It is 4th of July weekend. Can't think of anything fun to do? Might a Block Party fancy you? There are over 3000 block parties in New York every year. There is bound to be one in or near your neighborhood. Check the Block Party NYC list of locations. Or, if you know about a party that is not listed, just add it yourself. Here is a taste of the 87th Street Block Party in June.
Archive for the ‘Car-free Parks/Streets’ Category
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Block Party Summer
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Portland’s Sunday Parkways
Despite a very dreary and damp first half of the day, Portland's first Ciclovia-style street closure, Sunday Parkways, was a smashing success with countless thousands of city residents participating. It was like a giant community block party with walkers, bikers, joggers, bladers, families, and pets filling the 6 mile course.
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Car-Free Vancouver Day
The Towards Car-free Cities Conference is wrapping up here in Portland but car-free events go on. On Sunday June 15th, Vancouver hosted a Car-Free Day featuring four simultaneous Community Festivals. Frank Lopez brings you this recap. Check out your local car-free events this weekend. There are two block parties in NYC and Portland is launching [...]
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Mayor Bloomberg & Friends Announce “Summer Streets”
A large heaping of news media and livable streets advocates converged at Astor Place for the Mayor's presser to make the official announcement of "Summer Streets." Essentially the plan opens Park Avenue to pedestrians and cyclists from 72nd thru to the Brooklyn Bridge (using other connectors) on August 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 7 [...]
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Ciclovia (Express Version)
Since many cities around the world are now flirting with the idea of doing their own Ciclovia-style street closures, we have been asked by a few individuals and advocates for a shorter version of our Ciclovia film, which is helping push the debate from idea to reality in some places. And so we have [...]
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Bike Share on Governors Island
Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), Transportation Alternatives and Bike and Roll have joined forces to create what they are calling New York City's first sustained bike share program. Every Friday between June 6th and October 4th, Governors Island visitors can rent adult and children's bikes at no charge. -
Car-free Prospect Park Street Theater! (from 2002)
Back in 2002 there was a huge push on for a three month trial ban on cars in Prospect Park, Brooklyn (I mean really are we still fighting for this?! Come on Mayor Bloomberg it's time to do a trial!) In any event, Aaron Naparstek (with future wife Joanne) organized a fun Halloween street theater event where we all dressed up as cars and raised some eyebrows Saturday morning at the Grand Army Plaza Green Market.
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Tour de Brooklyn 2008
Always a diverse funfest of people, the 4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn from Transportation Alternatives was no different this year with over 2,000 joining the cycling fun. This year's event was moved a week early to coincide with the anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge's 125th birthday and launched from DUMBO. Among the highlights [...]
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Baltimore gets a Ciclovia!
Greg Cantori, Executive Director of the Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation, has been trying to get Baltimore to put in place a Ciclovia for over two years. With the help of other organizations - and now called Sunday Streets - this October it will (read his entry on the Audacious Ideas blog.) This is great news and one of many U.S. cities where there is a movement to bring some sort of periodic street closures so residents can enjoy their streets; not just used as thoroughfares for cars.
And we remind you, please, if you are out there advocating the same, Streetfilms can help you do it! Our films are being used throughout the world to demonstrate how livable streets initiatives work. Quoting Mr. Cantori's e-mail to us:
....your film played a key role as we showed it to the city hall staff as part of our presentation. It was a hit! You can be very proud of the great work you are doing in creating changes in attitudes and behaviors. If a picture is worth a thousand words then imagine what thousands of pictures in a film can do.
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Taking a Bite out of Traffic in Istanbul, Turkey
What can we learn from a city with a population of 12 million plus people, 2.4 million cars and at least 100,000 new vehicles each year? We talk with Urban Planner, Kevser Üstündag.
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The Street Life of Havana
Ethan Kent from PPS takes us on a pictorial journey of his trip to the streets of Cuba.
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Block Party NYC!
Get to know your neighbors. See how differently your block can look. Apply for your 2008 block party grant today!
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Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia
In Part 1 of our Bogotá trilogy watch as every Sunday & holiday, every week, the City of Bogotá, Colombia closes down over 70 miles of roadways to cars and let people bike, walk, talk, exercise, picnic, sunbathe, I could go on and on. Just watch the video, it's amazing.
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Paint a Parking Lot, Put Up a Paradise
In the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge, a triangle that once was home to two dozen car parking spots now is a green pedestrian plaza. If that ain't cool, we don't know what is.
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Count Cars Breaking the Law in Prospect Park!
When Doug Gordon visits Prospect Park he always sees vehicles entering illegally after it is closed to cars at 7 pm. It made him mad, so he got out his video camera.
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Go To Governors Island!
Governors Island is a car-free, New York City paradise and now it's open to residents weekends from June thru Sept 2nd.
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Gridlock Sam: Car-free Central Park
Sam Schwartz, former NYC Commissioner of Traffic, explains how closing Central Park to cars will not result in traffic chaos.
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Public Space Transformations
These photo simulations from the Project for Public Spaces show how we can transform some of our misused intersections into amazing spaces full of life, commerce, and vitality.
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Fulton Street
Jeff Prant collects signatures on his petition to maintain Fulton Street's car-free hours.
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Car-free Central Park Rally
A Transportation Alternatives rally on the steps of City Hall demonstrates residents' support for a car-free Central Park.
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Car-free Sunday on the Grand Concourse
In the early 1990s, three and a half miles of The Grand Concourse, a major arterial roadway in the Bronx, was closed to cars every Sunday from July thru November. The closures provided residents with much-needed open space to safely bike, walk, play and develop a sense of community with neighbors. Despite its popularity, New [...]
