Lifting parking mandates citywide will create a ripple effect of livability for New York City — spurring more affordable housing, cleaning air, safer streets, and more vibrant communities.

Open Plans intern Modhupa Tsali is a high school student and climate activist who works to build more livable communities that are free from polluting fossil fuels and climate injustice.

The movement for parking reform in New York City is heating up — and parking mandates could be lifted as soon as next year. Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration is currently moving through his three City of Yes zoning text amendments: one for the economy, one for the environment, and most relevantly, one for housing.

To celebrate back-to-school season, our Schools Planner Sabina Sethi Unni took over the newsletter today to share her work creating safe space for young New Yorkers.

Summer Streets is on a roll! And Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine plans to keep the momentum going. This month, we met up with BP Levine on a balmy Harlem block to enjoy the car-free festival ourselves — and we got some Q&A on camera.

New York City’s need for well-managed, people-centered public space creates major barriers to independence for people with disabilities. Open Plans and CIDNY work together to build a future public realm that accommodates people of all abilities.

DOT guides its work using a stat based on the total number of people killed or severely injured at any given location — “KSI.” Is there a better way to gauge the safety needs of a particular street?

It's official! New York City will permanently allow the curbspace in front of bars and restaurants to be used for outdoor seating — at least for part of the year. On Thursday, August 3rd, the City Council approved a permanent Open Restaurants bill that operates from April through October.

City Council has approved Open Restaurants, allowing for a permanent curbside dining program. So what now?

The City Council is poised to vote on a bill to create a permanent Open Restaurants program, but we need your help to make sure it gets through. Contact your City Council Member today and tell them to vote yes to create a permanent outdoor dining program!

The planet has experienced record-high temperatures already this summer, and we're certainly feeling the heat in New York City. Personal vehicles are a major cause of climate change; if we hope to address this crisis, we must pursue sweeping changes to the way we design for and encourage driving.

A new DSNY rule may require restaurants to use containers for food waste. But containerization without the use of the curb lane misses the massive potential for transformative, holistic reform.

Meet the 2023 class of Open Plans’ summer interns.

Cities around the world have built wider bike lanes to ease congestion and inspire confidence in every level of rider. Wider lanes in New York’s most congested areas could help inspire mode shift and alleviate the growing pains of the electric boom.

The student leaders behind Washington Heights’ Clean Air Green Corridor talk about the work they’re doing to clean up the streets and inspire a better, greener future.