World Class Streets Gehl 08

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CONTENTS


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World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealmWorld Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealm

Finally, its no accident tat New York Citys mercant

communities ocus eavily on streetscape quality

troug teir local Business Improvement Districts,

wic we ave worked ard to expand and support. For

storeront businesses, welcoming, attractive streets can

spell te dierence between growt and just getting by.

Today, our Administration is dramatically extending testreetscape improvements tat many organizations ave

been able to create locally.

New York as te most amous streets in te world.

Now, were working to make tem te most attractive

streets in te world or walking and cyclingand tat

oter great New York sport, people-watcing.

Sincerely,

Micael R. Bloomberg

Mayor

Dear Friends:

In 2007, our Administration launced PlaNYC, our long

term plan to create a greener, greater New York. One o

te callenges PlaNYC poses to city agencies is to

re-imagine te Citys public realmto develop an urban

environment tat transorms our streets and squares

into more people-riendly places.

Wit 6,000 miles o City streets under its manage-ment, te Department o Transportation is on te ront

line o tis eortand it is succeeding in spectacular

asion.

Troug new initiatives suc as Broadway Boulevard,

te Public Plaza Program, Coordinated Street Furniture,

and Summer Streets, we are nding creative new ways

to make our streets more attractive to pedestrians and

cyclistsand tose wo wis to sit and relax and soak in

te City. Tis report outlines te callenges we ace and

describes te many programs underway tat are de-

signed to bring even more lie to our World Class Streets.

Te business and environmental cases or improving

te quality o our public realm are clear. Streets tat elp

create and strengten communities and businesses, in

addition to connecting neigboroods to one anoter, are

an essential component o te Citys overall sustainabil-

ity strategy. Quality o lie policies will enable te City to

continue to grow its economy and retain more residentsas tey raise amilies and grow older, and it will even lead

New Yorkers to spend more o te leisure time in te city.

By attracting and retaining more residents, we will also

elp gt climate cange. Mass transit- and pedestrian-

oriented cities like New York elp reduce suburban

sprawl and te iger levels o carbon emissions tat

come wit it.

LETTER FROM ThE MAYOR

In tis report, ndings rom a Public Space/Public Lie

Survey conducted by te world-renowned Gel

Arcitects/Urban Quality Consultants in Fall, 2007

provide te starting point. Following Gels analysis, we

lay out te wide range o ambitious programs tat

NYCDOT as set in motion to cange te citys approac

and tat will allow us to build on New York Citystremendous and ever-present potential.

Sincerely,

Janette Sadik-Kan

Commissioner

Dear ellow New Yorkers:

Famous images o New York nearly all empasize te

citys skylinete ig rise metropolis seen rom a mile

distant or 5,000 eet up. Few wo attempt to capture

te citys uniqueness or caracter in a single rame seek

it rom te most basic uman point o viewtat o te

pedestrian walking down te street.

Wy is tis? In a look at Paris, or instance, testreetscapes o te Camps-Elysees and its central

pedestrian precincts will surely be eatured. A view o

Barcelona will inevitably include a street-level

perspective on Las Ramblas and o its new and re-made

public squares.

Until now, te City as not embraced a broad strategy

or developing and caring or te public realmte space

between buildingsas an important element o public

policy. Indeed, despite so muc cange or te better

during te citys renaissance o te past several decades,

our streetscape remains broadly utilitarian, wit little

cange in appearance or eel rom te 1970s.

World Class Streets amplies te look at street

design in NYCDOTs Sustainable Streets strategic plan,

and will serve as a companion volume to te new New

York City Street Design Manual we will issue in early

2009.

LETTER FROM ThE COMMISSIONER


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World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealm

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World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealmWorld Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealm


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Tis report is part o an ambitious and ar reacing eort to placeNew York at te oreront o urban development. It builds on two previous

plans: PlaNYC, Mayor Bloombergs compreensive sustainability plan,

and Sustainable Streets, NYCDOTs strategic plan. Wile te previous

reports were compreensive in scope, tis document ocuses solely on te

NYCDOT public realm strategies listed at rigt.

World Class Streets:Remaking New York CitysPulic Realm

Pulic Realm/

World Class Street Strategies

Plaza Program

World class ouleards

Complete streetsprojects and designstandards

Pulic art program

I]Z8^ind[CZlNdg`BVndgB^X]VZaG#7addbWZg\

Long Range

Sustainaility Plan

New Transportation

Policy & Priorities

New streetscapematerials

Coordinated streeturniture program

Weekend pedestrianand cycling streets


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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIACOPENHAGEN, DENMARK

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LONDON, ENGLAND BARCELONA, SPAINLYON, FRANCE

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1 2


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Trends in PublicSpace Activities inthe 21st century

1 Increased interest in sports and an actie,

healthy lie style

2 Increased interest in participation in cultural

eents

3 Increased interest in amenities oered i n the

city like the waterront, nature and resh air

4 Increased interest in year-round

outdoor actiity

3 4


LIVELY AND DIVERSECOMPACT

FIRST CLASS PARKS ATTRACTI VE WATERWAYS

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New Yorkers spend a lot o time in te public realm as

a result o te ci tys density, wic promotes walking,

public transit riding and, increasingly, bicycling.

