NYC Open Streets Will Expand To 71 Schools: NYC DOT

NEW YORK CITY — The New York City Department of Transportation, announced on Thursday they would add 71 Open Streets outside city schools this year.

It's the largest expansion since the program launched during the height of the pandemic, officials said.

Open Streets for schools will enhance safety for kids, help facilitate smoother pick-ups and drop-offs for parents and guardians, and create new space for outdoor play and learning.

Nonprofit Street Lab partnered with NYC DOT to help facilitate the growth in Open Streets at schools.

A full list of the new locations can be found on the DOT’s website.

20 will be Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn will each get 12 and Manhattan will get 26 new locations.

The streets have historically been a place for children to play and socialize—and through our Open Streets program, we have created a new framework to give this space back to our school children to safely learn, develop new skills, and make pick-ups and drop-offs much easier for parents and guardians,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.

This year’s historic expansion is thanks to NYC DOT’s recent $30 million commitment to create and sustain high-quality public spaces like plazas and Open Streets, through the city’s Public Space Equity Program.

NYC DOT in 2025 will for the first time offer funding to schools for Open Streets management, operations, and programming. Applications for 2025 Open Streets will open in October and will include further details about how schools can apply for and receive funding.

"We’re seeing something beautiful on these Open Streets next to schools—kids, parents, caregivers, and teachers talking with each other, laughing, running through an obstacle course, even reading a book, all together on the street,” said Leslie Davol, executive director of Street Lab. “This is about more than changing streets, it is about giving people the feeling of walking out the school doors into a public space that feels safer, healthier, and more connected.