Play STREETS PURPOSE: LEADERS: SCALE: FACT:
To create safe spaces for people of all ages to be social and active. Neighborhood / Block Associations Advocates City departments Street || Block Many city neighborhoods lack adequate park and open space. Play Streets fill this need by providing a safe space for recreation and community interaction.
“Play streets,” popular in New York City and
London, re-purpose the public right-of-way for recreational activities. In essence, play streets create a public playground within a space formerly used for the movement and storage of private automobiles. They often occur seasonally and are typically located adjacent to schools or in neighborhoods where open space is scarce. When implemented in low-income neighborhoods, they may be paired with farmers’ markets or underutilized school playgrounds, which can have a multiplier effect. In New York City, a ‘play street’ is made possible when 51% of the residents living on a one-way residential block sign a petition and offer it to their local police and transportation officials, who then send it to the local Community Board for review. If approved, the City provides youth workers to oversee the program. Approximately 75% of these initiatives are organized by the New York City Police Athletic League, which began organizing play streets in 1914. New York’s Jackson Heights neighborhood demonstrates how an incremental approach may bring forth permanent change. In 2008 and 2009 a single block of 78th street (located next to a school, between Northern Boulevard and 34th street) was closed to motorists on Sundays-only during the spring, summer, and fall months. Instantly loved by community members, the block was then closed in July and August to motor vehicle traffic every day during the following year. Succeeding once again, the play street expanded to include the month of September in 2011 so that public health officials could study how the street closure works when school is in session. If deemed successful by the City, the street will become permanently closed to motor vehicles, while remaining fully open to people.
A London play street. Credit: streetplaylondon.blogspot.com
In Jackson Heights, car-free space creates carefree play space. Credit: Clarence Eckerson
Play streets create playgrounds where they don’t currently exist Credit: New York Times
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URBANISM