Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Public Space

Ped Plazas in Low-Income Neighborhoods Get $800,000 Boost From Chase

By Stephen Miller | Nov 26, 2013 | 8 Comments

Under cloudy skies this morning at Corona Plaza, elected officials and community members gathered to announce an $800,000 contribution from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to help fund the upkeep of pedestrian plazas in low-income communities. The funds are going to the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP), a program of the Horticultural Society of New York that works […]

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A Montreal Intersection Morphs Into a Wonderful Neighborhood Space

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Aug 28, 2013 | No Comments

On a Bixi bike excursion to get some ice cream in Montreal, my wife and I stumbled upon the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Rue Clark, recently upgraded with colorful new street furniture, traffic calming treatments, and a two-way protected bike lane. The space is teeming with street life. When you arrive at this lovely place […]

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Is This the First NYC Community Board Meeting Held in a Public Plaza?

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Jun 21, 2013 | No Comments

I can’t say with certainty that this is the first NYC community board meeting held in a public plaza, but it certainly is the first I’ve heard of in my 22 years in New York City. On Thursday, Queens Community Board 3 held their monthly meeting amid the hustle and bustle of Jackson Heights’ Diversity Plaza on […]

DOT Working on Maintenance Initiative to Expand Reach of Plaza Program

By Stephen Miller | May 31, 2013 | 2 Comments

DOT’s plaza program has brought new public spaces to neighborhoods across the city, and even most City Council members can appreciate that. To ensure that the new plazas don’t deteriorate after implementation, the city only installs them if a local partner pledges to maintain the space. Sometimes, finding a maintenance partner can be challenging — and […]

Eyes on the Street: Checking Out Books at Putnam Plaza

By Stephen Miller | May 14, 2013 | No Comments

When Putnam Plaza opened nearly two years ago in Clinton Hill, it was welcomed with a dance party. Last Friday, the dancing continued as the Fulton Area Business Alliance, the local business improvement district, held one of its FAB Friday events in the plaza. The space featured games, live music, and a portable library allowing people to sit […]

At Pioneering Ped Plaza, Paint and Planters Are Now Curbs and Concrete

By Stephen Miller | Jan 18, 2013 | 7 Comments

NYC DOT’s plaza program hit a milestone today, when officials cut the ribbon on a block of Willoughby Street reclaimed from car traffic between Pearl and Adams Streets in Downtown Brooklyn. What used to be, essentially, a private parking lot for government placard holders, is now the first plaza program project to make the transition from temporary materials to permanent […]

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