Outdoor Dining
Americans Have Fallen in Love With Outdoor Dining
Started as a response to pandemic restrictions, al fresco dining has taken off as customers, restaurant owners, and city officials realize the social and economic benefits of outdoor dining spaces.
New York's Outdoor Dining Program Stays Controversial, Likely to Evolve
New York City's Open Restaurants Program, while here to stay, is going to see substantial changes, requiring new permits, as soon as next year.
Portland Extends Pandemic Public Space Programs
PBOT will continue two highly successful COVID-era programs that allowed businesses and community groups to repurpose public spaces for pedestrian-oriented uses and engage with customers in safe, accessible outdoor settings.
Opinion: Repurpose Parking for Bike Lanes and Outdoor Seating
With car parking banned from two blocks of Chicago's Milwaukee Avenue on weekend nights, the city could take the opportunity to permanently adapt the space for other uses.
Santa Barbara May Scale Down Outdoor Dining Areas
The city will consider adjustments to its outdoor dining policy after the fire department expressed concerns about access for emergency vehicles.
Outdoor Dining: Too Popular to Abandon
Some cities that took the almost unprecedented step to loosen restrictions on outdoor dining in the early days of the pandemic are deciding to make their new outdoor dining rules permanent.
Miami Beach to Reopen Ocean Drive to Cars
The famous cruising strip was off-limits to cars during the pandemic. Now, the city is letting vehicles return with some pedestrian-oriented compromises.
How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Cities
The social and economic upheaval of the last two years accelerated a shift in thinking about how we use public space and organize the urban realm.
How New York City's Appearance Changed Under de Blasio
The former mayor's administration oversaw several major changes in the city's skyline, streets, and public spaces.
Opinion: Keep Outdoor Dining Without Thwarting Creativity
While New York City's effort to make its outdoor dining program permanent is a welcome reimagining of public space, some worry that regulations will reduce design diversity and increase costs for small restauranteurs.
San Diego Approves Permanent Outdoor Dining
The city's new regulations pave the way for making the pandemic experiment a permanent fixture.
Arlington County to Explore Permanent Outdoor Dining Options
As emergency ordinances passed during the pandemic are set to expire, county officials will consider making some pandemic dining accommodations permanent.
San Francisco Supervisors Vote to Keep Parklets, Close Them at Night
The pandemic-era outdoor seating arrangements can stay, but a last-minute amendment lets business owners close them overnight.
Los Angeles Extends Outdoor Dining Program for Up to Three Years
An emergency ordinance signed by the city's mayor will allow restaurants to keep outdoor dining facilities built during the pandemic for at least one more year.
'Open Streets' Have an Accessibility Problem
The rush to utilize sidewalk space for outdoor seating and parklets has created new obstacles for people with disabilities.
Outdoor Dining Debate Heats Up as New York City Opens Up
A study, a debate, and an awards show—all included in the wild west politics of parking in the Big Apple.
CicLAvia Helping Restaurants Keep Outdoor Dining
CicLAvia is working with the city to make its "al fresco dining" program permanent.
Car-Free Streets Benefit Restaurants, Yelp Survey Shows
Restaurants in areas designated as "slow streets" during the pandemic saw a boost in consumer interest.
Pandemic Street to Outlast Pandemic in California (By 2.5 Months)
Gov. Newsom's unexpected announcement that the pandemic would end on June 15 led one city to consider reopening its al fresco street and parklets to motor vehicles. After hearing from the public, the city council sided with diners over drivers.
Outdoor Dining a Victim of its Own Success in One Wealthy Bay Area City
The California city has received complaints about overcrowding even as the program sought to create more outdoor public space during the pandemic.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
