Carfree Streets/Mobile Playgounds

It is a sad fact that many children in cities have no place to play outdoors and that youth, adults, and the elderly too often lack attractive, safe places to socialize outdoors. Play should be an essential part of childhood, and socializing is important for people of all ages. But rather than focus on the needs of people—for fresh air, clean water, affordable housing, decent jobs, and recreational opportunities—we instead focus on providing sufficient space for our automobiles. IWB seeks to remind people of what is truly important in visible, visceral ways.

A carfree street temporarily or permanently removes motorized vehicles and instead allows people to walk, cycle, socialize and play outdoors. Mobile playgrounds temporarily convert residential streets into play areas, usually for a few hours a week. IWB seeks to have more carfree streets and mobile playgrounds and less vehicle parking in our cities. Towards that goal, IWB regularly organizes both carfree street events and mobile playgrounds in neighborhoods near the office, giving small children, particularly girls, the opportunity to play outdoors with others, showing how much better our cities are when we convert car parking spaces into recreational areas. Volunteers and interns have the opportunity to visit the mobile playgrounds, play with local children, and witness for themselves how much nicer and more nurturing our cities could be.