From Temporary to Permanent: Streets Could Give Priority to People in 2022

Large cities like New York, in the United States, have taken the opportunity during the pandemic to close streets to cars in favor of pedestrians, and that temporary transition could become a permanent one in 2022, a move that is long overdue.

“This is really the moment when cities need to think differently,” says Danny Harris, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York-based transportation advocacy and policy organization. Through the Open Street program, 126 are still active across the city, making up 39 km of car-free streets. The goal is to reach 160 km.

Transportation Alternative’s new campaign calls for 25% of New York City’s street space to be converted into uses for pedestrians rather than cars by 2025. New York wishes to join other American cities like Seattle and Chicago, and international metropolises like Paris and Barcelona in redirecting street space to non-vehicular users.