By transforming excess street space in areas like Times Square and Herald Square into pedestrian paradises, New York City's plaza program has been a huge hit. But with maintenance costs borne by local businesses, less affluent areas have missed out.
Late last month Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan "announced an $800,000 grant from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., which will seed a new Neighborhood Plaza Program intended to help communities that want pedestrian plazas to cope with the cost of maintaining them," reports Ted Mann.
"The new program will help surmount one economic hurdle: for some communities that would happily host a plaza, assembling the annual budget for maintenance, through contributions from private shop-owners or local foundations, is tough to do."
“'At the beginning, to say to somebody, ‘You have to raise $60,000 to maintain this plaza,’ that’s quite a challenge,' said Sara Hobel, executive director of the Horticultural Society. Her group will work with the Association for Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, which plans to train maintenance workers to perform upkeep on the plazas, much as the society already does with workers on Rikers Island."
FULL STORY: Neighborhood Pedestrian Plazas to Become More Affordable
Comparing Public Space in New York City and Paris
A recent article examines the ways New York City and Paris support large-scale pedestrian use and support the shared use of public space.
NYC's Street Design Revolution in 25 Images
The transformation in the way New York's streets are designed, used and conceived is one of the most visible legacies of the Bloomberg administration. Branden Klayko assembles before and after images of 25 of the city's transformative road diets.
New York's Streets Provide "Platform for Social Activism"
Justin Davidson ruminates on the great strides Janette Sadik-Khan and New York's Department of Transportation have made in reforming the city's streets. As much as they've accomplished, the transformation remains a work in progress.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process
The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.
Without International Immigrants, the Rural US Population Would Be Falling 58%
Census data shows that population growth in rural areas is due in large part to international migrants.
Dead End: Nine Highways Ready for Retirement
The Freeways Without Futures report describes the nation’s most promising highway removal proposals.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada