It was a very cold December day in 2003 - I recall being sick and the wind chill near zero - when I was able to go up on The High Line after a moderate snow storm and shoot some video. And until the recent whoosh of publicity over the grand opening of Phase [...]
Archive for the ‘Car-free Parks/Streets’ Category
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“Snowy High Line” (2003)
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Tour De Brooklyn 2009
Transportation Alternatives' 5th Annual Tour de Brooklyn was held yesterday. The 23-mile ride started and finished in Coney Island. Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz was there to see the ride off. As he spoke, Transportation Alternatives Executive Director, Paul Steely White pedaled to power the microphone. Check out this years video to see footage of [...]
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Piazza Saint Francis: A Proposed Urban Park in San Francisco
One of San Francisco's cherished literary icons -- poet, painter and City Lights publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti -- is celebrating his 90th birthday today, and we thought it would be fitting to bring you his vision for transforming a small block of Vallejo Street in the city's historic North Beach into what would be called the [...]
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L.A.’s East Hollywood ArtCycle & Block Party
The bike scene in Los Angeles is alive and well - and growing every day.
Streetfilms rode along with one of two ArtCycle tours of local studio spaces sponsored by the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council. Afterwards, we joined a block party in progress, arriving just in time to hear solid words of encouragement and promises [...] -
P.S. 87 Kindergartners draw car-free streets
Got a minute to spare?
Livable Streets Education has been working in New York City schools, encouraging students to explore and question the environments around their school and in their neighborhoods, and to voice the changes they want to see on their streets. We recently asked Kindergartners at P.S. 87 what they would do if there [...] -
Sunday Parkways Chicago
Streetfilms contributor Nicholas Whitaker went to Chicago to see how thousands of Chicago residents learned what happens when streets turn into parks for Sunday Parkways on Oct 5th and 26th.
By closing down over three miles of parkways to cars for four hours, the event allowed people of all ages and walks of life to step [...] -
Mobilized Moms for a Car-Free Central Park
A group of concerned Moms rally to get the word out, “No More Cars in Central Park!”
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The Prospect Park Youth Advocates
Four young Brooklynites launch an impressive summer-long campaign for a Car-Free Prospect Park.
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Ciclovía (en español)
¿Cómo se puede hacer que miles y miles de personas en una ciudad participen en actividad física a la misma vez?
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San Francisco Does Sunday Streets
For two glorious Sundays, San Francisco closed streets along a stretch of its waterfront to cars – and opened them to humanity. A second "Sunday Streets San Francisco" event on September 14th reprised an August 31st street party, both of which saw thousands of people come out to run, skate, cycle, dance, or stroll their [...]
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Simultaneous Car-free Celebrations in Milwaukee
Streetfilms contributor Nicholas Whitaker had the pleasure of visiting Milwaukee, Wisconsin last month and captured some classic livable streets action while there. Two events barely two miles apart from one another created a fun filled afternoon of car free celebration.
First, the Brady Street Festival, which has roots going back to the 1970s, was recently revived. [...] -
Summer Streets 2008 (NYC)
Feeling remarkably similar to Bogota's Ciclovia, the New York City Department of Transportation held its first Summer Streets event on Saturday by opening 7 miles of city streets to pedestrians and bike traffic only. From 7 AM to 1 PM, roads were car-free from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge along Park Avenue. It was splendiferous.
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Summer Streets PSA
Here's the official 30 second PSA promo that Streetfilms edited to help promote Summer Streets! The event is very similar to other great worldwide street happenings we have brought you - from Ciclovia in Bogotá, Colombia to Sunday Parkways in Portland, Oregon.
In NYC on three consecutive Saturdays - August 9th, 16th, and 23rd - a [...] -
Queens Play Street
Watch what happens when one neighborhood in Queens closes its street to cars.
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Williamsburg Walks!
If you regularly visit Williamsburg's Bedford Avenue you know that the area is an eclectic mix of shops, people, and synergy. But the sidewalks are often jammed with people. Bikes are clamped to anything that won't move. Consequently, it can be uncomfortable to navigate its density.
This past Saturday (and three more upcoming thru August [...] -
Bastille Day: Games, Sand & Car-free fun in Brooklyn
One of the most exciting days of the year in Brooklyn is when Bar Tabac trucks in mounds of sand to hold its annual Pétanque Tournament. Now in its seventh year, over 80 teams flew in from all over the world to compete (the game is very similar to bocce) and the streets are [...]
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Block Party Summer
It is 4th of July weekend. Can't think of anything fun to do? Might a Block Party fancy you? There are over 3000 block parties in New York every year. There is bound to be one in or near your neighborhood. Check the Block Party NYC list of locations. Or, if you know about a party that is not listed, just add it yourself. Here is a taste of the 87th Street Block Party in June.
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Portland’s Sunday Parkways
Despite a very dreary and damp first half of the day, Portland's first Ciclovia-style street closure, Sunday Parkways, was a smashing success with countless thousands of city residents participating. It was like a giant community block party with walkers, bikers, joggers, bladers, families, and pets filling the 6 mile course.
