Photo Courtesy of DOT
By Forum Staff
City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday announced the release of Streets for Recovery: The Economic Benefits of the NYC Open Streets Program report, a “landmark report” developed in collaboration with Bloomberg Associates, which for the first time uses data from the Department of Finance to highlight the economic benefits of Open Streets on the City’s critical hospitality industry during the height of the pandemic.
Streets for Recovery is a first-in-nation dive into the economic benefits of Open Streets, Rodriguez noted. It takes a comprehensive and empirical look at the program’s effectiveness in supporting the restaurant and bar industry in New York City over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commissioner added.
In May 2021, the City Council passed legislation to make Open Streets a permanent program. This bill codifies the Open Streets program as part of the City’s administrative code. Through a permanent Open Street program, DOT has created a portal of engagement with the public to allow for a range of activities that promote safe and accessible transportation, economic development, support schools, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community.
Key findings from the Report:
- Analysis of five car-free Open Streets corridors – in Chinatown and Koreatown in Manhattan; along Vanderbilt Avenue and Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn; and Ditmars Boulevard in Queens – showed that restaurants and bars on car-free Open Streets strongly outperformed those on nearby “control” streets that maintained vehicular traffic.
- Open Streets corridors significantly outperformed nearby control corridors on three key metrics: sales growth; growth in the number of restaurants and bars; ensuring businesses remained open
- Sales growth at restaurants and bars on Open Streets corridors significantly outpaced sales growth in the boroughs that the corridors are in.
- On Open Streets corridors, a higher percentage of restaurants and bars were able to stay in business during the pandemic than across the rest of the same borough.
- All Open Streets corridors saw faster growth in the number of new restaurants and bars that opened during the pandemic when compared to the rest of the same borough.
“The Open Streets program has been nothing short of transformational for families in Queens and across the five boroughs, especially in communities that have historically lacked both open space and safe streets. But not only do our Open Streets allow for enhanced community programming, they also increase the economic vitality of our neighborhoods, as the DOT’s report clearly outlines,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “I’m proud to be a staunch supporter of such a successful initiative, and I look forward to working with our city and community partners to expand the number of Open Streets here in The World’s Borough.”
At the height of the pandemic, as businesses closed down and New Yorkers lost their jobs, Open Streets and outdoor dining helped keep our restaurants and the city’s economy afloat. And as New York City comes back, this program will continue to be a critical driver of a strong, equitable recovery,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
