Outdoor Dining

NYC Outdoor Dining Won’t Include Booze — For Now
Hundreds of restaurants will be unable to serve alcohol in their outdoor dining areas this summer due to a delay in permitting.

NYC Approves Only 40 of Over 1,300 of Outdoor Dining Applications
Restaurant owners say they’ve been in limbo for months as city departments point fingers at each other for delays in permit approvals.

NYC Losing Many Outdoor Dining Areas Due to Expensive New Regulations
Restaurant owners say the city’s new outdoor dining program makes it too difficult and expensive to operate al fresco setups.

Creative Ways to Activate Roofless Buildings and Vacant Lots
Pocket parks aren’t the only way to repurpose underused urban spaces.

How Park(ing) Day Leads to Permanent Change
Small-scale interventions can lead the way to major parking reforms.

NYC Releases Pre-Approved Outdoor Dining Designs
Four designs cater to various street conditions and locations.

Minneapolis Opens 2024 Parklet Season
The program supports nonprofits and other groups who want to build parklets and outdoor dining spaces on public right-of-way.

NYC Releases Outdoor Dining Designs
New guidelines for the city’s ‘streeteries’ are set to go into effect next April.

Santa Barbara Renews Parklet Program
The city updated its pandemic-era on-street dining program with new regulations that limit the locations and design of parklets.

California Regulators Require Parking Replacement for Outdoor Dining Spaces
The city of San Diego’s Spaces as Places outdoor dining program includes a critical parking requirement mandated by the California Coastal Commission.

New York City Legalizes Outdoor Dining
Some restaurant owners worry the new requirements will make it too expensive to maintain outdoor dining structures.

How Food Trucks Promote Walkable Cities
Food trucks, outdoor dining spaces, and parklets are moving the needle toward more people-friendly cities and less car-oriented streets.

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.

Opinion: Toronto is Stifling its Outdoor Dining Program
New regulations and fees for outdoor dining patios, extended from a pandemic-era program, are making the process overly complicated and expensive for business owners.

Chicago Mayor Proposes Permanent Outdoor Dining Program
The mayor’s proposal would create permanent rules for restaurants wanting to continue using their Covid-era outdoor dining setups or build new ones.

NYC Announces $30M for Open Streets Projects
The funding is designed to support open streets and public space projects in underresourced neighborhoods.

Baltimore Sets Guidelines for Permanent Parklet Program
With pandemic-era parklet regulations set to expire on June 30, the city is launching a new, permanent set of guidelines for outdoor dining and other uses of curbside space.

Part of Houston’s Main Street to Be Permanently Pedestrianized
A seven-block stretch downtown will remain closed to cars after the success of a pandemic-era outdoor dining program.

The Slow Retreat of Pandemic-Era Outdoor Dining Programs Continues
It’s been almost three years since the political dynamics of outdoor dining in the United States shifted, suddenly and overwhelmingly. Increasingly, the status quo is being restored.

New York Hires ‘Public Space Czar’
The public space officer will be in charge of making the city’s sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly while keeping streets clean and accessible.
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