Get Schooled in Livable Streets

livable_streets_ed.jpgStudents at PS 87 record car speeds.

Last September, The Open Planning Project officially launched Livable Streets Education (LSE), to inspire students, teachers, and families to make the changes they want to see on their streets and in their neighborhoods. LSE’s learning units explore a range of topics, including the urban
environment, traffic calming, biking and walking, public transit, and safe
routes to schools. Our pilot program is already up and running in four schools. The response has been very positive — young people are incredibly interested in improving the environment and their city. This spring we’ll be expanding to ten New York City schools, working with over 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Kim_SpeedGun.jpgLSE director Kim Wiley-Schwartz shows a pupil how to track car speeds.

Today, we’re pleased to announce that our website is up and running. Come visit to learn more about our residency programs. For these in-school sessions, we go out with students and take a look around their school, then come up with ways to improve it for pedestrians, cyclists, commuters, and most importantly, kids. We connect these ideas to math, science, social studies, literacy, and art, providing a rich learning experience.

If you’re interested in bringing Livable Streets Education to your child’s school (or the school in which you work), we’re currently available for fall 2009 residencies. The program is entirely funded at no cost to schools. We also partner with cultural institutions for special educational programming. Look for us at the New York Transit Museum, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and Celebrate Brooklyn.

To stay connected with educators and parents interested in Livable Streets Education, join our group on the Livable Streets Community site.

If you live outside New York City, not to worry. We’re currently working with teachers to develop lesson plans that can be taught in classrooms across the country. Keep an eye on our website for the first three learning units, coming soon.

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Cartoon Tuesday: Livable Streets Lessons From P.S. 87

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This week’s ‘toon is a short Streetfilm of drawings from students at PS 87 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where Kim Wiley-Schwartz of the Livable Streets Education program asked kindergarteners, "What would you do if there were no cars in the street?" Livable Streets Education encourages students to explore and question the environments around their […]

Introducing Livable Streets Education

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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 […]

Streetfilms: After School With Livable Streets Education

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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 […]

Seventh Graders Picture a Safer, Livelier School Zone

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