An Open Street in Morris Park, Bronx last year. Temporarily restricting vehicular access provided pedestrians with places to walk, cyclists to move, and children to play. Image Credit: CityLand

The program began as a way to provide more public space during the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 29, 2021, the City Council voted to pass Int. 1933-A, a bill to make a permanent Open Streets program. The Open Streets program closes streets for a given time period to provide pedestrians and cyclists with open street space free of vehicular traffic.  (more…)

The Open Streets initiative provides more open space for pedestrians by limiting vehicular traffic. Image Credit: CityLand

The Open Streets and the new Play Streets initiatives encourage New Yorkers to go outside. On July 24, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Play Streets, an initiative provided by the City, the Fresh Air Fund, Building Healthy Communities, and the Police Athletic League to provide children with fun, socially-distant outdoor activities on twelve Open Streets throughout the City. The Open Streets initiative provides more outdoor space for pedestrians and cyclists by limiting vehicular traffic on specified streets. Mayor de Blasio also announced some streets that will be added and removed from the Open Streets program. (more…)

DSNY Commissioner Edward Grayson announces new clean street initiatives with Mayor de Blasio. Image credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The three new initiatives focus on equitable city recovery, community engagement, and improving the quality of life of New York City. On March 30, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Department of Sanitation announced three new initiatives to better maintain clean New York City streets. The three initiatives include the Dedicated Litter Basket Service, the Precision Cleaning Initiative, and the Community Clean-up Van. (more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

The newly announced program and its guidelines will allow artists and performers of all kinds to return to work safely. On February 8, 2021, Mayor de Blasio released guidelines for the upcoming Open Culture Program. The program will open up city streets for outdoor cultural performances and events throughout the five boroughs. The new program is modeled after a prior successful initiative lead by the city, the Open Streets Program. For CityLand’s prior coverage about the Open Culture Program, click here. (more…)

Diagram of what could be allowed through the Open Storefront Program. Image Credit: Mayor’s Office

The program is aimed to help provide more opportunities to shop safely. On October 28, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Open Storefronts program. Building on the success of the Mayor’s Open Restaurants and Open Streets program, Open Storefronts will provide safe spaces for small businesses to conduct business in the challenging economic environment while advancing Mayor de Blasio’s Recovery Agenda.

The program is expected to impact 40,000 businesses and support over 450,000 employees while providing customers with an additional option to shop in-person and locally ahead of the holiday shopping season. The Open Storefronts program began on October 30, 2020 and is set to run until December 31, 2020. (more…)