Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Plazas

The Case of the Condemned Bike Rack: Solved!

By Noah Kazis | Jul 27, 2012 | 5 Comments

Earlier this week, East Village blogger EV Grieve posted the above picture of an Astor Place bike rack scheduled for removal. He surmised that the bike rack could have been on the way out to make room for the 55-dock bike-share station planned for the location, but fear not: No such personal bike vs. shared […]

NYC’s Hottest Commercial Districts Are Awash in Livable Streets

By Noah Kazis | Jul 10, 2012 | 3 Comments

Which parts of Manhattan have seen the healthiest commercial real estate markets since the economic collapse of 2008? It’s the Meatpacking District and the area around Broadway between Union and Herald Squares, according to a new report by broker Janet Liff [PDF], covered by Crain’s last week. Notably, says Liff, both of those neighborhoods have […]

Jackson Heights Embraces 78th Street Play Street and Makes It Permanent

By Noah Kazis | Jul 5, 2012 | 1 Comment

“It’s just a street. It’s asphalt. It doesn’t look like anything,” said Jackson Heights resident Donovan Finn of the block of 78th Street between Northern Avenue and 34th Avenue. “But it feels like something.” Finn’s neighbors, it seems, agree. Two years ago, Jackson Heights residents and City Council Member Daniel Dromm won a hard-fought battle […]

With Support From Local Businesses, Corona Ped Plaza Will Debut in July

By Noah Kazis | Jun 18, 2012 | 5 Comments

The crowded streets of Corona, Queens will receive a welcome infusion of public space this July, thanks to the New York City Department of Transportation’s plaza program. With wide-ranging community support, DOT will close a block of service road between National Street and 104th Street to traffic and fill it with plants, tables, chairs and […]

Based on Limited Feedback, Vallone Opposes Astoria Pedestrian Plaza

By Stephen Miller | Jun 12, 2012 | 12 Comments

City Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr. opposes a proposal to create a new pedestrian plaza in public space-starved Astoria. The plaza is one of the options on the table for a dangerous intersection that NYC DOT has targeted for safety imporovements. The irregular intersection of 33rd Street, 30th Avenue and Newtown Avenue has long been […]

Eyes on the Street: Fowler Square Plaza Opens in Fort Greene

By Noah Kazis | May 11, 2012 | 7 Comments

Fort Greene’s newest public plaza opened today and Brownstoner was on the scene to capture the moment. The plaza, which reclaimed space for pedestrians on a short, lightly-trafficked block of South Elliott Place between Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue, connects the sidewalk to an existing public triangle. Even though construction only finished today (because the […]

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