CIty News | transportation and infrastructure

The Open Streets program could facilitate social distancing near campus. Its success depends on the community.

By Katherine Nessel / Open Streets in Manhattan

As businesses reopen and restrictions begin to loosen, residents and experts alike believe that establishing more Open Streets closer to Columbia’s campus would help promote social distancing, as the neighborhood has a higher percentage of walk-to-work commuters compared to New York City at large.

By Katherine Nessel and Kathy Fang • July 31, 2020 at 5:29 AM

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Photo by Katherine Nessel / Open Streets in Manhattan

Children play in the middle of a shaded residential street, dashing through the shower from a fire hydrant. Their parents follow behind with water guns while everyone enjoys conversation over a birthday cake—having bonded over dance parties, pilates, wine tasting, and a brand-new community fridge over the summer.

Photo by Katherine Nessel / Open Streets in Manhattan

On West 117th Street, which is also designated as an Open Street, all of the barricades lay graffitied and dismembered on the ground, with nobody except drivers on the road.

Photo by Katherine Nessel / Open Streets in Manhattan

According to data collected by Spectator, the efficacy of the Open Streets program is correlated to the presence of community organizations.