Join Open Plans and other advocates in supporting lifting parking mandates for housing, livability, and climate. Tell the Department of City Planning and your local Councilmember and Borough President to prioritize people over cars!

Stop by our fun, one-day-only installation this Saturday, October 21, from 10AM to 6PM as part of the fabulous Open House New York Weekend. Ever wonder what it would look like if the city prioritized people over parking spots? And what you can do to make that vision a reality? We've cooked up an experience that will allow you to step inside a better, more livable future - one where our housing comes before cars.

On Saturday, October 21st, we're doing something totally new as part of Open House New York Weekend. A free, annual festival, OHNY Weekend offers insider looks into hundreds of interesting and noteworthy places in NYC. And we have created our own noteworthy place that you can step inside for one day only.

Streetfilms Clarence Eckerson, Jr. chronicles the best things he saw during a trip to the Bay Area — including San Francisco’s abundant bus lanes, Emeryville’s bike-riding mayor, and a ‘top five ever’ ride along the Pacific.

Today the Department of City Planning and Mayor Adams made a historic announcement — full, citywide elimination of parking mandates is included in the City of Yes Zoning for Housing Opportunity text amendment. This is huge, and something that Open Plans has been working on for years.

Lifting parking mandates citywide will create a ripple effect of livability for New York City — spurring more affordable housing, cleaning air, safer streets, and more vibrant communities.

Open Plans intern Modhupa Tsali is a high school student and climate activist who works to build more livable communities that are free from polluting fossil fuels and climate injustice.

The movement for parking reform in New York City is heating up — and parking mandates could be lifted as soon as next year. Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration is currently moving through his three City of Yes zoning text amendments: one for the economy, one for the environment, and most relevantly, one for housing.

To celebrate back-to-school season, our Schools Planner Sabina Sethi Unni took over the newsletter today to share her work creating safe space for young New Yorkers.

Summer Streets is on a roll! And Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine plans to keep the momentum going. This month, we met up with BP Levine on a balmy Harlem block to enjoy the car-free festival ourselves — and we got some Q&A on camera.

New York City’s need for well-managed, people-centered public space creates major barriers to independence for people with disabilities. Open Plans and CIDNY work together to build a future public realm that accommodates people of all abilities.

DOT guides its work using a stat based on the total number of people killed or severely injured at any given location — “KSI.” Is there a better way to gauge the safety needs of a particular street?

It's official! New York City will permanently allow the curbspace in front of bars and restaurants to be used for outdoor seating — at least for part of the year. On Thursday, August 3rd, the City Council approved a permanent Open Restaurants bill that operates from April through October.

City Council has approved Open Restaurants, allowing for a permanent curbside dining program. So what now?

The City Council is poised to vote on a bill to create a permanent Open Restaurants program, but we need your help to make sure it gets through. Contact your City Council Member today and tell them to vote yes to create a permanent outdoor dining program!