Improving walking conditions will benet everyone in

New York City, create more pleasant links between

destinations and provide an environment tat is

enjoyable as well as unctional.

A Walking(and Bicycling) City

KGLKGL

KGJC

KGJC

10 and 20 min walking catcment area to subway and train stations.

10 min 20 min

10 min 20 min

10 min 20 min

, il

, il

, il

, il

Calculated Manattan walking distances sown in minutes.

Most New Yorkers arenever more than a 20minute walk away rom asubway or train station.

3 miles/

10 min

400 m0.25 mile

0 m0 mile

800 m0.5 mile

1200 m0.75 mile

1600 m1.0 mile

20 min

5 min 10 min

5 min 10 min

Calculated Manattan cycling distances sown in minutes.

Pedestrian trafcNew York as some o te igest volumes o

pedestrians in te world., and New Yorkers fock to

inviting public spaces, suc as te hudson River

Greenway, te car-ree parks on weekends and te

new public spaces tat NYCDOT created along

Broadway in Midtown Manattan during 2008.

ca9 miles/

10 min

400 m0.25 mile

0 m0 mile

800 m0.5 mile

1200 m0.75 mile

1600 m1.0 mile

2000 m1.25 mile

2400 m1.5 mile


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In 2007, New York City DOT contracted wit Gel Arcitects to conduct

public lie surveys o selected sites around te city. Gel Arcitects/Urban

Quality Consultants is an internationally renowned urban planning anddesign rm, and is credited wit elping to turn Copenagen into one o

te most walkable and bikeable cities in te world.

Gel Arcitects as developed a unique eld survey tecnique tat

quanties ow people use places in cities. For example, te company

uses pedestrian count and stationary activity surveys to examine detailed

inormation on were people walk and wat tey do wen stationary, eiter

as part o daily activities or or recreational purposes.

Gels data collectors also assess te quality and condition o outdoor

seating, te quality o paving materials, construction-related impacts and

oter qualitative actors tat aect te public realm.

Results rom te public lie survey elped ormulate muc o te citys

strategy or improving streets as public spaces, and can serve as a

baseline against wic uture surveys can be compared.

How Do People Use New York Streets?

Pulic Lie Surey


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Tis part o te study provides inormation on owmucand werepeople walk, sit, stand or carry outvarious stationary activities in te city. Tese are agood indicator o te quality o an urban space.

A ig number o pedestrians walking in a citydoes not necessarily indicate a ig-quality walkingexperience. however, i a large number o peoplecoose to engage in voluntary activities (aving anoutdoor lunc, playing, or sunbating) ten a city mostlikely as an excellent public realm.

NYCDOT and Transportation Alternatives recruitedover 40 volunteers to assist te Gel sta wit datacollection in Fall 2007. NYCDOT and Gel Arcitectsconducted toroug volunteer orientation sessionsto ensure data was collected in accordance wit temetodology employed by Gel Arcitects in citiesaround te world.

Gel and NYCDOT are presently coordinating tetraining and transer o te Public Space/Public Liesurvey metology to NYC agencies.

Method for measuringpedestrian trafc

Gehl has used its method instudies in London, Sydney,Perth, Adelaide, Melourne,

Wellington, Rotterdam, Dulin,Riga, Stockholm, Oslo andCopenhagen.

Sureyors counted pedestrianson streets or 10 minutes eeryhour etween 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Te vast size and diversity o New YorkCitys ve borougs and numerousneigboroods make it impractical tosurvey te entire city in detail. InsteadDOT suggested survey areas tat arecenters o activity along key multi-modal corridors. By studying tese verydierent but vibrant centers o city

lie, tis survey provides snap sots ote potentials and callenges oundin te public realm o New York Citytoday. Te study team gained an overallunderstanding o pedestrian activitiesalong key corridors in Brooklyn, te Bronx,Manattan and Queens. Tese insigtsorm part o te basis or NYCDOT'spublic realm programs.

Survey AreasSelection of public life andpublic space survey areas

Data CollectionLocations/Conditions

Gel cose specic locations near keyintersections and major destinations.Tey were cosen to investigate specialconditions in eac neigborood as wellas typical conditions tat can be appliedto muc o eac boroug. Data wascollected rom 8am8pm during a serieso weekdays in October under goodweater conditions.

Flatbus Ave, Brooklyn.

Soo, Spring Street, Manattan.

East Fordam Road, Bronx.

34t Street, Manattan.

Main Street, Flusing.

Broadway, Manattan.

World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealm World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealm


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World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCity s PublicRealm

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World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCity s PublicRealm

New York City is a world-class walking city. Pedestrian volumes on major streets inNew York exceed tose ound in cities like London, Sydney, and Copenagen. Moreover,ig pedestrian volumes are ound trougout te city, not just in Manattan.

