In case you missed it, we spent last Friday outside C&B Cafe on East 7th Street, operating a technically illegal curbside cafe. Technically illegal because New York City’s current curbside dining law requires that those spots revert to parking from December to March. We got some great coverage and have launched a campaign to fix the issuesonce and for all. We had a chat with our co-executive director Sara Lind for more on why we care about curbside dining. 

Last week, the Open Plans team shipped up to Albany! Early one morning, my colleagues and I hopped on a train heading north toward a full day of meetings with State legislators. We talked about the importance of Open Plans’ priority bills for the session, including: Universal Daylighting, Automated Curb Enforcement, Speed Limiters for Reckless Drivers, and the Get Around NY Act

This May 1st—May Day—we celebrate not only the spirit of renewal and collective action, but also the people who make our city’s streets and public spaces more welcoming, vibrant, and joyful. We’re excited to invite you to the 2025 Public Space Awards at Brooklyn Winery in Williamsburg.

Looking at the cars in your neighborhood, you probably assume that most are coming to or from somewhere nearby. But actually, a majority is cut-through traffic. These drivers aren’t your neighbors, and they’re not visiting a resident or a local business — they’re just using your small, residential streets kind of like a thruway. In Brooklyn's Community Board 6, it's at 76%! That's three out of every four drivers just using those streets to get somewhere else.