Plazas
Streetsblog Basics
Tony Avella Goes Berserk Over Community-Backed Flushing Plaza
State Senator Tony Avella held a press conference this week to denounce a pedestrian plaza proposed for the Murray Hill section of Flushing. He's afraid it will lead to unbearable traffic congestion. Too bad he's conjuring nightmare scenarios about something that's not even in his district: State Senator Toby Stavisky, who actually represents the plaza site and the blocks surrounding it, backs the plan. So do local council members.
August 14, 2015
Eyes on the Street: 33rd Street Plaza Comes to Life
There is now a plaza at Penn Plaza.
August 11, 2015
Fort Worth Turned Two Parking Lots Into Sundance Square Plaza
While in Dallas for the CNU23 conference this May, I wanted to explore. It was my second time there in less than a year, and I wanted to see if Fort Worth was much different than the tough-to-be-a-pedestrian conditions I was experiencing in Dallas. I spoke to some folks at Project for Public Spaces (PPS) who convinced me that I needed to go see Sundance Square Plaza, which PPS President Fred Kent has called one of the best squares in the world.
July 14, 2015
DOT Drops Sheepshead Bay Plaza Plan After Oppo From Deutsch, CB 15
More space for people near the Sheepshead Bay subway station? Council Member Chaim Deutsch and Community Board 15 aren't interested.
July 9, 2015
For First Time, NYC Will Fund Plaza Maintenance in Low-Income Areas
Since it launched nearly eight years ago, DOT's public plaza program has relied on a public-private model: The city funds plaza installation and construction, while local partners pick up the tab for maintenance and operations. This works well in some parts of town but is a more difficult proposition in low-income communities. Now, for the first time, the city budget will fund plaza maintenance in neighborhoods that could use additional help.
June 19, 2015
33rd Street at Penn Station Will Go Car-Free This Summer
Real estate giant Vornado Realty Trust last night unveiled plans to open up space for people on a couple of busy blocks near Penn Station. The proposed car-free zones include a new pedestrian plaza on 33rd Street west of Seventh Avenue. Phase one will consist of a three-month trial this summer and fall, and the changes could be made permanent afterward.
June 2, 2015
Plaza de Las Americas Reclaims Space for People in Washington Heights
The city broke ground this morning on a new plaza in Washington Heights set to open early next year. The project will transform an extra-wide asphalt block into a permanent public space hosting vendors and a farmers market.
March 20, 2015
Diversity Plaza Wishes You a Happy Valentine’s Day
In preparation for Valentine's Day, the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership set up a camera in Jackson Heights' Diversity Plaza to learn how to say "I love you" in some of the 138 languages spoken in Queens.
February 13, 2015
City May Turn Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Ramp Into Pedestrian Space
A nice-sized pedestrian space is shaping up in the Financial District, thanks to the Downtown Alliance, City Council Member Margaret Chin, and Community Board 1.
February 13, 2015
Hudson Square Plaza Revamp Leaves Shared Space Street for Another Day
A plan to convert a two-block street on the border of Soho and Hudson Square into shared space is going to sit on the shelf -- for now.
February 6, 2015