NYC DOT - NYC Plaza Program

Pedestrian plazas are reclaimed streets transformed into vibrant, social public spaces for all to enjoy. Plazas enhance safety, walkability, and access to public transit while supporting community, commerce, and culture.

NYC DOT partners with community organizations to create plazas and prioritizes neighborhoods that lack open space, amongst other criteria. Plaza partners operate and manage these spaces and are eligible for support through the Public Space Equity Program.

Plazas may include amenities such as chairs, tables, umbrellas, greenery, public art, lighting, and may also offer public programming, markets, and other events for community members to enjoy throughout the year.

Corona Plaza, Queens

On This Page

Activating & Maintaining Our Plazas

Plaza Locations

Applying to Create a Plaza

Eligibility

Support

Application Review & Evaluation

Building New Plazas

Plaza Rules

Activating & Maintaining Plazas

Public Space Equity Program

This program addresses the needs of public spaces in under-resourced neighborhoods where community-based partner organizations need support to maintain the plaza.

Through this program, NYC DOT provides operational and maintenance services, horticultural care, financial subsidies, programming, and technical assistance tools to eligible public space partner organizations citywide.

Learn about the Public Space Equity Program (PSEP)

Public Realm Programming

Our Public Realm Programming initiative showcases a variety of enriching activities available to help activate public spaces across the city.

This program connects NYC DOT public spaces with local organizations to positively engage communities. All activities are free and open to New Yorkers of all ages and abilities.

Learn about Public Realm Programming opportunities

Short-Term Concession Permits

These permits provide an opportunity for a concessionaire to conduct a revenue generating activity in a plaza for up to 29 days once a year.

Concessionaires are required to provide maintenance services during their hours of operation in lieu of a fee.

Learn about Short-Term Concession Permits

Temporary Public Art

NYC DOT Art oversees the installation of temporary public artworks on NYC DOT property in partnership with a diverse body of professional artists, arts and community-based organizations, nonprofits, galleries, and business improvement districts. Temporary art such as murals or sculptures may be permitted for up to 11 months.

Learn how to bring temporary public art to plazas

Plaza Locations

NYC DOT has plazas in all five boroughs and sites are open to the public every day for all to enjoy.

Click a plaza name below to open a PDF map of the plaza area.

Community events and programming may be held in plazas by applying for a permit through NYC’s Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO). The PDF maps may be used for SAPO permitting purposes.

Learn how to apply for a permit for Plaza Events
List of NYC DOT pedestrian plazas (pdf)

Bronx Plazas

Plaza Name

On Street

From

To

Partner

Bryan Park Plaza
East Fordham Road
East Kingsbridge Road

NYC Parks

Fordham Plaza
Park Avenue
East 189 Street
3 Avenue
NYC DOT

James Baldwin Plaza
Goulden Avenue
Mosholu Parkway

James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center

Lou Gehrig Plaza
East 161 Street
Walton Avenue
Grand Concourse
161st Street Business Improvement District

Morrison Avenue Plaza
Morrison Avenue
Harrod Place
Westchester Avenue
Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice

Roberto Clemente Plaza
3 Avenue
East 148 Street
Willis Avenue
Third Avenue Business Improvement District

Westchester Square Plaza
East Tremont Avenue
Westchester Avenue
East Tremont Avenue
NYC DOT

Brooklyn Plazas

Plaza Name

On Street

From

To

Partner

Albee Square Plaza
Dekalb Avenue
Bond Street
Fulton Mall
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Avenue C Plaza
McDonald Avenue
Avenue C
Church Avenue
Naturally Occuring Cultural Districts

Banker's Anchor
North 15 Street
Nassau Avenue
Banker Street
North Brooklyn Parks Alliance

Brooklyn Plaza
Jay Street
High Street
Manhattan Bridge
NYC DOT

Duane Joseph Plaza
Parkside Avenue
Ocean Avenue

Flatbush Avenue Parkside/Empire Merchants Association

Fowler Square Plaza
Lafayette Avenue
South Eliot Place
Fulton Street
Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance Business Improvement District

