DOT expands record number of Open Streets in front of schools with 20 coming to Queens

Last week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the launch of a record number of new Open Streets in front of schools across the five boroughs.

Of the 71 new additions for this upcoming academic year, 18 participating schools are in Queens. Most are public elementary schools, primarily in western Queens neighborhoods, but one Career & Technical Education High School in Jamaica was also selected.

As part of the Full Closure: Schools program, a street or two outside of participating schools will temporarily close to vehicle traffic during recess, drop-off and pick-up operations, and scheduled outdoor learning.

Facilitators say the initiative will improve safety and accommodate smoother arrivals and dismissals for families while also giving children additional outdoor space to socialize, play, and learn outside the classroom.

The growing initiative stems from DOT’s partnership with the nonprofit Street Lab, which works directly with schools to help launch and establish Open Streets. The organization says it provides schools with “deep support” in navigating permits, facilitating pilots, and helping transform streets with furniture and activities.

“We’re seeing something beautiful on these Open Streets next to schools—kids, parents, caregivers, and teachers talking with each other, laughing, running through an obstacle course, even reading a book, all together on the street,” said Leslie Davol, Executive Director of Street Lab, in a statement.

“This is about more than changing streets; it is about giving people the feeling of walking out the school doors into a public space that feels safer, healthier, and more connected.”

Davol, who is also the co-founder of Street Lab, added that the nonprofit has received a “flood of requests” from schools interested in starting an Open Street. But so far, their selection approach prioritizes historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

The open spaces, free of vehicle traffic during designated hours, can be used for socializing and outdoor learning.Photo courtesy of Street Lab

Corona, home to Queens’s largest Latin American immigrant community, received the greatest share of new Open Streets. Four elementary schools, a middle school, and a Pre-K center in the neighborhood are set to participate. And P.S. 14Q Fairview School will uniquely see the closure of both Otis Avenue and Van Doren Street.

The Open Streets program, which also includes permanent street redesigns and weekend transformations, launched at the height of the pandemic and has consistently grown across the city. In the spring of 2024, Open Streets was codified into law to create a regulatory framework.

But this type of Open Streets program designed for schools was once called “playstreets” and has a history spanning roughly 100 years in the city. The DOT says that allowing children to safely play and learn outside under a newer official program expands on this tradition.

”The streets have historically been a place for children to play and socialize—and through our Open Streets program, we have created a new framework to give this space back to our school children to safely learn, develop new skills, and make pick-ups and drop-offs much easier for parents and guardians,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez in a statement last week.

The DOT also announced that they will begin to offer funding to schools for Open Streets management, operations, and programming starting in 2025. Applications will open in October, and further details for schools will be provided.