Despite walking being ubiquitous in Latin America, we know very little regarding walking behaviors and conditions in which these walking trips take place. Even less is known regarding walking equity and children, even though children perform the largest share of walking trips among demographic groups in Latin America. This study objective is an empirical examination of walking to school in the urban peripheries of Latin American cities.

We focus on collecting qualitative data on the meso/micro scale through field surveys and questionnaires. We leverage the empirical comparative work and experiences of our team scholars and local governments in three different cities: Medellin (Colombia), Recife (Brazil) and Mexico City (CDMX, Mexico), where we have established school partners. The purpose is multifold: 1) to explore qualitative and equity aspects of walking in Latin American cities, offering insights into walking environments across the region and contributing to the fields of urban planning, transport planning, policy studies, and urban design; 2) to change mindsets and promote walking as a healthy, affordable, environmentally friendly, and efficient mode of transportation, 3) to make possible for communities and local leaders to engage in meaningful collective reimagining of walking experiences. The added value of this project is to create knowledge and promote walking equity for children across Latin America.