One o te most striking ndings o tis survey is tat some main streets in Queens andte Bronx ave greater numbers o pedestrians tan te centers o major European cities.For example, pedestrian volumes on Flusings Main Street are about 70% iger tantose ound on Regent Street in Central London.

Comparison of weekday pedestrian trafc between 8 am8 pm

Times Square

(Broadway &7tAveat44tSt)

Sydney,GeorgeSt

Melbourne,SwanstonSt (sout)

Stockolm,Drottninggatan

Copenagen,Strget

London,RegentSt

London,Oxord St

0 25,000 50,000 75,000 100,000 125,000 150,000

2007

2004

2005

2005

2002

2002

2007

2007

2007

2007

2007

2007

2007

2007

2007

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC COMPARISON

INTERNATIONAL

NEW YORK

54,600

51,580

55,830

58,500

57,320

129,840

118,000

100,740

94,730

31,850

51,580

48,940

12,520

80,570

97,290

8tAvebtw 33rd &34tSt

34tStnear6tAve

5tAvebtw 21stand 22nd

14tSt btw 5tAve&University Place

Broadway btw Princeand Spring

FlatbusAve,Brooklyn

EastFordamRoad, Bronx

Flusing MainSt, Queens

New York

Weekday pedestrian trac between 8 am8 pm

Major streets in oter cities

Weekday pedestrian trac between 8 am8 pm

Pedestrian volumes

on Flushings MainStreet are about70% higher thanthose ound onRegent Street inCentral London.

TIMES SqUARE, 2007 EASTFORDHAM ROAD, BRONx, 2007 FLUSHING MAIN ST, qUEENS, 2007

118,000Total lengt surveyed: 3.4 miles

Street widt: 69102 eet

Footpat widt: 1420 eet

Status: Sopping and entertainment

street and a nort-sout veicular link

54,600Total lengt: 1.6 miles



Status: Main sopping street wit

eavy trac




Status: Sopping street wit large

numbers o pedestrians and veicles




Status: Main street dominated by

sopping, caes and restaurants


Street widt: 99 eet


Status: Sopping street and main public

transportation and veicular link



Footpat widt: 1516.5 eet

Status: Sopping street and main public

transportation and veicular link

SYDNEY, GEORGE STREET, 2007 LONDON, OxFORD STREET, 2007 COPENHAGEN, STRGET, 2005




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Gel Arcitects studies rom around te worldsuggest tat te maximum volume or comortablepedestrian movement is 12 people per minuteper yard o sidewalk widt. Anyting above tislevel is considered to be overcrowding. (Otermetodologies assess crowding according to tenumber o people tat a street can carryoweversuc metodologies deal only wit capacity and notquality). Wen Copenagens main street, Strget,reaces te level o 12 persons per minute per yardpeople start nding alternative routes. Tis asbeen te case or te last 30 years.

Despite te act tat sidewalk widts aregenerous in some parts o te city, key sectionso street simply do not accommodate te volumeo pedestrian trac. In New York, people walkingcompete or space wit tose waiting at bus stops,and wit te many pysical items on sidewalks.

Flusing Main Street.

East Fordam Road.

Crowding is a sign o lowwalking quality. Whencrowding occurs, walkingturns into a fght to get

rom one point to another.

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West sidewalk

FLUSHING MAIN STREET, QUEENS bETWEEN ROOSEvELT AND 41ST AvE

East sidewalk

Sidewalk 16 Sidewalk 16

effective

width 13

11 11 11 11 11 11

effective

width 13

In some locations, only 50% o te sidewalk on Broadway is possible to use or walking.

Pedestrians are pused into te road wen waiting or a green ligt.

On very crowded sidewalks, street vendors may cause urter problems.

Te numerous obstacles ound on New York Citysidewalks urter contribute to crowding and urt tequality o te pedestrian experience. Vendors and streeturniture play a key role in te public lie o te City, butoten unregulated vendors and poorly placed or plannedurniture restrict pedestrian access. Oten te mostcrowded areas (suc as sidewalks near subway stops andstreet corners) are te places were te most obstaclesexist. At some street corners, multiple tras cans ornewsboxes orce people into trac. Cluttered sidewalksnot only impede access but also negatively aect tevisual environment.

Obstacles on SidewalksThe effective width for walking issometimes 50% of the sidewalk



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No protection against unpleasant weater makes te time waiting

uncomortable.

Few resting opportunities wile waiting or public transportation excludes some user groups.

Limited space or access to and rom public transportation..

Crowding on Broadway wen students are waiting or te bus.

New York City as one o te worlds best publictransit systems. Unortunately, te well-used systemis not accessible to all city residents and visitors. Atsome locations, sidewalks are not broad enoug toaccomodate te fow in and out o busy subway stops.At oters, tose waiting or te bus must wait in tesun or rain because o a lack o selters. In addition, atsome outer locations, busy bus stops lack sidewalks,tus making access dicult, i not impossible, or tedisabled, elderly, and tose pusing strollers.

Sidewalk CrowdingAffects Public TransitIt is sometimes hard to getto the subway or bus

Streets without seats

Te ew public seating opportunities in te streets are o poor quality and exposed to trac.