Fox Square Plaza
Fulton Street
Flatbush Avenue Extension
Hudson Street
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Frost Street Plaza
Frost Street
Meeker Avenue

NYC DOT

Gates Avenue Plaza
Gates Avenue
Fulton Street
Vanderbilt Avenue
Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance Business Improvement District

George B. Post Plaza
Bedford Avenue
Broadway
South 6 Street
Aesthetic Urban Works

Hillel Plaza
Hillel Place
Flatbush Avenue
Kennilworth Place
Flatbush Nostrand Junction Business Improvement District

Humboldt Plaza
Humboldt Street
Moore Street
Varet Street
NYC EDC

Jitu Weusi Plaza
Putnam Avenue
Grand Avenue
Fulton Street
Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance Business Improvement District

Kensington Plaza
Beverley Road
Church Avenue
East 2nd Street
Kensington Stewards

Knickerbocker Plaza
Myrtle Avenue
Knickerbocker Avenue
Greene Avenue
NYC DOT

Liberty Avenue Plaza
101 Avenue
Forbell Street
Drew Street
NYC DOT

Marcy Avenue Plaza
Marcy Avenue
MacDonough Street
Fulton Street
Bed Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District

Myrtle Avenue Plaza
Myrtle Avenue
Grand Avenue
Emerson Place
Myrtle Avenue Bkln Partnership (MARP)

New Lots Plaza
Ashford Street
Livonia Avenue
New Lots Avenue
NYC DOT

North 10th & Union Avenue Plaza
Frost Street
North 10 Sreet
Union Avenue
North Brooklyn Parks Alliance

North 5th Plaza
North 5 Street
Havemeyer Street
Metropolitan Avenue
NYC DOT

Old Fulton Plaza
Old Fulton Street
Water Street
Front Street
DUMBO Business Improvement District

Osborn Street Plaza
Osborn Street
Belmont Avenue

Brownsville Community Justice Center

Pearl Street Plaza
Pearl Street
Water Street
Anchorage Place
DUMBO Business Improvement District

Underhill Plaza
Underhill Avenue
Atlantic Avenue
Pacific Street
Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council

Willoughby Plaza
Willoughby Street
Adams Street
Pearl Street
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Zion Triangle Plaza
Pitkin Avenue
Legion Street
East New York Avenue
NYC Parks/Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District

Manhattan Plazas

Plaza Name

On Street

From

To

Partner

125th Street Plaza
Park Avenue
124 Street
125 Street
Uptown Grand Central

185th Street Plaza
185 Street
Audubon Avenue
Amsterdam Avenue
Yeshiva University

25th Street Plaza
25 Street
3 Avenue
Lexington Avenue
Baruch College

33rd Street Plaza
West 33 Street
7 Avenue
8 Avenue
Vornado/34th Street Partnership

Astor Place Plaza
Astor Place
4 Avenue
Cooper Square
Village Alliance

Bogardus Plaza
Hudson Street
Chambers Street
Reade Street
Friends of Bogardus Plaza

Coenties Slip Plaza
Coenties Slip
Water Streeet
Pearl Street
Alliance for Downtown New York

Columbus Circle Plaza
Broadway
57 Street
59th Street
NYC Parks/Central Park Conservancy

Cooper Square Plaza
Bowery
Cooper Square

Grace Church School

Delancey Plaza
Delancey Street
Norfolk Street
Clinton Street
Lower East Side Business Improvement District

Division Street Plaza
Division Street
Canal Street
Ludlow Street
Lower East Side Business Improvement District

Doyers Street Plaza
Doyers Street
Pell Street
Bowery
Chinatown Partnership

Flatiron Plaza
Broadway
21 Street
29 Street
Flatiron NoMad Partnership

Forsyth Plaza
Forsyth Street
Canal Street
Division Street
Asian Americans for Equality

