Skip to content

Envisioning an Upper West Side Streets Renaissance

If you're thinking about coming to tonight's Upper West Side workshop with Jan Gehl but you are having trouble picturing what a "Streets Renaissance" might look like, the video above was made for you. It consists of a series of photo simulations produced by New York City Streets Renaissance Creative Director Carly Clark.

If you’re thinking about coming to tonight’s Upper West Side workshop with Jan Gehl but you are having trouble picturing what a “Streets Renaissance” might look like, the video above was made for you. It consists of a series of photo simulations produced by New York City Streets Renaissance Creative Director Carly Clark.

Whipped into a StreetFilm by Clarence Eckerson and set to some bumpin’ electronic dance music, the photo sims seek to answer questions like: What if Amsterdam Avenue were a “complete street” rather than a 5-lane highway, or a stretch of Broadway were turned over to pedestrians, or a neighborhood street were designed to accommodate community life rather than traffic throughput and automobile storage? Watch out. By the end of this one minute video you might be dancing.

You can find three more short Upper West Side StreetFilms and a bit more of Carly’s photo sim work here:

  • Redesigning Amsterdam Avenue for People Rather Than Speeding Traffic (1:03)
  • The Perverse Allocation of Streets Space on the Upper West Side (1:24)
  • Is SUV Storage the Best Use of Upper West Side Street Space? (1:02)
Photo of Aaron Naparstek
Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

Mamdani’s DOT Responds to Astoria Bike Lane Backlash … With an Even Longer Bike Lane

April 15, 2026

Ask An Insurance Industry Insider: Safe Streets Are The Best Way To Bring Down Insurance Costs

April 15, 2026

Council Leader Urges City To Activate Ferry To NJ Before World Cup

April 15, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: FIFA Follies Edition

April 15, 2026

East Side, West Side: Mamdani’s DOT Will Transform 72nd Street With Protected Bike Lane, Bus Improvements

April 14, 2026
See all posts