People nd alternative seating were noting else is provided.

Tere are very ew places or people tosit and rest, meet and interact or people-watc along te streets o New York City.A vastly disproportionate amount o spaceis allocated to parking cars tan to publicseating spaces. Wile New York City

provides some o te best urban sceneryin te world, tere are simply very ewplaces to stop, enjoy and soak in te uniqueatmospere.

Nowhere to rest

World Class Streets:Remaking New YorkCitys PublicRealmColumbusCircle

Central Park

C



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HeraldSquare

GreeleySquare

PennStation

UnionSquare

AstorPlaceWashingtonSquare

Prince andSpring Street

HoustonSt reet

TimesSquare

MadisonSquarePark

WorthSquare

ParamountPlaza

BryantPark

GoldaMayerPlace

8ThAvenue

7th

Avenue

6t h

Avenue

5t h

Avenue

Par k

Aven

ue

14thStreet

23rd Street

34th Street

42nd Street

57th Street

Grand

Central

Station

Ca outdoor seating on te street curb side

Ca outdoor seating in public space

Public seating in te street

Public seating in public space

More scaffoldingthan seating

New York is alling beind oter cities in te provisiono outdoor seating opportunities. Researc rom aroundte world indicates tat tere is incredible demand

or ca seating. For example, in London, Copenagen,and Melbourne, restaurants ave ound tat increasedoutdoor seating options leads to increased business. Tepositive eects o providing ca seating go beyond tebenets to individual restaurant owners, as ca seatingcontributes to an improved public realm, and increasedeconomic vitality or a city. It is a cause or concern tatte tree- mile stretc o Broadway rom Columbus Circleto houston Street, one o te Citys leading torougares,as only 6 outdoor caes.

Wile te city suers rom a sortage o outdoorseating, it is a global leader in scaolding. Te amounto building and renovation underway makes scaoldinga necessity to protect pedestrians. An unintendedconsequence o recent legislation designed to protectpeople rom building aades wit potential problems asbeen te vast prolieration o long-duration scaoldingtat narrows, darkens and uglies potentially vibrantsidewalks.Altoug scaolding is a necessity to protectpedestrians rom construction activities, in some cases

it is put up ar in advance o actual work, or let standinglong ater it is necessary. For example, scaolding covers30% o te buildings along te tree miles o Broadwayrom Columbus Circle to houston Street.

Scaffolding is left up for too long, whilestreet cafes are few and far between

444

353

137

15

27




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Few Opportunities to Stop

Sitting on ca cairs.

Commercial activities.

Sitting on secondary seating.

Standing.

EXAMPLES OF ACTIvITIES

Wit te exception o Flusing Main Street,te areas surveyed inNew York ave a signicantly lower ratio o stationary activitiesper 100 yards o street compared to oter capital cities. Sittingactivities are especially ew in New York.

Te type o stationary activities ound in New Yorks streets arevery dierent tan tose ound in oter world cities. A majority ote stationary activities recorded on Flusings Main Street arecommercial activities associated wit street vendors. Te majorityo te stationary activities recorded along Swanston Street inMelbourne, by contrast, are associated wit people window soppingor relaxing in public bences, ca cairs and/or secondary seating.

64

21

1

29

PrinceSt

Broad

way

Merc

erSt

Gre

eneSt

WoosterSt

West

Broad

way

Crosb

ySt




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Overcrowded or oterwise unattractive sidewalksand walking environments are not only less pleasantplaces to be, tey in act discourage some groupsrom walking or being on a public street altogeter.

Few children andelderly in the streetWho uses New York streets?

Only 10% o pedestrians identifed atour survey sites were children or seniors

(under 14 or over 65 years old), although

these groups account or a combined

30% o New Yorks population

31

broadway

EastFo

rdhamRoad

FlushingMainSt

FlatushAe

% OF PEDESTRIANS

UNDER 14

SURvEYAREA

% OF PEDESTRIANS

OvER 65

The elderly and young arerarely seen in the streetenironment in placeswhere streets are traicdominated and are notperceied as sae.


W48 St

W48St


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herald Square is a idden oasis in te middle o trac.

Few people ever visit te plaza around te arc in Brooklyns Grand Army Plaza.

New Yorkers rarely experience te joy o coming across abreak in te streetscape- an inviting public space along teirjourney rom Point A to Point B. Instead, tey are orcedto make a deliberate decision to reac an island o publicspace- and to get to tat island, tey oten need to negotiatecomplicated and busy crossings.

Once tere, tey nd none o te opportunities to interact

wit te indoor environment tat a building edge provides.Indoor activities are not allowed to spill into te public realm(and vice versa) because so ew public spaces are actuallybordered by a building. Instead, te only infuence at teborder o a public space is oten a street ull o trac.

herald and Greeley Squares are a classic example o tispenomenon. In an eort to protect tem rom adjacenttrac, planners ave surrounded eac square wit trees,edges, and walls. As a result, te plazas are visuallyand pysically detaced rom te pedestrian fow on tesidewalks. Te vitality o one space does noting to eed teoter. Te lack o visual connections and natural pedestrianfow troug te spaces makes tem more unsae at nigt,and as a result tese spaces, and many like tem across teCity, are closed ater dark.

