Rodrigo Mora, Cristhian Figueroa-Martínez, Natan Waintrub
Abstract
Open Street Programs (OSP) are massive community programs that temporarily close urban streets to motorised traffic on weekends, thereby allowing people to engage in leisurelyphysical activities (e.g. walking, cycling, skating). Studies on the OSP show that they promote physical activity, social cohesion and urban liveability. Currently, these schemes operate in twelve countries and more than one hundred cities in North, Central and South America, and have been labelled as “good urban practices” due to their flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Yet little attention has been paid to the benefits perceived by parents and children who visit OSP. This study focuses on Santiago de Chile, where two parallel OSP coexist: the CicloRecreoVia (CRV), a non-profit organisation that has operated in wealthy communes since 2006, and the Calles Abiertas Familiares (CAF), run by the Regional Government since 2022, which operates in less affluent communes. This article reports a qualitative study that examines the experiences of 32 regular users of CRV or CAF schemes who attend the events with their children. The main results show that the OSP allows participants to engage in physical activity and helps reduce apprehensions that affect people’s stress levels, including fear of crime, heavy workloads and deficient housing. These initiatives also provide learning opportunities of different nature (e.g., social skills, values) for children and carers that strengthen their bonds and favour the development of boys and girls. The OSP also allows children to disconnect from electronic devices. Lastly, the OSP strengthen the communities, enriches the life of the public space, and invigorates the economy of the cities, potentially making them more sustainable.
