NoMad Piazza

NoMad Piazza is a pedestrian venue located in New York City on Broadway between 25th and 31st. The area, within Manhattan's NoMad neighborhood, was cordoned off to traffic as part of the NYC Open Streets program, which is run by the NYC DOT, in an effort to allow restaurants to expand outdoor dining as was required for social distancing measures put in place by the city in 2020.[1][2] Parts of the road closure have since become permanent and local businesses have made their move into the streets a salient feature of the area. The St. James and Townsend Buildings reside in the southern block and 31st street serves as the north boundary.[1]

NoMad Piazza
NoMad PIazza Aerial Shot, August 2021, Manhattan, NYC
TypeOpen Streets Pedestrian Venue
LocationNew York City, New York
Coordinates40°44′42″N 73°59′27″W
Created2020 (2020)
Operated byNew York City Department of Transportation

Open Streets and New Urbanism

The Open Streets on Broadway program, of which the Piazza is a part, is managed by the Flatiron/NoMad Partnership and supported by the NoMad Alliance.[3] Open streets initiatives existed prior to the pandemic and are cited as an example of New Urbanism's, or sometimes Tactical Urbanism, re-purposing existing areas in metropolitan areas; however, with the need for social distancing, and for businesses to find a way to remain open, areas such as the NoMad Piazza increased substantially in the last three years in a number of cities all over the world.[4]

Controversy

There are critics of the design, however. For example, in June 2022, the "Broadway Vision" project, part of the Bloomberg administration's goal of creating "pedestrian friendly" zones in the city, was called into question after a taxi jumped a curb and hit a cyclist at 29th and Broadway.[5] [6]The crash prompted Mayor Adams to comment: “Traffic violence is preventable, and I will do everything in my power to prevent another crash when we already have the tools in our toolbox to prevent it.”[7]

References
  1. Glusac, Elaine (2020-10-29). "How to Staycation in 6 American Cities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  2. "NYC DOT - Open Streets". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  3. "The NoMad Piazza | Broadway Ave between 25th St & 31st St". Experience NoMad. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  4. O'Sullivan, Feargus (June 29, 2020). "What Happens to Public Space When Everything Moves Outside". Bloomberg News.
  5. "Our Statement on the Collision at 29th & Broadway". Flatiron NoMad. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  6. "Horrifying Crash Renews Business Groups' Calls for a Pedestrian-Safe Broadway". Streetsblog New York City. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  7. "Mayor Adams Unveils Street Safety Proposal". The official website of the City of New York. June 23, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.

Community groups and organizations

News and blogs

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