Over the past few months, Livable Streets Education has worked with schools across New York City on We're Walking Here NYC. Educators were asked to engage students in an exercise that highlights the importance of safety, healthy choices, walkable streets and sustainable transportation, and to share that message with others. This was the pilot run of our web-based project and we had a great group of participants. Next fall we plan to continue the initiative and invite any and all NYC schools to join in. 

Our grand prize winner was P.S. 8 in Brooklyn for their video PSA, "Why Should You Walk to School?" It was created by Class 3-305 with teacher Melissa Browning.

We had a tough decision as many schools did a great job. Our other winners are listed after the jump.

In New York City, about 80 percent of kids walk to school. This is amazingly high compared to the national average of about 13 percent.

On October 7, over 40 countries celebrated International Walk to School Day. Livable Streets Education and the National Center for Safe Routes to School hosted a walk to school celebration in Washington Square Park in conjunction with the Walk 21 Conference.

After students participated in activities promoting better urban mobility, Gil Penalosa spoke to the students and beatbox master Rahzel performed. Check it out.

Image courtesy of Howard Frumkin [PDF].

Livable Streets Education was among the presenters, and we learned quite a bit ourselves about the safe routes to school movement. We wanted to share with Streetsblog readers some insights that we picked up from two of the headliners at the conference.

Graphic: Richard Jackson [PDF]

It can all seem overwhelming. But as Jackson pointed out, there are plenty of ways to make these problems feel more manageable. As he said, it really comes down to asking yourself: "Can I walk to buy milk?"

Another keynoter, Howard Frumkin, director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, elaborated on the same theme. Rather than generate fear, despair, anxiety, he said, we need to communicate the changes we must make with accuracy and balance. We don't want people to mentally check out or give up when they hear the facts -- we need constructive engagement.

That's where "Safe Routes to School" comes in: It's a solution that's easy to grasp and feels like something we are capable of achieving. We can demand sidewalks, we can set up “walking school buses” to get kids to school. These are doable steps with benefits ranging from improved cardiovascular health to reduced carbon emissions. And it will help raise a new generation to appreciate the experience of walking, biking, and meeting your neighbors.

You can learn more about how to support the Safe Routes to School movement by checking out the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes National Partnership. You might also want to consider asking your senator to support Senate Bill 1156, the Safe Routes to School Reauthorization Bill.

If you know of New York City teachers who want to get their classes directly involved in these issues, check out Livable Streets Education’s fall project, We’re Walking Here NYC. New York is a city of walkers, a fact that students can celebrate on Walk to School Day, coming up on October 7. Look for a post with further details next week.

Author Colin Beavan, in research for his next book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006. A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption … no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray. Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein's film provides a front row seat into the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin's and Michelle's struggle with this radical lifestyle change.

And here are the event details:

WHEN: Wednesday, September 16, 7:20 p.m.
WHERE: Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston St. (at Mercer St.), Manhattan
COST: $12.50 adults; $9 for seniors and children

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am so hoping for a Jeff Klein cameo.

People all around New York City have been sighting the Zozo. So it's no surprise that a special guest showed up to help NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan invite New Yorkers to enjoy Summer Streets 2009 (on August 8, 15, and 22).

Have you seen the Zozo?

Ever heard an anti-idling rap? Or Seen the "Funky Pollution Dance?" Tune in to this video to see what Livable Streets Education students are up to at MS 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

This May and June, Livable Streets Education led a six-week project with seventh graders from the Mott Hall II school, a public school located on 109th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. We asked them to imagine a public realm that was greener, safer, and better for their community. Working in groups, they helped create photo simulations of their ideas, then wrote letters to local officials with their recommendations.

Here’s a look at their work and how they made it:

When we introduced the students to progressive concepts in street design, they immediately had strong opinions about how to improve their streets. While many adults appear to perceive public spaces as inflexible and static, young people are less encumbered. They tend to see the full range of possibilities for the use of their streets.

This spring, Livable Streets Education worked with teacher Tim Devaney at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan to bring real world issues into the classroom and the classroom into the real world. This after school program allowed students to explore, observe and interact with the streets and public spaces around their school, and provided firsthand lessons in science, sustainability, civics and language arts. Watch as they learn -- and teach -- on the subjects of street safety, street beautification and air quality.

Get in touch to bring Livable Streets Education to your school, public event or other venue suitable for livable streets learning.

Can public art also mean public safety? A weekend addition to a Brooklyn street could be the start of something big. Clarence Eckerson explains:  

In what is being called the first event of its kind in New York City, Livable Streets Education teamed up with Community Roots Charter School and P.S. 67, with a helping hand from New York Cares and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, to paint a magnificent mural on St. Edwards Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The project, which was designed by art students, was done with the blessing of NYC DOT under its new Urban Art Program. These short term public art installations are referred to as "Arterventions."

