In the 25th quarter of Novo-Savinovsky district in Kazan, there are three schools and two kindergartens attended daily by over two thousand children and their parents.
The routes to these educational institutions run along busy streets with heavy traffic and through courtyards lacking proper sidewalks, creating unsafe conditions. Traffic accidents are regularly reported in the area.
We developed recommendations for redesigning streets in the vicinity of schools to ensure children's safety on their way to school. The project involved an analysis of:
the functional use of the area,
parking spaces,
accident rates,
existing routes children take to educational institutions.
Based on the analysis results, we compiled a list of issues in the area and proposed solutions to address them.
We conducted a comprehensive study analyzing how children travel to schools within a residential area. This helped identify systemic issues in the local street and road network typical of a standard urban neighborhood:
— chaotic parking on unpaved surfaces in courtyards,
— mixed pedestrian and vehicle traffic on internal neighborhood driveways,
— parking on sidewalks and green areas,
— lack of necessary visibility zones,
— insufficient street lighting,
— absence of solid pavement on frequently used pedestrian paths leading to schools.
Due to insufficient connectivity of the street network, pedestrian routes to schools often pass through parking areas or “desire paths”.
We compiled a list of problematic and “grey” zones within the neighborhood, key points of attraction, and main movement routes, aligning them with existing improvement programs.
The research findings were presented at the international forum “Kazanysh” in Kazan.
The project is expected to continue in the form of participatory design: collaborating with neighborhood residents will help develop solutions to enhance safety and improve the quality of the urban environment.
