New York City's Open Streets program, initiated in 2020 to transform streets into public spaces, partly to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped support the recovery of more than 67,000 retail and restaurant jobs between the first and most recent year of operation, though the gains were concentrated in areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"The Open Streets program provided an outlet for residents, businesses, and community partners to congregate safely during the pandemic, and continues to encourage foot traffic to support shopping, dining and other activities in many parts of the city," DiNapoli said. "Still, there are further steps the city could take to help improve the program's reach and effectiveness."

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) created Open Streets as a temporary program based on its Weekend Walk program, which supported multi-block, multi-day events on commercial corridors to promote the use of streets as public spaces for socially distanced recreation, dining, and other activities. The Open Streets program was made permanent in May 2021.

Between 2020 and 2024, a total of 510 unique Open Street locations were in operation across the city, with 2021 marking the most popular year. Manhattan had the greatest share of locations, with 34.9% in 2020 and rising to 44.1% in 2023 as the number of locations dropped in each of the outer boroughs.

From 2020 to 2024, just 62 locations (12.2%) operated every year and were concentrated in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The largest share (37.5%) operated only two years, followed by one year (22.9%). Manhattan's Financial District and Greenwich Village boasted the greatest number of Open Street locations citywide with 40, followed by 30 in Brooklyn's Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene neighborhoods, and Manhattan's Midtown, East Midtown and Flatiron neighborhoods with 28.

DOT places Open Street locations into three broad categories: full closure - schools, full closure, and limited local access - each of which has different reasons for operating. DiNapoli's report found that over 74% of non-school Open Street locations operating for more than one year added retail and restaurant jobs between their first and most recent year of operation. These locations created over 67,200 jobs, with nearly 46% created in the 62 locations that were present for all five years between 2020 and 2024.

Of the total retail and restaurant jobs created during the analysis period, nearly 79% (53,023) were in Manhattan, followed by 18.7% (12,578) in Brooklyn. About 27.4% of non-school Open Street locations citywide that added jobs saw an increase over their pre-pandemic level. Citywide, combined retail and restaurant jobs have not fully recovered pandemic-era job losses.

While fewer Open Street locations have opened in recent years, 2024 saw a boost in interest. This may have coincided with the creation of DOT's Public Space Equity Program, which provides community partners (which operate Open Street locations) in low-income neighborhoods with operational and financial support to maintain high-quality public spaces. However, the expenses of event sponsors managing locations across the city exceeded what was reimbursed by DOT.

DiNapoli's office interviewed seven Open Street sponsors who identified road closure barricades and improper signage to be of concern. They also cited the need for staff to manage the barriers throughout the day, including in cases of emergency, and the need for better signage as pedestrians sometimes struggled with finding locations on their own.

In addition to these challenges, some Open Street locations suffer from community opposition. According to DiNapoli's analysis of 311 data, the top complaint across Open Street locations in 2024 was illegal parking, which was also the top complaint citywide. Complaints about outdoor dining, missing street signs and urinating in public also stood out in Open Streets compared to areas without Open Streets.

To boost the effectiveness of the Open Streets program, DiNapoli recommends the city:

• Provide enhanced operational support for sponsors through more timely reimbursements;
• Address community concerns about parking, signage, and accessibility to sustain public support; and maintain a comprehensive database of Open Street locations to better monitor outcomes and identify areas where additional assistance is needed; and
• Direct resources toward corridors where community support exists, which have not yet regained pre-pandemic retail and restaurant employment and lag behind the rate of recovery in the rest of the borough - especially in Queens and Staten Island - to help ensure the program contributes more evenly to the city's overall employment recovery especially in the retail sector, which remains well behind pre-pandemic levels.

Report
Measuring Employment Outcomes of Open Streets in New York City

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