Additionally, most o te actual space in herald Square isactive street space or motor veicles. 82% o te'square'is taken up by busy troug streets. Similar conditions areound in Times Square.

Many Public Spacesare Hard to Get toMany public spaces do not interactwith streets and surrounding buildings

Total area: 183,000 sq t

Pedestrian area: 20,200 sq t

Times Square

Times Squareconsists o89% road space11% people space

LittleBrazil Street

W47St

7thAve

B road

wa

y

W46St

W45 St

W44St

W45St

W44 St

W43St

W43 St

W42St

W42St

W47St

Broadwa

y

7thAve

Times Square at nigt. People are crowded on a narrow tracisland in a trac dominated space. Recent NYCDOT projects tocreate more space or people in Madison Square and on Broadwaynort o 34t Street (see pages 39 and 40) may ave utureapplication along Broadway nort o 42nd Street.




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Sidewalks can be partially illuminated at nigt byligt spilling rom closed sops and oces. Metalgates, owever, not only limit tis ambient ligt,but also become canvases or grati and dirttat urter detract rom te quality o te cityenvironment. In addition, suttered streets becomeuninteresting and unriendly outside business ours.

Wile protecting ones business is o coursenecessary, business owners could elect to use amore street-riendly design. For example, storescould use lattice work grating instead o te solidmetal gates.

Closed FaadesProblems with Metal Gates

Metal gates are not only aprolem at night, creating darkand unpleasant streets withnothing to look at, ut also aterclosing hours on weekends,creating uniniting, lieless and

uninteresting streets.

No invitation or a Sunday promenade ere.

Open-grilled gates maintain saety but create a more interesting building ront along te sidewalk.

CanalStreet

WhiteStreet

Broad

way

4/7

6/9

5/8

2/5

Closed metal gates on Broadway

35


N Y k Ci


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New York City is in te midst o an unprecedented eort to redevelop

te Citys public realm. Following te mandates set ort in PlaNYCand

Sustainable Streets, and working rom te temes developed in tePublic Lie Survey detailed in te previous capter, NYCDOT as instituted

new design standards and moved orward to implement street projects in

its multi-aceted World Class Streets initiative, wic consists o tese

elements:

Public plaza program

Broadway boulevard projects

Complete street projects and design standards

Sae streets or seniors and students

Public art program

Coordinated street urniture Weekend pedestrian and cycling streets

New York CitysWorld Class Streets Program

Change on our streets


Pearl Street Triangle Plaza, DUMbO, brooklyn


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One o te central goals in te Open Space capter o PlaNYC is to ensure tat everyNew Yorker lives witin a ten minute walk o public open space. To acieve tis goal, teCity as committed to creating or enancing a public plaza in every community. NYCDOTand partners ave 21 plazas tat are already in some stage o design or construction.For example, in 2007 and 2008, DOT employed temporary materials to rapidly transormsurplus lots and underutilized roadway into attractive new public spaces in DUMBO andDowntown Brooklyn, Celsea and te Meatpacking District in Manattan, and at te hUBin te Bronx.

In June 2008 NYCDOT built upon tese eorts and launced te NYC Plaza Programto allow eligible community groups to identiy new plaza sites troug a competitiveapplication process. Te NYC Plaza Program will strengten te capacity o localorganizations to become stewards o te newly created spaces. To do tis, DOT and teNYC Department o Small Business Services (SBS) will establis long-term partnersipswit community groups to maintain and program te plazas so tey are well-managed,active destinations.

New Public SpaceNew York is building plazas throughout the city

Beore

Ganseoort Plaza

Beore

Ater

Ater

Reshaping IconicStreets and Spaces

In Summer 2008, NYCDOT transormedBroadway rom 42nd to 35t Street. Teproject, known as Broadway Boulevard, createda ribbon o public gatering spaces along wita protected bicycle lane. Landscaping anddistinctive urniture along te corridor bringsnew oot trac troug te Fasion District aswalking is encouraged between bustling TimesSquare and te herald Square sopping area.

Te positive response by New Yorkers wasinstantaneous tey focked to te new spaces.Te Times Square and Fasion District businessimprovement districts (BIDs) and te 34t StreetPartnersip are andling te maintenance o tenew public spaces. Te new design transorms all

o Broadway, visually and mentally, according toBarbara Randall, Director o te Fasion Center BID.People will start tinking o te street dierently.Teyll start tinking o it as a destination wereyou can watc te world go by. TransportationCommissioner Sadik-Kan notes tat Broadway isnot amous because o te cars going troug it. Weare trying to ave te public space matc te name.



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In September, 2008, Mayor Bloomberg and NYCDOTunveiled over 41,000 square eet o new public space

in Madison Square, bringing new landscaped pedestrianplazas, bicycle lanes and a simpler, saer trac patternat Broadway rom 25t to 22nd Streetsone o telargest non-park public space projects undertaken byte Bloomberg Administration. Te spaces ave alreadylled wit pedestrians, tourists, people-watcers andarea workers and residents enjoying a meal.

