Pedestrian Plaza

Usage: Limited

An area located fully within the public right-of-way that is designated by NYC DOT for use by pedestrians. The plaza may include amenities such as chairs, tables, umbrellas, greenery, and lighting. Generally, Plazas are maintained and managed by local partner organizations or other entities, such as Parks, referred to as a Plaza Partner.

 

click to see the enlarged image
Special event at Corona Plaza: National Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Queens
Interim pedestrian plaza at Gates Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn

Benefits

  • Promotes social interaction and builds neighborhood identity
  • Encourages pedestrian activity and associated health benefits
  • Catalyzes local economic development
  • Serves as a venue for a diverse range of community, cultural, and/or commercial events
  • Enhances safety by removing conflicts, narrowing wide roadways and/or normalizing intersections

Considerations

  • The road segment’s relevance to the traffic network
  • Open-space needs
  • Income eligibility: neighborhoods designated by HUD as Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) eligible receive greater consideration
  • Surrounding land uses and site appropriateness
  • Organizational and maintenance capacity of Plaza Partner
  • Advertising is prohibited in plazas
  • Generally requires a maintenance agreement
  • May require pedestrian security measures
  • Attention should be given to accommodation of and navigation by people with vision and cognitive disabilities
  • Conduct outreach to people with disabilities and stakeholders working with these population groups early in the planning and implementation process. Provide notification of street geometry changes after implementation

Application

  • Underutilized, NYC DOT-owned road segments
  • Locations with high crash rates
  • Neighborhoods that support repurposing streets for plazas
  • Neighborhoods with active organizations that can serve as Plaza Partners to maintain and manage plazas
  • Areas with appropriate adjacent land uses, sufficient population density, proximity to transit, historic sites, significant view corridors

Design

  • Each plaza is designed to reflect the character and context of its neighborhood. NYC DOT and the Plaza Partner conduct a public process to develop an appropriate design that is responsive to the needs of the community
  • A consultant design team bases its plans on feedback from the public process
  • Sites smaller than 2,000 square feet are not encouraged
  • Plazas may include movable and/or formal and informal fixed seating, trees and plants (review Tree Beds and Plaza Plantings), lighting, paving, information and wayfinding signage, sub-concessions, temporary and permanent public art, bike parking, and drinking water fountains
  • Permanent or temporary art can be included in plaza design. For more information, review Public Art 
  • Plaza designs should support year-round events and programs. Review Public Realm Programming and SAPO
  • Provide clear paths with minimum clutter, and tactile and visual cues to accommodate people with disabilities
  • Provide furniture that accommodates people with ambulatory disabilities; for example, space for knee clearance for people using mobility devices
  • Utility boxes should be screened from public view
  • Incorporate trees and other green cover. Review Tree Beds and Plaza Plantings
  • Utilize stormwater source controls wherever feasible
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