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The Secret Ingredient: Safe, Pedestrian-Friendly Streets

vitalcitynyc.org · 1,655 words · saved by 1 readers

At the height of the pandemic, when many of New York’s streets were eerily quiet, a thoroughfare in Jackson Heights, Queens — 34th Avenue, now called Paseo Park — was full of life. Children were learning to ride bikes, newly arrived New Yorkers were learning English, local dancers were teaching salsa, and thousands of New Yorkers were finding reprieve in the outdoors. The avenue had become the neighborhood’s new place for safe social gathering, exercise, outdoor “school” and cultural events. Open Streets are not new to New York; there are dozens all over the city. What made and still makes Paseo Park different is that it is longer than typical — 26 blocks (1.3 miles) in a residential area — and is supported by residents and schools (serving 7,000 children), not commercial businesses. “In our neighborhood, we don’t have a community center. We have a tiny park. All of a sudden, in one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic, we have 26 blocks of streets to deliver community run

What if City leaders allowed everyday residents to guide the programming and design of urban spaces? At the height of the pandemic, when many of New York's streets were eerily quiet, a thoroughfare in Jackson Heights, Queens — 34th Avenue, now called Paseo Park — was full of life. Children were learning to ride bikes, newly arrived New Yorkers were learning English, local dancers were teaching salsa, and thousands of New Yorkers were finding reprieve in the outdoors. The avenue had become the neighborhood's new place for safe social gathering , exercise, outdoor "school" and cultural events. C

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