Te new space in Madison Square complementsadjacent Madison Square Park. In te projects center,a signicant new plaza in te sape o te FlatironBuilding oers space rom wic to view one o teworlds most potograped landmarks. On Broadwaysout o 23rd Street, two lanes o roadway ave beentransormed into a plaza wit seating and tables, directlyadjoining te Flatirons building ront. Te new spacesare supported and maintained by te local businessimprovement districts and te Madison Square ParkConservancy.

Reshaping Iconic Streets and Spaces

DOTs award-winning design or Manattans 9t Avenue protectedbicycle lane acieves a variety o improvements. In addition toseparating cyclists rom motor veicle travel lanes and providing orsae veicle turning movement across te bicycle way, it signicantlynarrows te avenue crossing distance or pedestrians and creates amore peaceul sidewalk experience along te east side o te avenue.Similar projects are underway across te city.

Putting it All TogetherComplete Streets

9th Aenue, Chelsea Carlton Aenue, brooklyn

Beore

Ater


Sidewalks to busesEast Tremont, bronx

A City Safe for All


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Transit-riding New Yorkers are pedestrians at bot ends oteir journeys. As a result, sidewalk and bus stop conditions areimportant to ensuring quality travel conditions. Residents are mucmore likely to take transit and contribute to te citys sustainability

i te route to te train or bus is a pleasant one.Wile sidewalks are provided in most o te City, some places do

not ave te necessary inrastructure. As part o its Sidewalks toBuses initiative, DOT is building sidewalks at bus stops. Te agencywill build up to 3.75 miles o sidewalk per year as part o tisinitiative.

Similarly, over 40 bus stops are tucked under elevated train lines,creating dicult waiting conditions or riders. DOTs Bus Stopsunder te El initiative installs raised islands at tese locations toimprove saety.

Finally, at some locations sidewalks are not wide enoug toaccommodate subway riders spilling out o stations. NYCDOT isworking wit NYC Transit to improve sidewalk quality at tese sites.

An Interconnected City

Beore

Ater

Pedestrians are transit riders, and vice versa

Bus stop under an elevated trainater improvements. Jerome Avenue and Fordam Road, Bronx.

Suway entrance 33rd Street and Queens bld

Beore

Ater

Te City is also ensuring tat New York ismore ospitable to cildren and seniors.DOTs Sae Streets or Seniors and SaeRoutes to Scool programs identiy areas oig risk or tese two populations.

Sae Streets or Seniors

Altoug seniors (tose 65 and over)represent only 13% o New Yorkspopulation, tey account or 39% opedestrian atalities. In ligt o te dangersseniors ace as pedestrians, MayorBloomberg launced te Sae Streets orSeniors program in January 2008. NewYorks program is te largest o its kind inte nation. Tis eort is especially timely, asNew Yorks senior population is expected toincrease substantially over te next 25 years.

DOT identied 25 neigboroods acrosste City tat ave a large number o seniorcitizens and a signicant number o crasesinvolving pedestrians.

DOT recently completed senior saetypedestrian improvements at BrigtonBeac in Brooklyn, Flusing in Queensand te Lower East Side. Some specicimprovements in tese areas include retimingpedestrian signals to give seniors more timeto cross te streets, constructing pedestrianreuge island and sidewalk extensions toprotect pedestrians and sorten crossingdistances, upgrading street markings orbetter visibility, and reducing te number otravel lanes to calm trac. Plans or similarimprovements are under review or teFordam/University heigts neigboroodin te Bronx and te hylan-New Dorp area inStaten Island.

A City Safe for AllPedestrian projects tobenet students and seniors

brighton beach, brooklyn

East Tremont, bronx

Beore

Beore

Ater

Ater

Sae Routes to School

DOTs Priority Scools Program is alarge-scale eort to improve pedestriansaety around te Citys elementary andmiddle scools. In 2003, DOT analyzedcras data rom te Citys 1,400 publicand private scools and identied te top135 priority scools in need o pedestriansaety improvements. By 2006, DOT adimplemented te recommended operational

improvements near tese scools, includingnew signals, increased crossing time, newcrosswalks, better signage, and speedumps. In 2007, DOT (working wit DDC)began te construction o long-term capitalsaety measures including neckdowns,medians, and new sidewalks around terst twelve priority scools. Construction at

te next 20 scools is sceduled to start in2009.

Earlier tis year, DOT identied te nextgroup o 135 priority scools tat willreceive planning studies and improvements.Next year DOT plans to analyze data againto identiy, study, and make improvements at40 priority ig scools.


Enjoying the CityAlternative Uses for Streets


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In August 2008, DOT opened a seven mile car-ree route rom teBrooklyn Bridge to Central Park to bicyclists and pedestrians ortree Saturdays in a row. Te program, known as Summer Streets,earned rave reviews rom New Yorkers and local papers, and caugtte attention o cities across te world. Over 150,000 peopleattended te event, some trying bicycling on city streets or te rsttime. Trac impacts on surrounding streets were minimal.