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Car-Free Vancouver Day
The Towards Car-free Cities Conference is wrapping up here in Portland but car-free events go on. On Sunday June 15th, Vancouver hosted a Car-Free Day featuring four simultaneous Community Festivals. Frank Lopez brings you this recap. Check out your local car-free events this weekend. There are two block parties in NYC and Portland is launching [...]
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Mayor Bloomberg & Friends Announce “Summer Streets”
A large heaping of news media and livable streets advocates converged at Astor Place for the Mayor's presser to make the official announcement of "Summer Streets." Essentially the plan opens Park Avenue to pedestrians and cyclists from 72nd thru to the Brooklyn Bridge (using other connectors) on August 9th, 16th, and 23rd from 7 [...]
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Ciclovia (Express Version)
Since many cities around the world are now flirting with the idea of doing their own Ciclovia-style street closures, we have been asked by a few individuals and advocates for a shorter version of our Ciclovia film, which is helping push the debate from idea to reality in some places. And so we have [...]
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Bike Share on Governors Island
Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), Transportation Alternatives and Bike and Roll have joined forces to create what they are calling New York City's first sustained bike share program. Every Friday between June 6th and October 4th, Governors Island visitors can rent adult and children's bikes at no charge. -
Car-free Prospect Park Street Theater! (from 2002)
Back in 2002 there was a huge push on for a three month trial ban on cars in Prospect Park, Brooklyn (I mean really are we still fighting for this?! Come on Mayor Bloomberg it's time to do a trial!) In any event, Aaron Naparstek (with future wife Joanne) organized a fun Halloween street theater event where we all dressed up as cars and raised some eyebrows Saturday morning at the Grand Army Plaza Green Market.
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Tour de Brooklyn 2008
Always a diverse funfest of people, the 4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn from Transportation Alternatives was no different this year with over 2,000 joining the cycling fun. This year's event was moved a week early to coincide with the anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge's 125th birthday and launched from DUMBO. Among the highlights [...]
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Baltimore gets a Ciclovia!
Greg Cantori, Executive Director of the Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation, has been trying to get Baltimore to put in place a Ciclovia for over two years. With the help of other organizations - and now called Sunday Streets - this October it will (read his entry on the Audacious Ideas blog.) This is great news and one of many U.S. cities where there is a movement to bring some sort of periodic street closures so residents can enjoy their streets; not just used as thoroughfares for cars.
And we remind you, please, if you are out there advocating the same, Streetfilms can help you do it! Our films are being used throughout the world to demonstrate how livable streets initiatives work. Quoting Mr. Cantori's e-mail to us:
....your film played a key role as we showed it to the city hall staff as part of our presentation. It was a hit! You can be very proud of the great work you are doing in creating changes in attitudes and behaviors. If a picture is worth a thousand words then imagine what thousands of pictures in a film can do.
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Taking a Bite out of Traffic in Istanbul, Turkey
What can we learn from a city with a population of 12 million plus people, 2.4 million cars and at least 100,000 new vehicles each year? We talk with Urban Planner, Kevser Üstündag.
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The Street Life of Havana
Ethan Kent from PPS takes us on a pictorial journey of his trip to the streets of Cuba.
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Block Party NYC!
Get to know your neighbors. See how differently your block can look. Apply for your 2008 block party grant today!
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Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia
In Part 1 of our Bogotá trilogy watch as every Sunday & holiday, every week, the City of Bogotá, Colombia closes down over 70 miles of roadways to cars and let people bike, walk, talk, exercise, picnic, sunbathe, I could go on and on. Just watch the video, it's amazing.
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Paint a Parking Lot, Put Up a Paradise
In the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge, a triangle that once was home to two dozen car parking spots now is a green pedestrian plaza. If that ain't cool, we don't know what is.
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Count Cars Breaking the Law in Prospect Park!
When Doug Gordon visits Prospect Park he always sees vehicles entering illegally after it is closed to cars at 7 pm. It made him mad, so he got out his video camera.
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Go To Governors Island!
Governors Island is a car-free, New York City paradise and now it's open to residents weekends from June thru Sept 2nd.
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Gridlock Sam: Car-free Central Park
Sam Schwartz, former NYC Commissioner of Traffic, explains how closing Central Park to cars will not result in traffic chaos.
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Public Space Transformations
These photo simulations from the Project for Public Spaces show how we can transform some of our misused intersections into amazing spaces full of life, commerce, and vitality.
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Fulton Street
Jeff Prant collects signatures on his petition to maintain Fulton Street's car-free hours.
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Car-free Central Park Rally
A Transportation Alternatives rally on the steps of City Hall demonstrates residents' support for a car-free Central Park.
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Car-free Sunday on the Grand Concourse
In the early 1990s, three and a half miles of The Grand Concourse, a major arterial roadway in the Bronx, was closed to cars every Sunday from July thru November. The closures provided residents with much-needed open space to safely bike, walk, play and develop a sense of community with neighbors. Despite its popularity, New [...]
