Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

museum_mile.jpgProject for Public Spaces just published a great piece of work that is very much worth a download. The paper is called "Nine Ways to Transform New York into a City of Great Places." From the introduction:

In New York, the term "public space" is still synonymous with "parks" in most officials' minds--and without a doubt, the city's major parks are top-notch. But any city, let alone one as vast as New York, needs more than a few flagship parks to sustain a thriving public environment. It also needs great plazas, squares, streets, neighborhood parks and community institutions to all function as active, welcoming public spaces.

Although the city is still vibrant in many spots, New Yorkers inhabit a public realm that is a shell of what it could become. Many neighborhood streets and most major avenues are hostile settings for pedestrians; plazas outside major buildings are lifeless and cold; smaller parks, plazas, and squares are poorly maintained; and local institutions such as schools and libraries seldom enjoy the strong public presence they deserve.

These problems are often intertwined. A neighborhood library can't hold an outdoor book fair, for instance, on a narrow sidewalk next to an unsafe street. Both problems are symptomatic of a broader pattern, in which the shortcomings of one public place undermine the qualities of others in a downward spiral. The only way to get out of this hole is to implement solutions that build off each other. In that spirit, PPS proposes nine steps to transform New York into a city of great places...

Download the report as a PDF file.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

West Side Pols Call on Trump Administration to Stop Illegally Blocking 10th Ave. Bike Lane

The DEA blockade of the 10th Avenue bike lane continues, and local politicians are demanding the federal agency stop denying cyclists safety.

October 1, 2025

When the DOT Takes Your Bike: A Cyclist’s Guide to Getting It Back 

A bike commuter's frustrating journey through New York's bureaucratic maze reveals a hidden problem affecting cyclists citywide. 

October 1, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: This is Your DOT on Drugs Edition

Yes, that's our editor consuming drugs in front of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration office on 10th Avenue to protest the agency's seizure of the bike lane. Plus other news.

October 1, 2025

BIG ZERO: Trump Stiffs MTA in ‘Sanctuary City’ Tantrum

The federal government is denying the MTA tens of millions of dollars in public safety funding over of New York's immigration policies.

September 30, 2025

Gale’s A-Blowin’: Brewer Abandons Daylighting Bill After Push By Parking-First DOT

DOT's anti-daylighting "scare tactics" have peeled off Council Member Gale Brewer, who says the policy will gobble up too many parking spots.

September 30, 2025

DATA: Not Paying Fines? Keep Speeding, Says New York City

It's yet another case of "anything goes" for drivers in Adams's New York.

September 30, 2025
See all posts