New York City will now be measurably less car-centric for the indefinite future.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced late last week that the city of New York's Open Restaurants on Open Streets program, enacted as a lifeline for restaurants struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be expanded and continued permanently.
Mayor de Blasio announced the city's new approach to restaurant regulations during an interview on Brian Lehrer's WNYC show, but the local urbanism news industry was quick to amplify the announcement.
Luke Fortney and Erika Adams report for Eater New York, explaining the details of the program as it will work in the future.
Under the new rules, restaurants will be allowed to keep sidewalk and curbside dining going indefinitely. The city’s Open Streets program, which designated dozens of city blocks to shut down to car traffic for dining in the street over the summer, will also be made a permanent fixture. "This will really help us as an important part of how we recover as a city," de Blasio said.
Restaurants will also be able to expand their frontage space to include seating in front of adjacent businesses if those landlords and tenants are open to it, the mayor said. He also stipulated that for restaurants that conduct outdoor dining in the winter, the space has to be kept “more open” to allow enough airflow. If the area is fully enclosed to better heat the space, those dining areas have to adhere to the same seating restrictions as indoor dining, which will start at 25 percent capacity next week.
According to Fortney and Adams, the permanent extension of the outdoor dining program comes as a result of protracted lobbying by restaurant owners. Despite the scheduled return of indoor dining in the city on September 30, many restaurant industry insiders consider outdoor dining essential for the survival of restaurant businesses through the winter.
The Open Streets component of this big reveal sparked the interest of Gersh Kuntzman at Streetsblog NYC, calling the mayor's announcement a long-overdue shift in priorities to people over cars. "It may turn out to be the single biggest conversion of public space since, well, since car drivers commandeered the curbside lane for free overnight vehicle storage in the 1950s," writes Kuntzman.
Kuntzman also notes that some of the program, as announced, can be achieved by executive action and other components will require legislative action by the City Council. Kuntzman also collects notable political reactions to the news, including that of advocates for mobile vending, who raise alarms about the city's track record of pushing out mobile street vendors to make room for the new outdoor dining arrangements.
FULL STORY: Outdoor Dining Is Now a Permanent NYC Fixture, Mayor Announces

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

‘Mega-Landlords’ Threaten Housing Stability for Renters
As institutional investors buy up a larger share of single-family homes, the families renting them are increasingly vulnerable to rent increases and eviction.

More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved an additional $28 million to support the development of the Puente Hills Regional Park at the landfill site.

Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.

Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.
Clarion Associates
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.