Open Streets

100+ NYC streets will go car-free for fun Halloween activities

Credit: NYC DOT

October 4, 2024

100+ NYC streets will go car-free for fun Halloween activities

New York City's Halloween open streets program returns for its biggest year yet, featuring over 100 participating locations. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Thursday announced the "Trick-or Streets" initiative, which closes streets, plazas, and other commercial corridors across the five boroughs to cars to provide space for fun, spooky-themed activities throughout October.
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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

August 29, 2024

NYC’s Open Streets will expand to 70+ schools

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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Fifth Avenue’s sparkling snowflake is brighter than ever

Image courtesy of the Fifth Avenue Association

December 6, 2023

Fifth Avenue’s sparkling snowflake is brighter than ever

By Aaron Ginsburg

Fifth Avenue's famous snowflake, a cherished New York City holiday fixture for 40 years, is back and brighter than ever. The Fifth Avenue Association and the Stonbely Family Foundation on Sunday celebrated the lighting of the refurbished snowflake, which features 16,500 sparkling crystals and new high-intensity full-color LED lights. The twinkling 30-foot-wide snowflake is suspended 50 feet above Fifth Avenue and 57th Street from four buildings: the Aman Hotel, Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co.
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Events & Things To Do

City unveils new bike boulevard on Berry Street in Williamsburg

All images courtesy of NYC DOT

November 22, 2023

City unveils new bike boulevard on Berry Street in Williamsburg

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has transformed Brooklyn's Berry Street into a permanent two-way bike boulevard. Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday unveiled the new street design, which includes the reconfiguration of every intersection, new loading zones, and a series of one-way vehicle traffic reversals from Broadway to North 12th Street in Williamsburg. The street design builds upon the corridor's success as a pedestrian-focused open street and better connects to Domino and McCarren Parks and the Williamsburg Bridge.
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Fifth Avenue to transform into car-free holiday wonderland

Photo by Josh Wilburne on Unsplash

November 15, 2023

Fifth Avenue to transform into car-free holiday wonderland

By Aaron Ginsburg

Attention revelers: the streets of Midtown will soon be filled with fun, pedestrian-friendly cheer. As part of a special holiday open street, Fifth Avenue will close to cars and transform into a winter wonderland on three Sundays in December. The Fifth Avenue Association on Tuesday revealed the "Gift of Fifth" campaign that will turn the historic corridor from 49th Street to 59th Street into a holiday destination, with jolly decor, festive food and beverages, photo-ops, store giveaways, and more.
DETAILS HERE

Events & Things To Do

NYC holiday open streets return to Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center

Photo by Kaydn Ito on Unsplash

November 7, 2023

NYC holiday open streets return to Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center

By Devin Gannon

Visiting Midtown during the holidays will be more festive and less stressful this year. Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced plans to fully pedestrianize Fifth Avenue from 48th and 59th Streets on three Sundays in December, expanding the open street by three blocks to reach Central Park. Plus, certain streets around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall will be closed to cars every day throughout the holiday season, reducing crowds and making it safer for the hundreds of thousands of people visiting the iconic Christmas Tree, holiday window displays, and the Rockettes.
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Policy

Last year’s holiday open streets in Midtown drove $3M in spending at local businesses

Image courtesy of Violet Mendelsund/Mayoral Photo Office on Flickr

October 12, 2023

Last year’s holiday open streets in Midtown drove $3M in spending at local businesses

By Aaron Ginsburg

Banning cars on blocks around holiday hotspots in Midtown last year led to an additional $3 million in spending at businesses on the pedestrianized streets, according to a new report. Mayor Eric Adams this week announced the 2022 holiday-specific Open Street program, which opened 11 blocks to pedestrians during the busiest time of the year, created more foot traffic and led to an increase of 13.9 percent in transactions at local businesses along open streets. The study conducted by Mastercard found merchants on pedestrianized streets saw an average of $90,000 in additional spending per day. The success of the car-free holiday streets program laid the groundwork for a permanent redesign of Fifth Avenue, said Adams, who has selected a team for the design process.
READ MORE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF FIFTH AVE

Policy

300 NYC blocks to go car-free under this year’s ‘Open Streets’ program

The 31st Avenue Open Street in Astoria is 100% run by volunteer residents. Photo courtesy of the 31st Avenue Open Street Collective

April 25, 2023

300 NYC blocks to go car-free under this year’s ‘Open Streets’ program

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 300 blocks across New York City will be closed to cars as part of the city's 2023 Open Streets program, the Department of Transportation announced this Earth Day. This year's program will have roughly 160 open streets, including more than 25 new locations. The program also features new redesigns of existing locations that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists and will "evolve beyond the need for metal barriers." While the final list of open streets is still being finalized, many are expected to launch by July 1.
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NYC proposes pedestrian-friendly path on Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park

Conceptual renderings from one proposal for a reimagined Fifth Avenue. Credit: Fifth Avenue Association

