Building More Livable Streets: 3 Early Wins and 3 Next Steps for the Mamdani Administration
NEW YORK, NY — At the 100-day mark, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tenure has had a number of high profile announcements and promises. A cornerstone of this administration’s first 100 days in office has also been a commitment to the less glamorous aspects of governance. Mayor Mamdani has shown a commitment to prioritizing basic and much needed improvements in the public realm, including:
Reviving and prioritizing safety related projects abandoned by the previous administration, like McGuinness Blvd safety redesign;
Prioritizing basic infrastructure concerns like pothole repairs. 100,000 potholes have been filled since Mayor Mamdani took office on January 1, 2026, making it the fastest pace set in over a decade;
Improving and following through on ambitious street infrastructure projects around livability and walkability, like redoing the pedestrian and bike entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge and redesign of Ninth Avenue.
Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of Open Plans said, “Livable streets are an essential part of what local government should envision and deliver. Our experience of the city completely changes when we center people’s immediate needs.”
“Looking forward to the next 100 days, these are 3 priorities we hope the Mamdani administration prioritizes, making New York more livable for all:
Creating a budget line item for the School Streets program to ensure safe, outdoor space for students during school hours and beyond;
Launching Low Traffic Neighborhood (LTN) pilot programs across each borough to calm local streets by reducing cut through traffic and reducing congestion and pollution;
Advancing plans to pedestrianize parts of the Financial District and Theater District, creating more accessible and vibrant public spaces.
“These first 100 days have shown a commitment to making public space and mobility work better for New Yorkers. We hope that, in the next 100 days, we see the mayor act decisively with plans to dream bigger and prioritize people’s everyday needs. He has the power to create the city we want for the next generation,” Lind said.
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About Open Plans
Open Plans is a nonprofit organization working to transform New York City’s streets into vibrant, people-first public spaces. Through grassroots advocacy and policy change, we advance a vision of a city where streets are safe, accessible, and designed for community connection.
