This case study quantifies the health and economic benefits of open streets in 15 Latin American cities.
It is estimated that 185 premature deaths could be prevented each year by the open street intervention in the 15 Latin American cities included.
“Open streets can be used as climate mitigation strategy that will also promote important health co-benefits” - Dr. David Rojas, Professor, Colorado State University
Latin American cities have implemented open streets programs to ameliorate traffic congestion, emissions, and physical inactivity. Open streets (also called “Ciclovías Recreativas” in Spanish) occur when city streets are temporarily repurposed into car-free spaces for leisure activities such as walking or biking. Open streets are complemented with activities to encourage physical activity, civic engagement, local economic development, community development, recovery, revitalization of public spaces, and changing transport behavior through walking and cycling advocacy.
This case study was implemented between 2018-2020, in 15 Latin American cities in different 10 countries, with the involvement of three civil society organizations (Fundacion CicloPolis, CER Promotora de Movilidad Activa, and Union de Ciclistas Bici Union), a professional organization (Red de Ciclovias Recreativas de las Amercias) and two academic institutions (ISGlobal Barcelona and Colorado State University). The project was funded by the European Union Horizon 2020. This study can be replicated in any city or country around the world where an open street has been implemented or is considered for implementation.
Open streets have been a common policy tool to fight climate mitigation and physical inactivity. But the lack of evidence on the health and economic impacts of this tool, some stakeholders are debating on supporting or not supporting this urban policy.
Open streets support climate mitigation by temporally reducing motorize vehicles trips and increasing active transport trips (walking and cycling). This intervention helps to reduce greenhouse gases emissions from transport and promotes physical activity.
This study has collected data from 15 Latin American cities through the Open street network in the Americas. A quantitative model was created to estimate the health and health economic impacts of physical activity promotion. Results have been shared with the cities that participated in this project and to all the cities affiliated with the “Red of Ciclovias Recreativas de las Americas.”
Among the 15 open streets analyzed, physical activity could reduce 185 premature deaths and USD$ 268 million (related to mortality) yearly. It was also found that the city of Santiago de Chile (Chile), Medellin (Colombia), and Mexico City (Mexico) were the cities that provided the largest benefits among the 15 cities included in this study.
These results are now being disseminated among stakeholders and city authorities. The upcoming studies might also include new cities that have or are planning to implement open streets that are also interested to estimate the health co-benefits of such climate strategy.
The text of this case study is based on the submission from the case study lead organization received through the 2021 WHO call for case studies on health and climate change, and does not endorse or reflect the views of the World Health Organization or any of its activities.
