New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the “Open Boulevards” program, a new initiative to enhance and expand ten multi-block corridors to create more open space throughout the city. The plan builds off of last year’s “Open Streets: Restaurants” program, which transformed miles of streets into open space for diners, cyclists, and pedestrians to enjoy while also assisting small businesses during the pandemic. 

With Open Streets, designated areas had limited vehicle access and no through traffic was permitted. Only vehicles that were parking, picking up and dropping off, delivering, and performing essential services were allowed, advised to to be extremely cautious and to drive five miles per hour or slower on the streets. Temporary full closures were also in effect, which completely halted vehicle access, including parking, on certain streets. Additionally, according to Andrew Rigie, the head of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, the program has so far allowed about 100,000 jobs to return.

Along with creating extra space for dining, Open Boulevards will feature cultural activities, community-based programming, landscaping and other beautification, and art installations. The program, designed in partnership between New York City’s Department of Transportation and NYC & Company, the city’s official tourism organization, also seeks to drive citywide, regional, and international tourist activity to each location across the five boroughs. 

"This is the kind of thing that people are going to love because it has all the life and vitality of New York City. All the diversity, all the energy will be on display in these Open Boulevards,” said Mayor De Blasio. “So this is going to be the summer of New York City and the Open Boulevards are going to be a great example of the reason people will flock here to experience what we have in a way that no other place on earth has."

The announcement of Open Boulevards comes after the city council voted to make the Open Streets program permanent, to put it under the Department of Transportation’s control, and to expand the program to neighborhoods that have been underserved by it so far. Projects are currently underway, including the creation of new open streets, new plazas, expanded pedestrian space, street seats, markets, and spaces for performance art and other activities. 

"Open Boulevards is just really this evolution of what we’ve learned over the past year: how we can create a more livable city by reimagining our streets, our public space and really finding complementary uses," Rigie said. "And, we also know, when we launched the Open Restaurants program it helped save thousands of small beloved businesses…it’s just so exciting to see this evolution.”

Over the next few weeks, the city will be opening the ten boulevards on a rolling basis. More information, including days, hours, and operating partners, can be found here.