The cities that are making their pandemic-era car-free experiments permanent.

While some cities are reverting their ‘open streets’ to car-oriented spaces, others are keeping the car-free spaces created during the pandemic. An article by Linda Poon, Feargus O'Sullivan, and Amy Yee in Bloomberg CityLab highlights the places where street transformations are becoming part of the permanent fabric of the city.
The list includes San Francisco’s John F. Kennedy Drive, a mile of which winds through Golden Gate Park. After the city banned cars on this stretch in 2020, local groups mounted an intense opposition campaign. “It has since turned into a full-out pedestrian promenade, with vibrant street murals and eye-popping art installations, including a trio of seven-foot-tall dachshund head sculptures from the city’s defunct fast-food icon Doggie Diner, planted right in the middle of the street.” Ultimately, the city decided to keep the road car-free.
Another success story is 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, which became a vibrant pedestrian hub as part of the city’s Open Streets initiative. While there is some local opposition, the street has so far remained car-free.
The article also describes projects in Stockholm, Paris, Milan, Bogotá, and Quito, where a 1-mile segment of Viracocha Street was made safer for pedestrians and cyclists with extended sidewalks, new crosswalks, narrowed traffic lanes, and a street mural.
FULL STORY: The Cities Keeping Their Car-Free Spaces

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

Test News Post 1
This is a summary

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service