NYC’s Open Streets will expand to 70+ schools
School children participate in activities with Street Lab on an Open Street: School. Credit: Street Lab
New York City’s Open Streets program is expanding to more than 70 schools this year. The city’s Department of Transportation on Thursday announced a record-breaking expansion of the program, with 71 schools across the five boroughs set to gain additional outdoor space for students to learn and play. This initiative will improve safety by simplifying the pick-up and drop-off process. Most of the new open streets will be located outside of schools in underserved communities in the outer boroughs, including 12 in the Bronx, 12 in Brooklyn, and 20 in Queens.
“The streets have historically been a place for children to play and socialize—and through our Open Streets program, we have created a new framework to give this space back to our school children to safely learn, develop new skills, and make pick-ups and drop-offs much easier for parents and guardians,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
“This record achievement is thanks to our concerted effort to deliver new funding to the Open Streets program as well as our new partnerships with organizations like Street Lab, which help connect communities to this great concept and provide delightful programming for kids.”
The city has a long-standing tradition of temporarily closing streets to vehicles for children’s play and educational activities. Once known as “playstreets,” the DOT’s expansion of the Open Streets program to schools builds upon this nearly century-old practice and allows participating schools to close streets during drop-off and pick-up, recess, and outdoor learning.
Codified into law in the spring, the Open Streets program has established a legal structure to open up streets for play and to support schools. DOT partnered with Street Lab, which secured permits, coordinated with schools and the community, and brought furniture, activities, and people to the new locations.
The DOT has recently committed $30 million to creating and maintaining public spaces and Open Streets through the Public Space Equity Program (PSEP). In 2025, the agency will offer funding for schools to participate in Open Streets for the first time.
Applications for Open Streets 2025 will open in October and will include detailed information on how schools can apply.
A full list of Open Streets school locations can be found below:
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