Youth from Barcelona and Slovenia are turning road safety into a fun and collaborative board game: Slow City Game

P(A)T is leading this board game as part of the Erasmus Plus projects in collaboration with Zavod Varna Pot.

 

From P(A)T – Prevención de (Accidentes) de Tráfico, we are currently developing the second phase of the European project Slow City Game 2025, with a clear goal: to promote safer, healthier, and more livable cities by calming traffic and placing pedestrians at the heart of safe and sustainable urban mobility. Thanks to the Erasmus+ programme, we are working hand in hand with our partners at Zavod Varna Pot (Slovenia) to engage young people from different countries in the conversation about road safety and mobility, using the game as a fun and transformative educational tool.

We believe in youth centres and schools as spaces for reflection and participation

In Barcelona, we have chosen youth centres as priority spaces to implement this game. These municipal and community-run spaces offer educational, cultural, and leisure activities for teenagers and young people, making them ideal environments to foster learning, active participation, and debate around the use of public space and mobility.

In addition, we are also introducing the game in schools, integrating it into formal educational settings to reinforce awareness-raising efforts tailored to these age groups. In this way, we reach a wide range of young people, adapting the activities to each context and encouraging them to reflect on their role in shaping the cities of tomorrow.

We promote calmer cities, with pedestrians at the center and much safer mobility   

At P(A)T, we believe that moving towards traffic calming —with “30 cities” where pedestrians and cyclists take priority— is essential to reduce the risk of road crashes and build kinder, more sustainable urban environments.

The Slow City Game is the tool we use to explore these concepts with young people. It’s a cooperative board game where participants move around the board as either a vehicle or a pedestrian. You choose who you want to be in a city that mirrors your own, and through challenge and question cards, players come up with solutions and negotiate changes to design a “slower” city — one that puts people first.

               

The rules of the game encourage teamwork, critical thinking, and the development of concrete proposals — all aimed at building cities where people coexist safely in shared spaces, and walking or cycling is both safe and enjoyable. They also promote moderating motorized traffic speeds (to 30 km/h), significantly reducing the risk of pedestrian crashes and other serious consequences.

Our game board represents a city where life flows — hospitals, schools, parks, fire stations, health centers…
People walking or riding bikes share space with cars.
But… what happens if we go too fast?
Less time to react. Higher chances of collision. Greater harm.

Driving at 30 km/h in the city means driving at the pace of life:

• It protects the most vulnerable.

• It prioritizes peaceful coexistence in public spaces.

• It helps ensure that everyone gets home safely.

Playing the game builds awareness — and transforming the city starts with simple decisions, like easing off the gas pedal or choosing a hybrid route: parking in a park-and-ride and walking the last stretch.

Positive outcomes that strengthen our mission

The activities we are carrying out in youth centers across Barcelona, as well as our exchange of experiences with Zavod Varna Pot in Slovenia, are yielding truly enriching results. We’re seeing young people get actively involved, identify issues in their own neighborhoods, and come up with ideas to calm traffic, make streets safer, and prioritize active mobility.

All of this reinforces our commitment to promoting responsible and safe mobility, always placing road traffic victims and vulnerable users at the heart of our actions.

In the Slow City Game, winning means building a more human city.
Sign up by writing to pat-apat@pat-apat.org and we’ll come to your youth center so we can enjoy together this life-saving game.