Garment District Plaza
Broadway
36 Street
41 Street
Garment District Alliance

Gansevoort Plaza
9 Avenue
Gansevoort Street
West 15 Street
Meatpacking Improvement District

Haven Plaza
Haven Avenue
Fort Washington Avenue
169 Street
Columbia University Medical Center

Herald & Greeley Square Plaza
Broadway
33 Street
35 Street
34th Street Partnership

James Cagney Plaza
East 91 Street
2 Avenue
3 Avenue
Friends of James Cagney Plaza

Johnny Hartman Plaza
Hamilton Place
143 Street
Amsterdam Avenue
The Brotherhood Sister Sol

Louise Nevelson Plaza
William Street
Liberty Street
Maiden Lane
Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Montefiore Plaza
Hamilton Place
Broadway
138 Street
NYC Parks

Municipal Plaza
Centre Street
Worth Street

NYC DOT

Pershing Square Plaza
Park Avenue
East 41 Street
East 42 Street
Grand Central Partnership (GCP)

Plaza de Las Americas
175 Street
Broadway
Wadsworth Avenue
Community League of the Heights, Inc. (CLOTH)

Post Avenue Plaza
Post Avenue
207 Street
10 Avenue
Inwood Merchants Association

Quisqueya Plaza
Dyckman Street
Broadway
Seaman Avenue
Dyckman Gardens

Ruth Wittenberg Plaza
6 Avenue
Greenwich Avenue
Christopher Street
Village Alliance BID

Times Square Plaza
Broadway
41 Street
53 Street
Times Square Alliance

Union Square Plaza

Broadway

Broadway

East 17 Street

Union Square West

Union Square West

East 14 Street

University Place

East 18 Street

East 17 Street

Broadway

East 16 Street

East 14 Street

University Place

East 13 Street

East 19 Street

East 18 Street

Park Avenue South

East 17 Street

East 15 Street

Broadway

East 14 Street

NYC Parks/Union Square Partnership

Vanderbilt Plaza
Vanderbilt Avenue
42 Street
43 Street
SL Green

Worth Square Plaza
Broadway
23 Street
25 Street
NYC Parks/Madison Square Park Conservancy

Queens Plazas

Plaza Name

On Street

From

To

Partner

12th Street Plaza
12 Street
43 Road
44 Avenue
VOREA Group

34th Avenue Plaza

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

34 Avenue

69 Street

73 Street

77 Street

78 Street

79 Street

82 Street

83 Street

89 Street

93 Street

70 Street

74 Street

78 Street

79 Street

80 Street

83 Street

84 Street

90 Street

94 Street

34th Avenue Open Street Coalition

46th Avenue Plaza
46 Avenue
Jackson Avenue

MoMA PS1

78th Street Plaza
78 Street
34 Avenue
Northern Boulevard
NYC Parks

Beach 20th Street Plaza
Beach 20 Street
Beach 21 Street
Mott Avenue
Rockaway Development and Revitalization Corp

Beach 21st Street Plaza
Beach 21 Street
Mott Avenue

Rockaway East Merchants Association

Bliss Plaza
Queens Boulevard
46 Street

Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District

Corona Plaza
Roosevelt Avenue
National Street
104 Street
NYC DOT

Diversity Plaza
37 Road
73 Street
74 Street
NYC DOT

Douglaston Station Plaza
235 Street
41 Avenue

Douglaston Local Development Corporation

Herman Hochberg Plaza
71 Avenue
Stephen Street
Myrtle Avenue
Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District

Lippman Plaza
Roosevelt Avenue
39 Avenue
Flushing Business Improvement District

Lowery Plaza
Queens Boulevard
40 Street

Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District

Murdock Plaza
Murdock Avenue
180 Street
Dead End
Addisleigh Park Civic Association

