in the outskirts of the city and was initially built with donations from caring members of the community, and that many of the students are left-behind children. As such, the school itself carries the love and care of the community for the children. In this regard, she said: "We take the transformation of this traffic intersection as an opportunity to extend the project into the transformation of the school's surrounding environment, and to really do the 'cure'. This is also a continuation of love."

There is a merit monument intentionally preserved after the renovation of the school. It records the origin of the school: formerly known as the "Red Spring Primary School", it was built in 1998 with funds raised by 29 caring organizations and 73 caring people, and the majority of the students were left-behind children.

The "Enhancing traffic safety near schools through a child-friendly collaborative construction and sharing approach" initiative takes "Co-Creation" as the core concept of its implementation. It is led by the Xianning Municipal Government, breaking down the division of responsibilities among departments, and is implemented by seven municipal departments, as well as design institutes, schools, communities, and relevant enterprises. Through the implementation of concessions, reorganization of land use, pedestrian-vehicle segregation and the establishment of different pick-up and drop-off waiting areas, the streets near the schools were transformed into safe and high-quality shared public spaces and "shared gardens" for the community. In addition, the project involves students in the transformation of school surroundings by organizing a series of hands-on co-construction activities, allowing engineers to work closely with and listen to the children to build the ideal school and safe roads to and from school that the children desire. "We do this by combining the concept of 'child-centeredness', which means looking at the world from a height of one meter to see what the children need, and then we make plans and think of solutions." Liu Qiong, a fourth-grade researcher at the Xianning Urban Management and Law Enforcement Commission, said.

The original fence at the corridor was removed with the consent of its owner; on the left side, the developer took the initiative to give up the space so that the road around the school could be used for pedestrian and vehicular traffic separation.

Ever since the implementation of the project, the surrounding environment of the school has improved significantly. Ms. Zheng is a resident of the neighborhood of Xianning No. 7 Primary School, where her son is attending. She said happily: "The road around the school has been completely renovated, and now the road surface is not only clean and smooth, but also divided into clear pedestrian and vehicular access, so there are no more cars driving in freely. I now also feel safe to let my children walk to and from school." In fact, through the video surveillance data analysis around the campus, the proportion of students walking to school from the original 30% increased dramatically to 95%, while the private car transportation vehicles from 120 vehicles per hour to 8 vehicles per hour.

After the renovation of the surrounding security of the campus, many students walk to and from school on their own.

The leadership of the local government is indispensable for the project to move forward successfully. In this regard, Wu Gang, then deputy mayor of Xianning City, shared, "   When promoting this project, as a government official, I can't simply give orders. We take this project as an opportunity to 'make decisions together, develop together, build together, manage together, evaluate together, share together' and 'build a better environment and a happy life together'. In the process of co-creating, the government plays a coordinating and promoting role, integrates resources from all sides, turns bits and pieces into whole, coordinates administrative departments, breaks down functional boundaries, encourages active participation of citizens, communities and children, and asks for the people's help, so as to maximize the optimal integration of resources and to achieve the goal of focusing on doing great things.

Initiative Updates

The "Enhancing traffic safety near schools through a child-friendly collaborative construction and sharing approach" project has made significant progress on several levels. First, the project not only improves traffic safety around schools, but also improves public space in the community, which greatly benefits students and residents. At the same time, by encouraging students to participate in the planning process, the program has enhanced the children's creativity and sense of responsibility. What is more noteworthy is that Xianning's child-friendly construction has not been limited to the renovation of the Seventh Primary School; its experience has been replicated in several regions and has attracted extensive learning and reference. In addition, Xianning City has gradually integrated the concept of "child-friendly" into all aspects of urban construction by improving its policies and systems, so as to move to a higher level of sustainable development and child-friendly urban construction.

Once the project is in place, the transformation of the school's surroundings not only improves children's access to school, but also creates a public space for recreation, socialization, and activities for the community. These changes not only benefit the students, but also enhance the quality of life for the entire community.

Ms. Zheng, a long-time resident of the neighborhood, has deeply felt the benefits of this change. She mentioned that since the optimization of the area around the school, it has become more than just a road for children to go to school, but also a vibrant place to relax. She said: "After the transformation of this area, the overall environment has been significantly improved, not only the greenery has increased, the corridor also provides shade for pedestrians, and many additional seats have been installed. Every evening or weekend, many residents come here to walk and chat, which was unimaginable before."