December 19, 2022

NYC proposes pedestrian-friendly path on Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday released a plan that reimagines a stretch of Fifth Avenue from Bryant Park at 42nd Street to Central Park at 59th Street as a pedestrian-focused space that prioritizes safety, mass transit, and the public realm. This new vision of one of the world's most iconic tourist destinations and commercial districts is part of a broader plan to make the area more appealing to new residents and workers and builds upon the recent closure of Fifth Avenue this month for the holidays.
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NYC unveils plan for car-free streets in Midtown to reduce holiday crowds

Photo by Alex Haney on Unsplash

November 23, 2022

NYC unveils plan for car-free streets in Midtown to reduce holiday crowds

By Devin Gannon

Some streets in Midtown Manhattan will be closed to cars during the holiday season to provide New Yorkers and visitors a safe way to enjoy the festivities, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday. Under the plan, the city will open 11 blocks to pedestrians, including a strip of Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th Street, the first time in 50 years the iconic thoroughfare will close to traffic. Starting next week, certain streets around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall will only be open to pedestrians during the busiest hours.
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NYC is considering making Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza car-free

By Aaron Ginsburg

Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza may become the city's next car-free space. As first reported by Gothamist, the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering connecting the Prospect Heights plaza to the Open Streets program on Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues. The plaza, anchored by its ornate Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch and the official entrance to Prospect Park, has long been the target of safe street activists due to its vehicle traffic and poor sidewalk conditions.
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NYC businesses on car-free ‘Open Streets’ prospered during the pandemic, report says

Image courtesy of Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

October 25, 2022

NYC businesses on car-free ‘Open Streets’ prospered during the pandemic, report says

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City businesses on streets closed to cars under the Open Streets program reported better sales than those located on streets with car traffic, according to a new study. The city's Department of Transportation on Tuesday released a report that highlights for the first time the positive economic impact of the Open Streets program, which was established at the start of the pandemic as a way for New Yorkers to remain safe and later grew into a lifeline for restaurants and bars. According to the report, Open Streets saw more new businesses open during the pandemic, stronger sales, and a higher number of restaurants and bars stay open than on similar commercial corridors not participating in the program.
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Nearly 100 NYC streets will go car-free for safe trick-or-treating this Halloween

Photo courtesy of Marco on Flickr

October 24, 2022

Nearly 100 NYC streets will go car-free for safe trick-or-treating this Halloween

By Aaron Ginsburg

For the first time, dozens of New York City's "Open Streets" will expand operating hours on Halloween to make trick-or-treating safer for young New Yorkers. As part of the Department of Transportation's "Trick-or-Streets," nearly 100 streets, plazas, and other commercial corridors across the city will be closed to cars on October 31 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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NYC will tear down abandoned outdoor dining sheds under new program

Image courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

August 19, 2022

NYC will tear down abandoned outdoor dining sheds under new program

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city has razed and removed two dozen abanonded dining sheds this week, under a new program announced by Mayor Eric Adams. The mayor on Thursday introduced a multi-agency initiative that will highlight open and active outdoor dining sheds in the city's Open Restaurants program and remove neglected structures of shuttered restaurants. The city launched the Open Restaurants program in 2020 to keep businesses open during the pandemic, ultimately saving 100,000 jobs, according to Adams. While the majority of restaurants with outdoor dining follow the guidelines, the abandoned sheds have become eyesores.
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New photo exhibit shows New York City children playing on car-free streets in the summer of ’68

Photo credit: Katrina Thomas. NYC Parks Photo Archive

July 5, 2022

New photo exhibit shows New York City children playing on car-free streets in the summer of ’68

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city's Parks Department opened a new photography exhibition at Central Park's Arsenal Gallery that displays more than 40 archived photographs from the department's collection. Called "Streets In Play: Katrina Thomas, NYC Summer 1968," the exhibit features images taken by the late photographer Katrina Thomas, who in 1968 was hired by NYC Mayor John Lindsay and tasked with capturing the city's summer initiative, "Playstreets," in which residential blocks were closed to vehicles and instead equipped for recreational activity.
Take a look

Here are NYC’s new Open Street locations for the 2022 season

Queens’ 34th Avenue was recognized as one of the best Open Streets last year; Courtesy of Alfresco NYC

April 28, 2022

Here are NYC’s new Open Street locations for the 2022 season

By Aaron Ginsburg

More than 300 blocks will be closed to cars for pedestrian use as part of the city's 2022 Open Streets program, the Department of Transportation announced last week. This year's program--considered the largest of its kind in the country--has expanded to include 21 new locations, with a total of 156 locations throughout the five boroughs. All of the open streets will be active by the summer of 2022.
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Six blocks of Broadway will become Manhattan’s largest shared street as part of open space plan

Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman cut the ribbon on new open space on Broadway in the Flatiron District on Monday, October 25, 2021. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.