Myrtle/Cooper Plaza
70 Street
Myrtle Avenue
Cooper Avenue
Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District Queens

Venditti Square Plaza
Woodbine Street
Myrtle Avenue
St. Nicholas Avenue
Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District Queens

Wyckoff Plaza
Wyckoff Avenue
Myrtle Avenue
Gates Avenue
NYC DOT

Staten Island Plazas

Plaza Name

On Street

From

To

Partner

Van Name/Van Pelt Plaza
Richmond Terrace
Van Name Avenue
Van Pelt Avenue
NYC Parks

How to Apply to Create a New Plaza

Eligible organizations may propose new plaza sites for their neighborhoods through a competitive application process. NYC DOT prioritizes sites that are in neighborhoods that lack open space, and partners with community groups that commit to operate, maintain, and manage these spaces so they are vibrant pedestrian plazas.

The 2024 application is now closed. The 2025 application will open on April 1, 2025.

Expand All

Eligibility

This program is open to all organizations in any area of the city.

Applicants must be:

Organizations operating in New York City

Incorporated in New York State and compliant with annual State and Federal filing requirements

Located near or have a mission that serves or relates to the geographical target area of the proposed plaza

Support

Applicants must demonstrate local support for the proposed plaza by providing at least eight letters of support from community stakeholders, including but not limited to adjacent properties/businesses, nearby institutions (such as churches or schools), elected officials, other not-for-profit groups, neighborhood or block associations, and neighborhood residents.

Application Review & Evaluation

Applications are reviewed and evaluated according to the City's strategic goals as presented in PlaNYC, the NYC DOT Streets Plan, and site-specific criteria, including:

Open space: whether or not the neighborhood has an insufficient amount of open space.

Income eligibility: applicants receive additional points for proposals located in neighborhoods that qualify as low- or moderate-income as designated by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development as eligible for Community Development Block Grants.

Community initiative: the extent to which the applicant develops and executes a community outreach plan, builds consensus for the site, and solidifies local stakeholder support.

Site context: the proposed site's appropriateness to the adjacent land uses, population density, proximity to transit, safety, and other nearby open space.

Organizational and maintenance capacity: the extent to which the applicant is willing and able to program activities, maintain, operate and manage the plaza once it is built.

How the City Builds New Plazas

Pedestrian plazas are designed to reflect the character and needs of its neighborhood. Plazas are built in a multiple step process. The first installation of the plaza is in temporary materials, created as part of a street redesign project. Community Boards are notified during this process.

The second and final installation phase of a plaza is in permanent materials. This process takes many years and is funded through the capital program. NYC DDC often leads the implementation of a permanent plaza.

Before plaza conditions on South Elliot Place, Brooklyn

Interim materials create Fowler Square Plaza, Brooklyn

Permanent materials establish Fowler Square Plaza, Brooklyn

Plaza Rules

When using pedestrian plazas, you must comply with all plaza rules posted in Chapter 4 of Title 34 of the Rules of the City of New York.

Review Pedestrian Plaza rules on American Legal Publishing

Displaying a Sign in a Plaza

If you would like to display a sign in a pedestrian plaza that does not comply with the official rules (e.g., a sign larger than 3 feet x 2 feet and 6 square feet), send an email including the following information to plazas@dot.nyc.gov at least seven days before you would like to display the sign.

Subject line should read, “Sign Request”

The location where the sign will be displayed (e.g., the pedestrian plaza, specifying the approximate portion(s) of the plaza);

The dimensions of the sign;

The material the sign will be made of;

The manner in which the sign will be displayed;

The duration the sign will be displayed;

Contact information where the response can be sent.

NYC DOT will evaluate your request and will let you know if it can be accommodated or if it needs to be modified to ensure safety and pedestrian flow in the plaza.

Times Square Plaza Adjacent Sidewalk Diagram

View an illustrative diagram of Times Square Pedestrian Plaza’s adjacent sidewalk