Car-Free Streets

NYC Officials Announce Broadway Pedestrianization Project
Two blocks of the marquee street will become mostly car-free public spaces.

Houston to Make a Car-Free Downtown Corridor Permanent
A seven-block stretch of Main Street will be permanently blocked off to traffic and enhanced to create a vibrant, pedestrian friendly zone.

Denver Plans to Make Some Open Streets Permanent
The city is moving to institutionalize segments of streets that were successfully pedestrianized during the pandemic.

The Walkable Urbanism of Big Box Stores
For residents of many U.S. small towns and exurbs, the local Walmart offers a surprising benefit missing elsewhere in their communities: walkability.

L.A. Approves ‘Park Block’ Program
Inspired by Barcelona’s superblocks, the program aims to limit car traffic in small areas to improve safety and create new park spaces.

A Car-Free Summer on Toronto’s Market Street
The I Heart Market Street program will allow pedestrians a car-free space adjacent to Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market.

Downtown Indy to Gain New Car-Free Spaces
A summer program will turn Monument Circle into a public park and event space, and plans are in development to make a segment of Georgia Street safer and more walkable.

Reclaiming Our Space: The Battle for Open Streets
The growth of pedestrianized spaces and car-free streets depends on a transformational shift in thinking about what—and who—public spaces and streets are for.

Where Open Streets Are Succeeding
The cities that are making their pandemic-era car-free experiments permanent.

Where Car-Free Streets Won Out
While some open streets experiments have met with backlash from community members, others were so successful they led to permanent changes.

Road in D.C.’s Rock Creek Park to Stay Car-Free
The National Park Service has decided to make permanent a road closure that went into effect in April 2020.

San Francisco Returns $15 Million Federal Grant for Market Street Improvements
San Francisco was awarded a federal grant in 2018 that it was forced to return in 2022 because it couldn't start construction by 2025.

Opinion: Make Halloween Car-Free
Forget razor blades in apples. Henry Grabar argues the biggest threat on Halloween is much more mundane.

‘Togetherness’ as a Synonym for ‘Transportation’
Transportation is a fundamental aspect of community cohesion, and should be considered a synonym for togetherness.

NFL Draft Inspires Proposal to Block Cars From the Las Vegas Strip
The NFL draft shut down the Las Vegas Strip to car traffic. Some people liked the change so much that a new law proposes to permanently block cars from the street. Yes, you read that correctly.

Berkeley's Famed Telegraph Avenue Could Go Car Free
Among the options on the table for the Southside Complete Streets Project is a configuration that would turn Telegraph Avenue near the campus of UC Berkeley into a pedestrian, bike, and transit-only plaza.

Miami Beach to Reopen Ocean Drive to Cars
The famous cruising strip was off-limits to cars during the pandemic. Now, the city is letting vehicles return with some pedestrian-oriented compromises.

More Evidence That Open Streets Improve Safety
An analysis of New York's 34th Avenue shows substantial reductions in crashes and injuries, strengthening the body of evidence supporting car-free streets.

Seattle Times Editorial Board: Time for Pike Place Market to Go Car-Free
It's been more than a century since the Seattle City Council decided to remove farmstands to make space for cars at the Pike Place Market. Public and political opinion is starting to see that decision as a mistake that can be reversed.

Pedestrian Malls in the 21st Century
The successes and failures of past pedestrian malls can inform the future of pandemic-induced "open streets" programs.
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HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research