Bratislava, Slovakia
New public space encouraging students to walk to school
The Project
Bratislava’s goal with their Asphalt Art project was to motivate students to walk to their school, instead of being driven. To accomplish this, they worked with students from Tbiliská Elementary School and Oto Hudec – an artist known for using art as a force for social change – to create a visual intervention that made the public space surrounding their school safer, more appealing and more fun. For the visual inspiration, the team chose sailing and ships as a symbol of traveling to the safe harbor of the school yard. The project uses artwork to enhance the pedestrian space outside of the school entrance as well as nearby crosswalks, in addition to replacing informal parking spaces with new street furniture and vegetation. Students also had the opportunity to contribute directly to the design through a collaborative workshop with the City and artist.
“Our school is a place where almost 900 children come every day. We try to make it a place where they learn everything necessary for life, feel good and make friends for life. For school to be such a place, it is essential that children get to it safely, so that they can talk and laugh along the way.
The Metropolitan Institute project helped us a lot in this. The way to school is now safer and more cheerful thanks to the asphalt art on the sidewalk on Tbiliska Street.”
Principal Hirschnerova, Tbiliská Street Elementary School
Use the slider to see the transformation
Best Practice Highlight: School Mobility Plan
In addition to the project, the City also worked directly with school leadership, parents and students to develop a mobility plan for the school and will be able to track the impact of the project over time. The goal is to encourage students and families to walk, bike or take other safe, sustainable transportation options to school whenever possible.
For inspiration and tips for the creation of art on roadways and public places, download the Bloomberg Associates Asphalt Art Guide which features successful plaza and roadway art activations around the world, as well as key steps for developing such projects.