Residents are resting and moving around the renovated space around the school

This transformation of community is not only seen in the neighborhood of Xianning Seventh Primary School, but also in the renovation of several other schools, such as Chima Harbor School, Experimental Kindergarten, Second Experimental Primary School and Yingli Primary School. Parents no longer have to worry about the lack of shelter when picking up and dropping off their children, and during non-school hours, neighborhood residents can likewise utilize these spaces for gatherings, exercise, and other activities. These renovations provide not only convenience for parents, but also create a more harmonious and livable environment for the whole community, promoting interaction and connection between neighbors.

On the other hand, the implementation of the program pays special attention to student participation and encourages students to participate in the "top-level design", which provides a platform for children to expand their horizons, self-expression and growth.

In order to let the children experience the changes in the school environment and participate in the design of the school's surrounding renovation, the project organizes a number of co-construction activities. These activities organized the children to express their ideal campus environment in the form of painting and play-dough statues, from which some excellent ideas were selected and applied in the final design. In addition, the then Vice Mayor of Xianning came to the activities to communicate with the students and listen to their ideas and opinions, which gave the students great encouragement and self-confidence.

Xianning Seventh Primary School's teacher Huang, witnessed the whole process of transforming the school's surroundings and was deeply touched by the experience: "When the children saw their own hand-designed ideas being truly integrated into the transformation of the school's surroundings, their faces were filled with excitement and pride. Looking at these lively and interesting facilities, the children not only gained a boost in self-confidence, but also planted the seeds of dreams in their hearts, inspiring their love for the environment and their imagination for the future."

Ideas such as rainbow gates and cloud chairs designed by children during the co-construction activities become reality during the renovation around the school.

The project has also blossomed in Xianning and even other cities. Based on the successful experience of the Seventh Primary School, similar upgrades have been carried out in other eight schools, including Guo Lin Road Primary School, Xian'an Bi Gui Yuan Primary School, the Fourteenth Primary School, Yong'an Middle School, the Organ No. 2 Kindergarten, the Second Experimental Primary School of Xianning City, and the Traffic Kindergarten. by 2023, it covered 20 schools in the main urban area and in regions such as Chibi and Jiayu, with more than 30,000 students benefiting from the project. In addition, the program extends to several cities including Wuhan, Yichang, Huanggang and Tangshan. In all of these areas, a safe traffic pattern of separating car transportation from student walking has gradually developed, the proportion of students walking to school has risen dramatically, and the number of traffic accidents within one kilometer of schools has been greatly reduced.

A number of child-friendly neighborhoods have been built in Chibi City, Hubei Province. The pictures above illustrate the renovated areas around the Second Experimental Primary School and Experimental Kindergarten in Chibi City, the Station Road Campus of the Chibi Experimental Primary School, and the Experimental Foreign Language School in Chibi City.

After winning the Guangzhou Award, Xianning's initiative attracted wide attention and attracted many local governments and organizations to learn from the project. Leaders in the field of housing construction from cities and states across the province went to the Seventh Primary School for site visits, and leaders from Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Jiangxi also came to Xianning, or consulted with Xianning on the project's experience through electronic channels. Reporters from the People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency have also come to Xianning in batches to provide in-depth coverage of the project, further enhancing the visibility of Xianning.

The success of the Xianning Project has not only sparked widespread discussion in China, but has also attracted international attention. In November 2023, Zhang Zhenshan, Project Director of the UN-Habitat China Office, visited Xianning for a research tour; and in 2024, an official from the Transportation Bureau of the Asian Development Bank also visited Xianning. The attention of international organizations further affirmed the achievements of the Xianning project in innovative city construction and the creation of a child-friendly environment.

The concept of "child-friendly city" is not only reflected in the continuous promotion of school surrounding renovation projects, but also promotes the improvement of related systems and urban management workflow. In 2024, Xianning Municipality formulated the "Implementation Plan for the Construction of Xianning City as a Child-Friendly City," which aims to promote the development of a child-friendly city from the perspectives of social policies, public services, rights protection, growth (urban) space and development environment to realize child-friendliness in multiple dimensions.  The local government has also integrated and clarified the functions and responsibilities of various departments, formulated a task list, and integrated the concept of "child-friendly" into the planning, design and renovation of schools. In September this year, the Hubei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, based on the pilot experience, organized the compilation of the "Hubei Neighborhood Renewal - Hand in Hand with Children (Renewal and Reconstruction of School Surroundings) Guidelines", which was promoted throughout the province to provide a better reference for the construction of child-friendly cities.

Through the concept of "child-friendly", Xianning not only creates a safe and caring environment for children to grow up in, but also injects more warmth and vitality into the whole society. In every street and school, a blueprint for the future is being drawn: a modern city that is more livable, shared and sustainable. Xianning's success lies not only in its innovation, but also in its steadfast pursuit of the common well-being of the whole society, and this exploration and practice will become a valuable experience for China's urban development, illuminating the way forward for many more cities.