JUST STREETS is an HORIZON Europe project coordinated by Fondazione LINKS with a maximum grant amount of  10,233,782.54 euros (for the beneficiaries). It encompasses a team of 30 partners from 17 countries, including 12 cities representing more than 4,5m citizens. It has the aim to transform cities’ car-centered mobility narratives that take for granted that streets are for motorized traffic only, promoting walking, cycling and other active/sustainable modes of mobility.

JUST STREETS will be re-shaping street infrastructure and changing individual mobility behaviour in 12 cities, while proactively sharing the generated “how-to-do-it” knowledge with hundreds of cities for rapid replication across Europe. In close collaboration with citizens, policy makers, experts, and interest groups the project will not only develop a new vision of spatial justice where streets become public space for all, but equally important find ways to rapidly implement changes. Putting marginalised social groups, the most vulnerable mobility users, as well as those citizens at the core of JUST STREETS that have been previously underrepresented in mobility infrastructure decision-making will allow the project to create highly valuable knowhow, critical in creating better, more just, and sustainable cities for all citizens.

CRP will implement street-level solutions in London (the City of Westminster and other Boroughs) to improve accessibility of streets to all vulnerable groups (especially for women, LBGTQ+, older adults, those with physical or mental disabilities). The goal is to make transportation and related infrastructures pleasant by fostering safe, inclusive, accessible and environmentally friendly streets both during day and night. Street usage will be compared before and after to capture improvements and to measure the value of the investment. Analysis of road pollution emissions savings will also take place, in tandem with comparisons of counts of pedestrians, bikes and motorised vehicle movements, using CRP’s bespoke Transport Emissions Calculator tool. Feedback will also be gathered via surveys or interviews with local users of the area – these will be tied in with the London Healthy Streets Indicators Index (qualitative as well as quantitative research).

Specific targets to be delivered will include:

• Increased active travel, including by new and diverse groups
• Decreased vehicular use
• Improved street environments
• Improved air quality
• Improved health impacts
• Positive community and social impacts

To achieve those targets, specific solutions are proposed:

• Street level interventions
• Synergies with other entities to develop accessible, inclusive mobility projects
• Data collection for road accidents
• Changing narratives around vulnerable social groups: from vulnerability to valuable resources, from closed streets to open spaces.

CRP will receive 580,291 euros (via UKRI) to install 3 new street furniture with the aim of reducing road accident by 50% by the end of JUST STREETS project lifetime. Throughout the life of the project CRP will also deliver 5 social media campaigns promoting inclusive and active travel.

JUST STREETS applies its methodologies in cities with three roles: 8 pilots, 4 followers and 12 twinnings. Some of the selected cities have advanced certain aspects of their urban planning and design practice more than others and have proven to be excellent innovation test beds for the specific solutions. These cities constitute the frontrunner cities of JUST STREETS; the City of Westminster (CRP) is a pilot city for this project. Follower cities will work on similar thematics, which will be shaped into an action plan for future implementation. As for twinning cities, they will be identified based on specific criteria and involved to replicate the successful solutions.

If you have questions regarding this project, please contact Sefinat Otaru: sefinatotaru@crossriverpartnership.org

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