Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Plazas

Fort Worth Turned Two Parking Lots Into Sundance Square Plaza

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Jul 14, 2015 | No Comments

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) […]

DOT Drops Sheepshead Bay Plaza Plan After Oppo From Deutsch, CB 15

By Stephen Miller | Jul 9, 2015 | 14 Comments

More space for people near the Sheepshead Bay subway station? Council Member Chaim Deutsch and Community Board 15 aren’t interested. A proposal from DOT to add pedestrian space near the Sheepshead Bay express stop [PDF] was panned last month by Deutsch and the CB 15 transportation committee (that would be these guys). The project now appears to have been dropped by […]

For First Time, NYC Will Fund Plaza Maintenance in Low-Income Areas

By Stephen Miller | Jun 19, 2015 | 5 Comments

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 […]

33rd Street at Penn Station Will Go Car-Free This Summer

By Stephen Miller | Jun 2, 2015 | 40 Comments

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 […]

Plaza de Las Americas Reclaims Space for People in Washington Heights

By Stephen Miller | Mar 20, 2015 | 55 Comments

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. Plaza de Las Americas is located on 175th Street between Broadway and Wadsworth Avenue. The project, which was selected in the […]

Diversity Plaza Wishes You a Happy Valentine’s Day

By Stephen Miller | Feb 13, 2015 | 3 Comments

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. Diversity Plaza lives up to its name. In the video you’ll hear Farsi, Bangla, Hungarian, Italian, Urdu, Basaa, and Tibetan. Located in the heart […]

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