New York City: Dancing In The (Summer) Streets
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Arts & Culture |
For three consecutive Saturdays this summer (August 9th, 16th, and 23rd), New York City is closing down one of its most iconic thoroughfares to automobiles and opening it up wholeheartedly to its citizens. Cyclists, skaters, joggers, pedestrians, and playing children are joyously taking over Park Avenue from 72nd Street all the way downtown, as part of an innovative initiative called Summer Streets.
The initiative is a joint effort between Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department Of Transportation. When the Summer Streets program was announced, NYC’s Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan discussed how it could be New York’s contribution to an international movement of transforming urban spaces: “In Bogotá, they call it Ciclovia, or bikeway. In Paris, it’s the Plage, or beach. Here in New York, Summer Streets will literally turn the streets of our city into a pedestrian park. The streets themselves are among the most valuable public space that the City has to offer, and finding the room within our existing street space for those on two feet or two wheels is a true application of our goals for a sustainable future under the Mayor’s PlaNYC initiatives and the DOT’s strategic plan.”
This past Saturday, New Yorkers had their very first opportunity to experience dance classes, picnics, and an unbelievable vantage point of the gorgeous architecture on Park Avenue, rather than the honking traffic and frantic intensity this street is commonly marked by. Breakdancing and symphony conducting workshops, bike rental kiosks, and impromptu painting sessions garnished the seven miles of New York City’s newest car-free zone. The Summer Streets program has garnered the strong support of cyclist Lance Armstrong as well as Hip Hop megastar and Brooklyn native Jay-Z, not to mention thousands of overjoyed New Yorkers. Check out the video below of NYC’s first annual Summer Streets and see why car-free and carefree are virtually synonymous.
Interested in starting a car-free zone in your town? Take action!
- Organize an International Carfree Day on September 22nd in your town… there is a excellent how-to guide by Canada’s Sierra Club to get you started
- Learn more about the wide scope of car-free events already happening in the US and around the world
- Visiting New York this August? Make it down to Park Avenue on Saturday and experience the fun of Summer Streets while it lasts!
Posted on August 18, 2008 |
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When I was growing up in Philly I used to always dream up the city in my mind with all of the streets turned over with forests growing in their place….thanks for the memories JB!
Wow, this is so cool! What a terrific way to celebrate NYC’s cool architecture on Park Avenue without the scare of being run over.