Description
The project is an educational campaign to promote walking as the most natural, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and healthy mean of transport in Prague excessively burdened by individual car traffic with many negative impacts on the environment and health. It builds on the 3 year´s operation of our website www.chodcisobe.cz helping pedestrians to communicate with their representatives and thus improves conditions for their ways on foot. The project adds a new dimension to it bringing the theme of pedestrian transport closer to people and to particular sites in Prague. It aims to raise the public awareness, to engage more active individuals and initiatives in making urban public space more suitable for pedestrians and to strengthen communication between the municipalities and the public. As a result we expect more people familiar (through happenings, discussions, exhibitions, media etc.) with and taking care of pedestrian matters and more adjustments in favor of pedestrians.
Summary of project results
Project Pedestrians to themselves was based on the need to change dismissive attitude of city management towards walking as the most environmentally friendly, healthiest and economic mode of city mobility. The core of the project was an awareness campaign aimed at all groups of inhabitants of Prague, who could influence the change and thus contribute to improving conditions for pedestrians. Target groups were addressed through regional and nationwide media with our own articles concerning pedestrian issues and information on all project activities. In the streets, we organized three events to promote the quality of public space and infrastructure for pedestrians. We put information posters into Prague trams and showed video spot in Prague subway stations and on the Internet. We organized three photographic exhibitions Walking is IN placed in different public spaces, three public debates and two press conferences in the city. Given that we have managed to increase the number of resolved complaints on the web Pedestrians to themselves by 60, added over 300 new complaints, gained 119 new users and increased popularity and viewership of our FB throughout our project activities, we regard the campaign as a success. As a result of all the project activities we can see a change in the attitude of city managemet reflected in better cooperation with us (we were invited as one of the partners into the formation of a new mobility plan of Prague), in the increase of the number of resolved complaints and in the twofold increase of the city budget for pedestrian infrustructure compared to 2015. The project's impact exceeded the borders of Prague and the Czech Republic. Palacky University in Olomouc is going to put into operation the web Pedestrians to themselves in September 2016 and Bratislava organization Partners for Democratic Changes invited us to the urban conference WhatCity?, where we introduced the web Pedestrians to themselves.
Summary of bilateral results