Summer Streets

NYCDOT partnered wit local mercant andcommunity groups in 2008 to launc severaltemporary pedestrian streets.

Te Montague Street BusinessImprovement District osted Summer Spaceor our Sundays in July along tree blocks inBrooklyn heigts.

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, te NortsideMercants Association organizedWilliamsburg Walks on Bedord Avenue orour Saturdays rom mid-July to mid-August.

As at Summer Streets on Park Avenue,

te idea o weekend pedestrian streets wasto open street space to walking and oterlocally-oriented activities rater tan lling itwit vendors or a parade. Bot events werevery successul.

In addition, te City partnered wit Friendso Travers Park to create a temporaryPlay Street in Jackson heigts or twentyconsecutive weekends. Te trac-reearea extends an over-used playground andconnects it to an area used by te localGreenmarket .

Weekend pedestrian streets


In addition, NYCDOT as selected a new


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NYCDOT recognizes te importance o good designin making vibrant, attractive streets and a moreinviting public realm. Tere is a large scale eortunderway to replace older street urniture witwell-designed bus selters, newsstands, and publicrestrooms created by Grimsaw Arcitects andselected or te Citys Coordinated Street FurnitureFrancise wit Cemusa, Inc.

New York is currently replacing te citys 3,500bus selters and 330 newsstands, along wit tecitys rst public restrooms and covered bicycleracks, to bring modern design and a better overalllook to city streets.

A Visually Appealing CityTemporary public art program

Bike rack design competition winner by Ian Maay and Maarten De Greeve.

Manattan Bridge Arc, Brooklyn.

New York Citys rst public toilet.

Cemusa newstand.Cemusa bike parking selter.

Cemusa Select Bus Service selter.David Byrne bicycle rack.

design or its public bicycle racks, wrappingup an international competition tat waslaunced in early 2008. Te agency as alsopartnered wit te artist/musician David Byrneto install nine wimsical bike racks tat doubleas public art.

Finally, in Fall 2008 te agency introducedte Urban Art Program, a public art programwit tree program tracks. In te pARTnerstrack, te agency will identiy priority publicart sites appropriate or new commissions.Not-or-prot organizations will team upwit artists to design, abricate and installartworks wit input and participation rom localcommunity groups. In te Site to Site track,te agency will work wit not-or-prot andor-prot organizations to relocate existingartwork to sel-selected DOT sites based onsite guidelines. Bot pARTners and Site to Siteprojects may be installed or a maximum oeleven monts.

DUMBO mural.

Lastly, in te Arterventions track, te agency will encourage organization-artist teamsto present sort-term projects, suc as art projections, ligting projects, perormanceart, or musical/teatrical perormances, on sel-selected DOT sites. Arterventionsprojects may be presented or a maximum o one mont.



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Granite saw-nised curb Madison Avenue, Manattan.

Raised speed reducers Bolton Avenue, Bronx.Nint Avenue Bike Lane, Manattan.

For years, te Citys design and approval processas avored trac-oriented space and strictlyutilitarian aspalt and concrete eatures.

To acilitate te canges required by PlaNYC andSustainable Streets, DOT is partnering wit otercity agencies to create a Street Design Manualo policies and design standards to be used by allagencies or street, plaza and oter streetscapeprojects. Agency partners include Design andConstruction, Parks, City Planning, EnvironmentalProtection, Buildings, te Economic Development

Corporation, te Mayors Oces o Long TermPlanning and Sustainability and Capital ProjectDevelopment, and city commissions or PublicDesign and Landmarks Preservation.

Te Street Design Manual will ensure tat workon city streets prioritizes saety and livability andrefects a context-sensitive, complete-streetsapproac. It will address bot street geometryand street materials, and will enance te public,multi-dimensional caracter o our streetscape.Te manuals guidelines will also promote greenerstreets wit more trees and vegetation, wic willnot only beautiy and cool te City but also elpmanage stormwater. In addition, tey will improvete coordination o project development witinand among agencies to ensure tat te City buildsbetter projects aster.

Planning Better Streets:Design Guidelines

Median reuge island, Grand Street, Manattan.

Green/landscaped area, Furmanville, Queens.

Painted busway, 34t Street, Manattan.

On street bikeway, 9t Street, Brooklyn.

Te Citys priorities or its streets are refected in tetoolbox o geometric treatments to guide reconstructionand redesign eorts. Te design guidelines willencourage sustainable modes o transportation andacknowledge te variety o street types in te City, romtruck routes to walking-only streets, and suggest uniquetreatments or dierent street types.

Street Geometry:Safer, greener streets


Building Better Streets: Street Materials


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Imprinted aspalt, 185t Street and Amsterdam Avenue, Manattan.

London pavers, Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian ramp.Modular cobble, New York Stock Excange.

Resin-bound gravel, 9t Avenue & 14t Street, Manattan.

