In addition to making the city's streets safer, the pedestrian plazas, bike lanes and rapid-transit bus system built in New York City over the past several years have been a boon to surrounding businesses finds a new report released this week.
The new report, Measuring the Street [PDF], which was published this week by New York City's Department of Transportation, provides another tool for city leaders and advocates of its progressive street initiatives to help "rebuff critics who consider the policies to be undue interventions from a meddling city," writes Matt Flegenheimer.
Using data culled from the Department of Finance on the performance of small businesses in areas in which projects have been implemented, the report found that "[b]usinesses that operate nearby have seen a pronounced bump."
"These projects are not just about the quality of life or aesthetics,"
Janette Sadik-Khan, the city's transportation commissioner, said in a
phone interview. "In case after case, these projects really do set the
table for economic development."
Of the many examples outlined, the most dramatic may be in Brooklyn: "where a parking area on Pearl Street was converted into a plaza, retail sales
have increased 172 percent for neighboring businesses, compared with 18
percent throughout the borough."
FULL STORY: Transit Initiatives Are Giving a Boost to Businesses, a Report Says
How Jersey City Dramatically Improved Its Public Realm
The city’s new Department of Infrastructure consolidates the management of public amenities and has guided the creation of new bike lanes, pedestrian plazas, and parks.
Denver Could Add Bike Lanes to Major Streets
City planners say limiting protected bike infrastructure to smaller streets isn’t enough to create a safe, connected bikeway network that reaches all parts of the city.
New York DOT Status Report Shows Slow Progress on Bus, Bike Lanes
According to a report released by the agency, NYCDOT failed to meet its benchmarks for installing new dedicated bus and bike lanes.
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How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
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‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
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The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
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Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research