What would a street look like if it were designed through the eyes of children? The children who took part in “Our Street Needs Green!”, an activity held on Sunday, 20 September, as part of the LAOU LAOU – Open Streets initiative in Agioi Omologites, Neighbourhood had plenty of ideas.
They added more trees and greenery, spaces to play and walk, benches and meeting places, bringing to life their vision of a greener and more welcoming neighbourhood.
The activity was organised as part of the European Climate Pact and coordinated by Eirini Andreou, European Climate Pact Ambassador in Cyprus.
Working with a large map of the neighbourhood, the children were invited to transform the ‘grey’ street and redesign it as they would like it to be. Using modelling clay and other natural and recyclable materials, they added colour, greenery, play areas, pathways and other features inspired by their imagination. In doing so, they created their own vision of a greener, more welcoming and accessible neighbourhood.
The activity gave children an opportunity to express their ideas through play and creativity, while also encouraging a wider discussion about public spaces and how we want our cities and neighbourhoods to look and feel.
“Today, the children showed us, in their own way, something very important: they want neighbourhoods with more greenery and more space to move around, play and come together,” said Eirini Andreou, a European Climate Pact Ambassador in Cyprus. “We should listen to their voices when discussing the cities we want to create. This is also at the heart of the European Climate Pact: bringing climate action closer to our everyday lives and encouraging everyone to take part.”
The activity reflects the philosophy of the European Climate Pact, an initiative of the European Commission that encourages citizens, communities and organisations to actively participate in climate action. Through local initiatives, the exchange of ideas and concrete actions, the Pact aims to bring climate action closer to citizens’ everyday lives.
LAOU LAOU – Open Streets, an initiative by OPU Collective, took place as part of European Mobility Week, transforming streets in Agioi Omologites for one day into spaces for people, activities and community interaction.
For more information about the European Climate Pact, please visit the European Climate Pact website.
