Create Play Streets
Play Streets programs temporarily close a section of a street off to cars, typically for a morning or a day on a regular, but seasonal, basis, for use as a public playground. Activities are often organized and supervised by volunteers or city workers.
Guidance
- Plan ahead: Contact potential partners and brainstorm activities in winter or early spring
- Reach out to community partners early and often, from the permit application process onward
- Organize community-outreach meetings, recruit volunteers, and brainstorm ideas and partnerships
- Recruit supervisors and activity coordinators from community groups, local police athletic leagues, municipal parks department employees, or summer youth-employment programs
- Schedule regular, consistent activities
- Publicize your play street: Create an activity schedule and share it with local blogs, newsletters, community meetings; post it in grocery stores, community centers, and other activity hubs; spread the word through social media
Benefits
- Quickly and cheaply expands the amount of recreation space in an area
- Creates a local walking destination
- Reduces potential pedestrian-vehicle conflicts
Considerations
- Temporarily reduces available curbside car parking
Where to Use It
- Locations with strong community partners
- Areas in close proximity to a residential neighborhood
- Discrete road sections or blocks with detour routes available for local vehicular traffic
- Underused roadways adjacent to schools or parks
- Areas underserved by parks and open space
Professional Consensus
- In the absence of endorsements or guidance from national associations or governmental departments, cities are turning to best practices employed by other municipalities
Examples
This material is the product of a partnership between America Walks and Sam Schwartz Engineering. Visit here for more information on the partnership.