2026 AGENDA FOR A LIVABLE CITY
Legislative & Policy Initiatives
Our 2026 Agenda for a Livable City contains legislation and policy reforms for our City and State to improve New York City’s urban mobility, curb management, and public space. They act together as Open Plans’ agenda for the year.
Below are our legislative and policy priorities, which we will focus the most on in 2026. We view these priorities as some of the most urgent, impactful, and attainable policies we can advocate for at this moment.
Open Plans 2026
Agenda for a Livable City
Open Plans’ Agenda for a Livable City is centered around three key policy areas that make a city livable: (1) urban mobility, (2) curb management, and (3) public space. These pieces work together, and each one is essential to the success of the others.
These policy areas require action by the City Council, the State Legislature, and City Agencies and Administration. When activated together, these initiatives build towards a truly livable city.
City Council
Int. 665
Year-Round Dining Out NYC
In 2023, the City Council codified and made permanent the Open Restaurants program by creating Dining Out NYC. However, under this new program, restaurants are required to remove and store their curbside dining set-ups during the winter months, creating a host of additional costs to restaurants who participate in the program. This has led to a significant drop in restaurant participation, particularly in low-income and outer borough neighborhoods. Int. 1421 solves this problem by adding a year-round option for restaurants, allowing them to use adjacent frontage to unlock more curbside dining possibilities for smaller restaurants, and ensures that restaurants aren’t required to jump through hopes that are not explicit in the law itself. This bill will increase program participation and make our streets more vibrant.
Invest $25 million to pilot Public Space Teams for better, more equitable public space management
The City’s current approach to public space management is not holistic; it results in certain areas receiving a large amount of quality management and others receiving virtually none. Instead of this piecemeal approach, we recommend a framework through which to carry out public space management: Public Space Teams. These Teams would operate in Community Districts, and consist of two DOT employees — a Public Space Facilitator to coordinate the Team and the evolution of the space, and a Public Space Coordinator to perform public outreach — as well as a group of paid contracted Public Space Stewards to perform supplemental sanitation. We recommend that the Council allocate $25 million to fund five pilot Public Space Teams to explore the potential for cohesive public space management. Further details can be found in our report, Framework for the Future.
State Legislature
A5440 / S8665
Automated Curb Enforcement Program
Far too often, violations in the curb lane — illegal parking and idling in commercial loading zones, bus lanes, bike lanes and more — go unpunished, allowing for chaos at our curbs. We should not allow bad behavior that creates more dangerous streets for drivers, pedestrians, and micromobility users alike. S8665/A5440 would create an automated enforcement program that would capture the majority of curb violations, punishing those who break the law in an equitable and efficient way. We have the technology to make our streets safer, reduce congestion, and boost businesses; it’s time to activate it.
Agencies & Administration
Create a Low Traffic Neighborhood in every borough
The city should adopt and implement the low traffic neighborhood model as a new strategy for redirecting through-traffic away from residential neighborhoods, starting with one in every borough. By implementing modal filters and diagonal diverters at-scale to connect between schools, parks, senior centers, and other public neighborhood spaces, DOT can create a safe, shared use public space spanning across several blocks for the entire community to use. These intentionally designed community blocks allow for cars, bikes, and pedestrians to all travel slowly and safely through the neighborhood.
Set a goal of a 40% reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on New York City streets by 2035
It is vital for our climate and transportation goals to reduce our city’s dependence on cars. Other cities have begun to use VMT as an effective metric to measure car usage in a city, and have set goals to reduce it. New York City should be a leader and set a goal of a 40% reduction in VMT on city streets by 2035, with annual reporting on progress towards these goals.
Reform the School Streets program with administrative improvements and School Plaza Blocks
School Streets are key to a more vibrant city. They create safer conditions for arrival and dismissal, and provide much-needed space for play, learning, and community use — especially for schools with limited space. However, administrative burdens keep the program back. In our report, School's Out in the Streets!, we outline how we can improve the program and make it more ambitious to serve as many New York City kids as possible. This includes deeper collaboration and staffing capacity within DOT and DOE, creating a budget line item for School Streets, and creating School Plaza Blocks and Limited Entry School Streets. The current Mayoral Administration has committed to substantially expanding the School Streets program; it’s time to make it a reality. You can read more in our report here.
Connect Summer Streets across boroughs and provide more hours and days
Over the past several years, Open Plans has fought and won more days and hours for Summer Streets, a proven and beloved activation of our streets. By linking the routes across boroughs and neighborhoods, we can create continuous, car-free space for walking, biking, and recreation. And increased frequency would only deepen the program’s impact. Additionally, DOT should consider how to utilize Summer Streets during the 2026 World Cup, where we will see an influx of tourism and opportunity for public space activation.
Continue to follow through on actions identified in the Curb Management Action Plan
Since the release of the Curb Management Action Plan, DOT has made significant progress in its goals to improve curb management including its marquee Smart Curbs pilot, creating more loading zones, piloting micro hubs, and expanding automated bus lane enforcement. DOT must continue to build on this success by, among other things, expanding the Smart Curbs program to other neighborhoods. Read more about our recommendations on curb management in our report, Managing the Chaos.
Create a Deputy Commissioner for Public Space at DOT and a Deputy Mayor for Public Space
Currently, there is a lack of structural leadership at DOT and within the Mayor’s Office to effectively enact large-scale change in the realm of public space management. To fill this void, we recommend the creation of a Deputy Commissioner for Public Space at DOT, who could help provide leadership and guidance on the issues of public space within the agency, and a Deputy Mayor for Public Space, who could help bridge the gap between the Mayor and relevant agencies.
Supported Bills & Policies
Below are additional bills and policies that Open Plans strongly supports.
Legend
Bill
Bill idea
Policy Recommendation
City Council
Intro 511
Universal Daylighting
Intro 1039-2025
Cap Citi Bike Prices
Intro 58
Last Mile Facilities Impact
Intro 57
Design for Fewer Commercial Vehicles in Neighborhoods
City Council
Res. 141
Resolution in Support of A5440/S8665
Intro 285-2025
Curb Extensions at Dangerous Intersections
Intro 419-2025
Escalating Alternate Side Parking Penalties
Intro 80-2025
Citizen Enforcement
Intro 402
Eliminate City Parking Placards
State
S7936
Rightsized Charging for Streets Construction
Agencies & Administration
Daylight every intersection in New York City
Transition a majority of free parking spaces to metered spaces and implement dynamic pricing
City Council
Intro 263
Reduce Capital Project Durations
Intro 46
Reduce Capital Project Durations
Create a publicly accessible database of resolutions passed by Community Boards
Agencies & Administration
Remove the burden of liability from community groups and have the City indemnify them
Reduce bureaucracy for public space partners through a Trusted Partners Program
Work to improve the permitting system to aid partners and the public