Pedestrian Plazas

Abstract

Over the last decade, a new type of public space has emerged in cities in the US: pedestrian plazas. Typically through the collaboration of city agencies with non-governmental organizations, unused portions of roadways are transformed into places where, at the very least, people can sit down, possibly at a table. The first pedestrian plaza appeared in 2009 when New York City’s Department of Transportation placed deck chairs in streets closed to traffic in Times Square. After the success of that almost yearlong experiment, Times Square was designed to be the first permanent pedestrian plaza in the nation. Subsequent plazas were created in Manhattan in the most touristic and commercialized borough of the city. Then, over the years, more than 40 pedestrian plazas have been located in both residential and less commercialized neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. This chapter describes the genesis and main features of the New York City Plaza Program, focusing particularly on the process of establishing a plaza and the nature of collaboration between the city government and local community partners who are responsible for managing and maintaining the plazas. The chapter then describes in detail two neighboring plazas in a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn that serve as local community spaces. With findings from on-site observations, user surveys, and interviews with those who play a role in the creation or management of these plazas, the chapter shows how pedestrian plazas differ from traditional types of urban public space in design, use, and management.