In Brazil, over 80% of the population lives in urban areas, and walking is the primary mode of transportation in cities, accounting for 39% of daily trips, according to the ANTP (National Association of Public Transport). If we consider that public transit trips start and end on foot, walking is involved in about 67% of daily journeys. Since walking is already the reality for Brazilians, what is missing? Improving urban infrastructure to make cities more "walkable."
In 2023, the Instituto Caminhabilidade, with international support from Walk21, returns to host the Walkable City Award, which held its first edition in 2021. With a strong all-female jury, the initiative aims to recognize, map, and reward public projects and initiatives that have improved walkability in Brazilian cities. However, for this second edition, eligible projects must have been implemented during 2021 and 2022.
“The Award has succeeded in bringing visibility to national projects both in Brazil and internationally, serving as a benchmark for people-centered, walkable urban transformation, which fosters more projects of this nature in the country,” says Leticia Sabino, President of the Instituto Caminhabilidade. She notes, for instance, that the winning initiatives from 2021 were presented at the Walk21 International Walkability Conference.
The winners of the first edition were the redevelopment of downtown Conde (PB), the Via Parque Caruaru (PE), and the Municipal Walkability Plan of Fortaleza (PMCFor) in the Small City, Medium City, and Large City categories, respectively. These are some of the Brazilian cities that demonstrated viable paths to building cities that prioritize pedestrians through impact, public participation, collaboration, and innovation.
Learn more about the winners on the website or watch the project videos on YouTube: Downtown Conde Redevelopment / Via Parque Caruaru / PMCFor.
Who Can Participate
For this second edition, projects and initiatives implemented between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, will be eligible—even if they were already being developed or discussed prior to this period. All Brazilian municipalities can participate, as the award features three city categories: small (up to 100,000 inhabitants), medium (100,001 to 800,000 inhabitants), or large (over 800,000 inhabitants).
A wide range of projects is eligible, including: urban redevelopment focused on walking; road space reallocation; traffic calming measures; improving route accessibility; pedestrian signage and information; open street programs; research and data on walking; and tactical and participatory urbanism for street improvement, among others.
Projects will be evaluated by a jury composed of four female experts in walkable and accessible cities: Circe Monteiro, an architect and urban planner from Paraná, Full Professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), with a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from COPPE (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), a PhD in Urban Sociology from the University of Oxford, and coordinator of INCITI/UFPE, a transdisciplinary research group for urban innovation; Gessica Macano, a Mozambican political scientist and executive director of the Center for Urban Studies of Mozambique (CeUrbe); Hannah Machado, an architect and urban planner from São Paulo, with a Master's in Public Administration and Policy, and former Coordinator of Urban Design and Mobility for the Bloomberg Initiative; and Taynara Gomes, from Pará, with a Master's in architecture and urbanism (currently a doctoral candidate), professor, and project manager at the NGO Laboratório da Cidade.
All registered initiatives will be included in the public map of walkability initiatives and projects, which serves as a national benchmark. The winning entries will be featured in a short web documentary and a podcast episode on the Cidades Caminháveis Channel by the Instituto Caminhabilidade. Winning projects will also receive tickets to the Walk21 2023 conference, with the opportunity to participate as speakers.
How to Apply
Registration is free and can be completed via the application form on the Walkable City Award website between June 12 and July 21, 2023. The winners will be announced on August 8, 2023, World Pedestrian Day, as part of the 2023 Walk Week events.
This article was written by CicloVivo. The translation is powered by AI.