October 26, 2021

Six blocks of Broadway will become Manhattan’s largest shared street as part of open space plan

By Michelle Cohen

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman have announced more improvements coming to the city's streets, including six blocks of Broadway that will be fully dedicated to pedestrians or modified so that cars, cyclists, and pedestrians can share the street. The DOT’s “Broadway Vision” will reimagine 12 blocks of the Manhattan street as shared public street space.
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NYC’s open streets program falls short of 100-mile promise, report says

Photo: Transportation Alternatives

October 12, 2021

NYC’s open streets program falls short of 100-mile promise, report says

By Devin Gannon

In the summer of 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would close 100 miles of streets to cars for use by pedestrians, a policy formed in response to the pandemic and the need for safe, socially distanced outdoor space. Over a year later, just over 24 miles of Open Streets are currently active, according to a report released this week by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives (TA).
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Here are the ‘Alfresco Award’ winners for NYC’s best open streets and outdoor dining spots

Maiden Korea, 316 5th Avenue; Courtesy of Alfresco NYC

August 9, 2021

Here are the ‘Alfresco Award’ winners for NYC’s best open streets and outdoor dining spots

By Devin Gannon

Over 11,500 restaurants across New York City currently participate in the city's outdoor dining program, which launched last summer to help businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, seven of them were recognized for being the best examples of outdoor dining setups across the boroughs as part of the first-ever Alfresco Awards. The program, created by a group of local nonprofits, also acknowledged the city's best Open Streets, an initiative that closes streets to cars for pedestrian use.
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See NYC’s Flower District transformed with public courtyards, outdoor markets, and more

All renderings courtesy of SeeThree and ODA

June 21, 2021

See NYC’s Flower District transformed with public courtyards, outdoor markets, and more

By Devin Gannon

When the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City last spring, the city launched a successful effort to give pedestrians safe outdoor space through its"Open Streets" program, which closed some streets to cars. Extremely popular with New Yorkers, the initiative, along with its Open Restaurants and Open Culture counterparts, was expanded and made permanent this year. A local architecture firm is looking to capitalize on this reclamation of public city space with a new proposal aimed at reviving the once blossoming Flower District.
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New ‘Open Boulevards’ will bring dining, performances, art and more to NYC streets

Photo courtesy of the Belmont Business Improvement District

May 12, 2021

New ‘Open Boulevards’ will bring dining, performances, art and more to NYC streets

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced plans to reimagine New York City streets once again with "Open Boulevards," an expansion of the popular Open Streets and Open Restaurants programs that launched at the start of the pandemic. The mayor said the initiative "supercharges" the existing program with "multiple blocks in a row filled with restaurants, performances, and community activities." The Open Boulevards announcement continues City Hall's "Streets Week!," which so far has included new plans to lower speed limits and add protected bike lanes.
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NYC’s Open Streets program to be made permanent under new legislation

Photo looking south on open West End Avenue, taken by 6sqft on 5.16.20

April 30, 2021

NYC’s Open Streets program to be made permanent under new legislation

By Devin Gannon

The popular program that closed streets to cars for pedestrian use will be made permanent under legislation passed by the New York City Council on Thursday. The "Open Streets" initiative first launched last spring as a way to make social distancing easier and to reduce crowds at parks during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the city. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, would provide some funding and resources to the largely volunteer-led program while ensuring the open streets are fairly allocated among communities.
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‘Piazza di Belmont’ returns to the Bronx’s Little Italy with outdoor dining on Arthur Avenue

Photo courtesy of the Belmont Business Improvement District

April 13, 2021

‘Piazza di Belmont’ returns to the Bronx’s Little Italy with outdoor dining on Arthur Avenue

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's most famous foodie destinations will once again transform into an outdoor dining hot spot this spring. Starting April 30, "Piazza di Belmont" returns to the Bronx's Little Italy neighborhood, with several restaurants setting up al fresco seating along historic Arthur Avenue. Developed by the Belmont Business Improvement District, the European-style experience first debuted last summer as part of the city's "Open Restaurants" program.
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City Living

NYC’s ‘Open Culture’ program kicks off this weekend with outdoor performances

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the opening of the Open Culture Program to allow live performances on designated streets. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

March 19, 2021

NYC’s ‘Open Culture’ program kicks off this weekend with outdoor performances

By Devin Gannon

More than 100 streets in New York can become stages under the city's Open Culture program that launched this month. Modeled after the Open Streets and Open Restaurant initiatives that close some streets to cars and let restaurants set up creative outdoor dining seating, this new permit type allows ticketed, socially distanced performances, rehearsals, classes, and workshops to take place on blocks in every borough. Mayor Bill de Blasio this week said the first three performances under the program would take place on Friday, with events in Mott Haven, Williamsburg, and Harlem.
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‘Open Culture’ program will bring outdoor art and live performances to NYC this spring

The Museum of the City of New York opened an outdoor photo installation this summer titled “New York Responds,” Photo courtesy of MCNY

December 11, 2020

‘Open Culture’ program will bring outdoor art and live performances to NYC this spring

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Thursday passed legislation permitting cultural institutions to use public outdoor space for events and performances. Sponsored by Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, the bill requires the city to create the "Open Culture" program, modeled after the city's successful outdoor dining initiative, which lets restaurants set up seating on sidewalks and some streets closed to cars. The program is set to be established by March 1, 2021.
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