In order to broaden te variety o materials tat can be used in cityprojects, and to create a visually-appealing, uniorm look, te StreetDesign Manual will speciy a broader set o standard materials oruse on streets and sidewalks tan is permitted today. New Yorksstreets are not all te samenor sould tey be. Te andbook willidentiy te materials appropriate or various types o roadways,sidewalks, and plazas.

People egin using new pulic space inNew York as soon as it is closed to ehicles.


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


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Tis report is te product o many creative people dedicated to teealt o cities and to New York in particular. NYCDOT sta work

tirelessly to improve New Yorks public realm. Tey designed andimplemented te groundbreaking projects igligted in te reportstird section, and ave many more suc improvements still up teirsleeves. Gel Arcitects conducted its trademark Public Space/Public

Lie Survey, developed te reports analysis o te citys existingstreetscape and public realm, created initial drats o tis report andas provided a wealt o experience and ideas to NYCDOT.

www.gelarcitects.dk

Gel Arcitects sta and sub-consultants:

DOTs report team was Jon Orcutt, Nina haiman andAndy Wiley-Scwartz.

Te ollowing NYCDOT Commissioners and sta ave provided

invaluable input, materials and inspiration to tis work:

Lori Ardito, First Deputy Commissioner

Deputy Commissioners

Jessica AoubinWilemina Bauman

Bet BingamMicaela BirmingamCristina CabreraPetra Caines

Tali CantorNupur CaduryJulia De Martini Day

Brooke DuboseLiz EisenbergStepanie ElsonRic Felsing

Lea FlaxCun FongErick GalbergJuliana Gola

Annie hartGretcen heisermanMarta KentonJeremy Kim

Miceal KodranskyJustin KrayZack LaValle

Lindsey Luser

Kate LindquistDiedre Lizio

Erin LongbotumMarion LunnAdam Marcusheater Martin

Dana McGlouglinMicelle NeuringerDara Nussbaum

Karla QuinteroMattew Roeheat RowRyan Rzepecki

Ryan SarpeWill SermanSira SiegelDaniel Simon

Rebecca SauerYuan TangTeresa ToroAlice Walkup

Erick WasingtonBen WinterIvana Zgalijic

Lin Zang

Joe Barr

Eric BeatonJosua BensonEmily Colasacco

Ann Marie DoertyWendy FeuerMike FlynnZac Frank

holly haDalila hallTerra Isee

Edward JanoSara KeevilleDaniel KuklaVaidila Kungys

Inessa LipskyTom MaguireMicael MarsicoBrooke McKenna

David Moidel

Margaret Newman

hillary PooleMicael PrimeggiaSean Quinn

Naim RaseedVanessa RauscenbergerTeodora Ravagoheater Ricardson

Ryan RussoAndrea SamdalRaisa Saratovsky

Dani SimonsGerard SoanKeri TylerWilliam M. Vallejo

Randy WadeKelsey WalkoSteve Weberheidi Wol

Photo CreditsAll potos NYCDOT/Gel unless noted below.

page 19 (London, Oxord Street)fickr.com: Olivier Brucez

page 7, 47 (Cemusa newstand) : Matt Greensladepage 45 (bottom rigt image)

fickr.com: Elena Madison

Design: Pure+Applied | www.pureandapplied.com

Te Fall, 2007 Public Space Public Lie Survey was structured andoverseen by Gel Arcitects and largely carried out by volunteers.

NYCDOTs Corinne LeTourneau undertook te eavy liting oorganizing, equipping and sceduling te surveyors, and receiving teresulting data. Tanks to Transportation Alternatives or mobilizingmany o te su rveyors. Te survey was conducted by:

Jan GelEwa WestermarkJe Risom

henriette MortensenRob AdamsJens Rrbec

Josep CannisiLeon heywardMicael Primeggia

Bruce ScallerDavid Woloc

World Class Streets: Remaking New York Citys Public Realm


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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND CONTACTS

Mayor Bloombergs administration is committed to ensuring New York

is te greenest, most ecient city possible. NYCDOT is unveiling new

projects on a regular basis, and encourages te public to participate insaping te uture o te City. For more inormation please review te

ollowing resources:

NYCDOT

www.nyc.gov/dot

PlaNYC

www.nyc.gov/planyc

Gel Arcitects

www.gelarcitects.dk

Sustainable StreetsNYCDOTs Strategic Plan

www.nyc.gov/dot/stratplan

NYC Plaza Program

www.nyc.gov/plazas

DOT Pedestrians and Sidewalks program

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/sidewalks/sidewalks.stml

Sae Routes to Scoolswww.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/saety/saety.stml

Sae Streets or Seniors

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/sidewalks/saeseniors.stml

Sae Routes to Transit

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/sidewalks/saertstransit.stml

NYCDOT Bicycle Program

www.nyc.gov/bicycle

CityRacks Design Competition

www.nycityracks.wordpress.com/

Coordinated Street Furniture

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/sidewalks/streeturniture.stml

Public Art Program

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/sidewalks/urbanart_prgm.stml

Current DOT Projects

www.nyc.gov/tml/dot/tml/about/currentproj.stml

Street Design Manual (upcoming release)

Documents

World Class Streets Gehl 08