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

The Ninth Avenue Renaissance project continues to evolve into the most thorough and impressive community-driven Livable Streets effort currently underway in New York City (the Gansevoort Project runs a close second). Following up on a design workshop facilitated by Project for Public Spaces in January, Ninth Avenue Renaissance has launched a survey that allows you to choose and comment on three different redesign options for the avenue.

Click here to take the survey.

For example, the option below proposes reconfiguring the avenue to three lanes for travel and one for parking. It widens the sidewalks and installs dedicated bus and bike lanes and adds a number of pedestrian-friendly amenities:

Then there is this neighborhood-friendly vision for Hells Kitchen's side streets -- mid-block neckdowns and pedestrian crossings, little bump-outs for cafe tables, benches or bike parking, raised crosswalks, basically all of the great street design stuff that you see in European cities these days:

The Ninth Avenue Renaissance project was initiated by the Clinton Hell's
Kitchen Coalition for Pedestrian Safety
, a group of neighborhood stakeholders who want to reclaim Hell's Kitchen from "hellish"
Lincoln Tunnel traffic. The goal of the project is to develop a shared vision
of street design and traffic calming measures aimed at turning Ninth Avenue into a vibrant community Main Street.

You've got to think that this could be an ideal showcase for Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC 2030 vision. One thousand days is enough time to do something like this and it is entirely within city government's power to make it happen -- no begging or bribing up in Albany necessary. It strikes me that this sort of Livable Streets project could be a direct and tangible way to show New Yorkers how the PlaNYC process is making city life better right now.

Frankly, the redesign can't happen soon enough. Yet another elderly pedestrian was mowed down and killed crossing 23rd Street at Ninth Avenue on Friday afternoon -- the third such victim in three months.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Adams Keeps Park Row Car Free, Will Cut Cop Parking

Bringing cars back to Park Row would spell disaster, according to the city.

January 24, 2025

DOT to Albany: Don’t Forget to Reauthorize Our Life-Saving Speed Cameras

New York City's speed cameras are an unqualified success, but they still need to be renewed.

January 24, 2025

OPINION: Slow Down on Our Bike Paths!

Our bike lanes have become what social critic Ivan Illich once defined as degraded public space. Here's one possible fix.

January 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Ice Ice Baby Edition

Icy bike lanes posed hazards for New York City cyclists all week, but temperatures are finally going to get above freezing today. Plus more news.

January 24, 2025

Congestion Relief Zone is Also a CRASH Relief Zone: Data

Congestion pricing critics will have one less reason to say the toll isn't working

January 23, 2025
See all posts