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.

2 minute read

September 15, 2024, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Pedestrian plaza construction site with orange cones and excavator in Jersey City, New Jersey.

A pedestrian plaza under construction in Jersey City, New Jersey. | Jersey City Department of Infrastructure / Triangle Park

The decision to consolidate the management of streets, transit, parks, municipal buildings, and other public facilities into one Department of Infrastructure in Jersey City, New Jersey has made a significant impact on the city’s public realm, writes Robert Steuteville in Public Square.

The consolidation has helped the city understand its transportation and mobility needs and resources from a broader perspective. “The department and policies leading up to its creation were pivotal in implementing nearly 25 miles of protected bike lanes, carving pedestrian plazas from excess asphalt, planting more than 1,000 trees, building new parks, renovating public spaces, and creating parklets for outdoor dining.” 

The rapid changes are also due to the city’s embrace of tactical urbanism strategies — quick-build, low-cost interventions usually implemented by local activists that skirt traditional bureaucratic processes. In the case of Jersey City, the city itself adopted the concept to deploy nimble, low-cost projects that have led to permanent changes. “Leftover tennis court paint and planters were used to build a pedestrian plaza through the heart of the downtown dating from the 17th Century. Road diets were implemented along major streets to establish the protected bike lane network using paint and vertical separation. The nimble fleet of micro-transit vans was employed to fill gaps in transit access.” In 2022, the city eliminated traffic deaths for a full year on city-managed roads thanks in large part to quick-build road safety interventions.

For Steuteville, Jersey City is a prime example of what can happen when a city takes a holistic view of infrastructure and rejects bureaucracy in favor of immediate — and sometimes life-saving — improvements to the public realm.

Monday, September 9, 2024 in CNU Public Square

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

April 28 - Mass Transit

South LA Wetlands Park in Los Angeles, California.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope

Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

April 28 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Intersection in downtown Sacramento, California with neoclassical building with columns on left.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects

The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.

April 28 - The Sacramento Bee