Not only did these students beautify their school's street, they also identified it to motorists as a thoroughfare frequented by school-age pedestrians in a way that mere signage and conventional markings do not. There are hundreds of school zones across the city that could benefit from the same treatment.

The city recognizes the risks posed by idling vehicles near schools. Why not replicate this low cost, high impact project to lessen the hazards of vehicles in motion?

Laying down a fresh coat on Portland's Sunnyside Piazza.

While DOT isn't calling the mural a street reclamation, the spirit is similar to Portland's "intersection repair" and Ocean City's "traffic safety quilt". Those projects created can't-miss signs for drivers to slow down and look out for people. And is there anywhere in New York City that could use some eye-popping, windshield-piercing street art more than school zones? Let's hope that tomorrow's pavement painting is the first of many.

As New York history buffs can tell you, until the early part of the 20th century, the city was prime habitat for Zozos -- large, furry, innocent purple creatures that freely roamed the streets, mingling with people and enjoying the public realm. But after the advent of the automobile their numbers slowly dwindled. By the 1930s, sightings became rare and they were thought to have gone extinct.

Now, thanks to a burgeoning livable streets movement and a marked improvement in the city's public spaces, Zozo sightings are again being reported. World-renowned crypto-zoologist Donald Druthers convinced Streetfilms to document the facts -- and yes, we now believe that Zozos could be making a comeback! See the evidence for yourself.

Presenting our long-awaited mockumentary "The Search for the Zozo," featuring many of New York's livable streets luminaries. You'll hear urban historian Kenneth T. Jackson of Columbia University describe the Zozo's storied past. You'll get the lowdown on Zozo sightings and Zozo-inspired stories from Colin "No Impact Man" Beavan, restaurateur Florent Morellet, livable streets advocate Mary Beth Kelly, author Tom Vanderbilt, and a slew of others working to make streets safer and more livable.

And if you see a Zozo? Let us know in comments, or dial 555-ZOZO. You can also check out our website WhereistheZozo? for the latest in sightings and news.

This past weekend, Livable Streets Education teamed up with educators at the New York Transit Museum to teach families about the past, present, and future of New York City’s streets. With help from their parents, kids designed their own "livable streets" to improve conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. 

The kids also made some pretty fantastic buses out of recycled materials, complete with riders, drivers, wheels, windows, and decorations that would look stunning on the genuine article. We even saw a few double-deckers and articulated buses.

If you missed out this weekend, there are more chances to join in coming up in the summer. Look for us leading similar workshops at the arts room of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on Sunday, July 19.

After the jump: an articulated, double-decker butterfly bus.

Clocking car speeds at 92nd Street and Columbus. Photo: Lauren Brooks.

If you caught our Streetfilm last week, then you know about Livable Streets Education and our curriculum on urban livability, green transportation, and safer streets. We get a lot of questions about how our lessons work in the classroom, so I wanted to share a little bit about what we did this semester with the eighth grade at Dual Language Middle School (MS 247) on the Upper West Side.

Together with science teacher Lauren Brooks, we put together an eight-session learning unit centered on the question, “What is the impact of cars on the environment?” Students measured carbon dioxide levels and car speeds around the school, then compared the carbon footprint of commutes by driving, transit, and walking, using Transportation Alternatives' handy online tool, Rolling Carbon. We researched traffic calming measures and how to protect pedestrians, especially around school zones.

Based on their findings, the students brainstormed improvements to street design and the transit system. Some suggested equipping every avenue with exclusive bus lanes. Others came up with ways to reduce the number of cars on the road. Many students were aware of the MTA's current crisis, and funding public transportation with higher taxes on gasoline or SUVs was a popular idea.

What I found so moving about working with these students was how they grew to understand New York as a "green" city. At first, many of them thought we were the top polluter per capita nationwide, due to the conception of New York as a huge metropolis. They were surprised and pleased to learn that, in fact, their hometown is a leader in sustainability and the number one city in the country for transit ridership. By simply taking the subway, walking, or riding their bikes, they are urban environmentalists.

For project ideas, or to bring LSE to your school, please contact Livable Streets Education Director Kim Wiley-Schwartz at kwileyschwartz@streetseducation.org, or 212-796-4211.

The newest member of the Livable Streets Initiative, Livable Streets Education (LSE), partners with schools, cultural institutions and community-based organizations working for improved urban livability, greener transportation, and safer streets. This spring, LSE is in residency at 15 schools around New York City, working with students in grades K-8, as well as partnering with community and cultural organizations on special events.