Application Now Available for 2026 Open Streets

Pedestrians Walk along the Columbus Avenue Open Street in Manhattan. Credit: NYC DOT

Community-Based Organizations, Schools, Businesses, and Other Prospective Partners Are Invited to Join New York City’s Open Streets Program to Reimagine the Use of Streets as Public Spaces.

NYC DOT Supports More Than 200 Open Streets Across the Five Boroughs with Record Participation from Schools

Applications are now open for 2026 Open Streets partners. NYC DOT supports more than 200 Open Streets at locations throughout the city, including a record number at schools, to provide more public space for New Yorkers to promote economic development, support schools, facilitate pedestrian and bike mobility, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community. The Open Streets application is available online and easy to complete.

The agency is also committed to redesigning existing Open Streets that benefit from traffic calming measures and streetscape elements to better prioritize pedestrians and cyclists and create world-class public spaces. This year’s redesigns include:

• 34th Avenue in Queens
• 31st Avenue in Queens
• Broadway in Manhattan
• Woodside Ave in Queens
• 29th Street Plaza in Queens
• Montague Street in Brooklyn
• Murdock Plaza in Queens

The Open Streets program also includes temporary, holiday-specific Open Streets such as Holiday Open Streets on Fifth Ave and the forthcoming Halloween and Harvest-themed Trick-Or-Streets events through October. A full list of Trick-or-Streets events taking place this month, along with a map of car-free streets for Halloween is available at nyc.gov/TrickOrStreets.

Open Streets Application

NYC DOT works with community-based organizations, educational institutions, and business groups to execute Open Streets citywide. The Open Streets program empowers community partners to become stewards of their local streets by developing operational plans to manage the public space for multiple uses, including outdoor dining, cultural programming, and outdoor learning/recreation for schools. NYC DOT works with partners and local stakeholders to ensure loading, deliveries, and emergency access is coordinated as part of the Open Streets’ operations.

The Open Streets application is for organizations that want to manage their own Open Street. Returning Open Streets partners may use previously submitted data based on their application ID for an even more streamlined application process. 

For those interested in learning more about the 2026 Open Streets application, NYC DOT will hold a virtual information session on Thursday November 13, 2026, at 2:00pm. To join the information session, register online.

The 2026 application features important deadlines partners should consider before applying:

• For the first time this year all Open Streets proposed to launch in 2026 as a Limited Local Access or Full Closure, the application deadline is January 31, 2025.

New for 2026, application deadlines for School Open Streets have changed: 

• For schools applying for an Open Street proposed to launch during the summer of 2026, before the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, the application deadline is January 31, 2026.
• For Open Streets proposed to launch at the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year, there is an extended deadline of March 31, 2026.For more information visit nyc.gov/OpenStreets.

Applications should be submitted online through the Open Streets 2026 Application.